Paint

[Marc]

Does anyone out there know how to calculate for the amount of paint to buy, and also has anyone heard of top secret coatings?  Thats who I think I'm going to use, they supply the paints and coatings for the military.

[AdriftAtSea]

Marc-

It would help to know if you're talking about topsides, deck and cabintop or the hull.  What part of the boat are you painting.

[fullkeeldan]

Interlux's free painting guide from WestMarine gives good suggestions for topsides based on their application recommendations.
For the deck, I'm going to see how much primer gets used and calculate from that.

[Marc]

The whole boat, inside and out.

[CapnK]

Hi Marc -

Inside and out, top to bottom, you'll be using several different kinds of paints/coatings, I'd say 3, minimum.

For the interior, a good hard semi-gloss latex works great; it is easy, non-toxic, and is very affordable.

Then there are deck and topsides products that you can use which will be tough and have UV and water resistance 'built in', but few of those will work below the waterline

...So you'll need a 3rd paint specifically for the parts of the boat that will get submerged.

As far as brands - well, it's almost like anchors - everyone has their favorites, so maybe folks will chime in with what they like further in the thread.

For topsides and deck, my boat has been coated with Pettits Easypoxy (I think that's how it is spelled/called), and it seems to have held up really well, so I may wind up using it again.

Below the waterline, on 1970's and later boats, I like to use high build epoxy barrier coat underneath bottom paint. Using straight epoxy, you mix in a barrier coat material, and apply the mixture just like paint. It takes several coats to get a good build-up, to the point of what is recommended. I am not so sure about doing this to boats of a 60's vintage - I think that if the boat hasn't developed blisters, leave it alone. If it ain't broke... :D

[psyche]

I used Brightsides for all interior painted areas on my boat. I first primed with the Brightsides primer. It is extremely durable and seriously bonds to the fiberglass and wood. I painted the interior of the lockers and the beadboard ceiling with 1 coat primer and 2 coats Brightsides. It is also very easy to clean and is not affected by most spilled substances. If I were going to paint my decks I would seriously consider Durabak. Take a look at it  www.durabakcompany.com Dan

[boblamb]

An old sailor on the coast told me to be sure to mix some "cayene pepper" in the bottom paint.  Anybody know about this tactic?

BobL
CP23d

[CapnK]

Hiya Bob -

I've heard that. I don't know if it'd work, but on the chance it does, I get some *really* hot sauce/powder - based on habanero's - and use that instead of cayenne. ;D

Reese Palley mentioned in his book "Call of the Ancient Mariner"  that adding/using a small amount of a liquid antibiotic would help. That sounds like it'd work, since antibiotic would seem to = biocide. Don't know how good it would be for the fishies, tho, but none of that stuff is, by design.

[Bill NH]

There's a calculator on the Interlux web site (www.yachtpaint.com and choose the Paint System Advisor from the left-hand menu) that will give you a rough estimate of your hull, topsides and deck area and the resultant paint quantities needed.  It also makes recommendations as to the best Interlux product for each application. 

The site also has some good general boat painting info...  (not meant as an endorsement of Interlux above anything else, just as a good resource).

[Marc]

Thanks alot guys, the information from interlux is very informative.  I'm going to be very busy with her this spring.  A total makeover shall we say.  Thanks again

[psyche]

I tried the Cayene pepper in the bottom paint and it gave it a rough texture  rather than smooth which I'm sure slowed the boat a mite. It did not seem to enhance the longevity of the  paint. I use Trinidad an get 2 or more years from it and believe it is worth paying the cost of Trinidad. Dan

[Marc]

Okay gus here we go, for my 24' Venture (Lorinda) I am going with top secret coatings out of Washinton, the guy overt there said that I will need 1 gallon of etching cleaner, 3 gallons of primer,1 gallons of white epoxy paint, this will be the color of the interior cockpit and deck. Then 3 gallons of floor grip for my tread this will be a moccasin color, 2 gallons of bottom paint and this is in tile red.  2 gallons  of forest green of bright red for the hull, this is also an epoxy paint and a total of 3 gallons of thinner.  Sounds like I am going to have to roll and brush it on.  If anyone has any input I could probably use it.  It's still just 5 degrees ouside and that is where she is.  So I'm thinking a couple more months.  Marc

[Zen]

Speaking of Paint. Here is a shot of a lil boat I saw in Monterey bay, custom paint...

