Painting your boat with latex house paint

[Seadogdave]

I just found this interesting article about painting your boat.  http://www.simplicityboats.com/latexcarnel.html    It would sure save lots of money.  Has anyone out there tried this?  This site also has info. on epoxy use, etc..

[Wade]

I've built several stitch and glue boats, including an 18' Michelak design. I painted all with an exterior latex paint from Walmart. The boats were kept outside uncovered for years but used in fresh water only. The paint did great, looked good