[maxiSwede]

custom paint, yes. Quite nice,  not exactly AWB  ;)

[s/v Faith]

FWIW,

  Interlux Brightsides is recommended on their website as a topsides paint.  (Topsides is not just the area above the toe rail as it might seem, that is 'deck' & topsides.... anyway I painted the hull from the Bootstripe to the toe rail with Brightsides and donot recommend that paint for the hull.  I have had some blistering of the paint where it gets splashed while sailing or heeled (like with Rose, Peter, & I on one side at anchor).

  I emailed interlux about this before hand, as I had experienced minor blistering on the toe rail with Brightsides when the paint had water stand on it a few days after painting.  I emailed interlux and asked them how long I should let the paint cure before launch.  They denied any knowledge of this problem and said I could splash as soon as the paint was dry (I recall the label said 24 hours).  I waited a few days but still got bubbles within a few weeks where the paint gets wet.

  It worked well for the deck, but I did get bubbles on the cockpit seats under the cushions where water had set.... and that paint had cured for at least 2 weeks before the cushions were set down.

  Good paint, easy to apply, but avoid use where it will see much prolonged exposure to water (as in being submerged or soaked).

  Oh yea, my research showed that the west marine brand of one part poly was actually interlux brightsides FWIW.

[skylark]

I had a similar experience with Brightsides on a rudder above the waterline, bubbling up, flaking off, and short life, less than a season.  I will not use it again.

[AllAboutMe]

I painted my 1965 Columbia Sabre 3 years ago with Brightsides, from the water line to the toe rail. It's been in the water since, and still looks brand new, aside from a couple of scrapes.It's as hard as any gel coat that I've ever worked with, and still has it's original shine.
The key to the whole paint thing is prep. If you don't sand, wipe down and prime, there isn't any paint that will stick. I do commercial building paint for a living, and the same applies there. We recently painted a gym, and on the recommendation of the paint company, didn't rough the old paint up, or apply a primer. The paint is peeling off in sheets after a little more than a month.
Larry Wilson
Chesapeake Bay, Va.

[skylark]

How did you prep the fiberglass for Brightsides?

[AdriftAtSea]

I'd have to agree with Larry... 99% of the quality of a good paint job is in the prep work.  Most of the times I've seen people complaining that the paint didn't work out well, I look at the amount of work they did prepping the surface... the majority didn't spend much time doing it.  Applying the paint is usually the easiest part of the job, if you've done it right, and only a small fraction of the actual work or time in a proper paint job.

Two years ago, I helped a friend paint a Cape Dory 25 with a one part paint.  IIRC, the paint was Easpoxy, which is basically a competitor to Brightsides, similar stuff/different brand.  The side he prepped is bubbling and peeling, the side I prepped, which he complained was taking me too long, still looks like new.  We'll be re-painting the boat this summer sometime...  He says the problem is the sun... since his side is exposed to it more...  While it is true the starboard side gets more sun... that isn't the problem. :)

[TJim]

I have Brightsides on the freeboard of my 28' pearson.  It's been there for over 4 years and looks like a waxed and polished gel coat.  I might add that it took me 3 months to get the boat ready to paint and 3 days to paint 2 coats on it.  The secret is no secret, just a lot of work.  Sand, Sand, ( I took 6 coats of paint off the hard way)and sand some more.  Then with detergent and warm water you scrub, scrub and scrub some more with a good clean water wash down in between.  When you absolutely can not wipe any paint off on your had with vigorous rubbing, you are ready for the acetone washdown  and a rolled coat of primer.
Then you can paint your boat.  If you want it to stay you roll it on about a 2 sq ft section at a time and you roll it with minimum of pressure until every bubble is out and it looks like  a mirror looking back at you.  Unfortunately you cannot reach every place with the roller and will have to use a brush for hard to get at places.
Do the best you can and try to bush out all the bubbles.  I do an acetone wash down between coats and do not sand.  Use the smoothest finest solvent proof rollers you can find.  Usually the paint stores don't have them.  I was able to order them (solvent proof) from West Marine.  You cannot do as good a job with a spray gun.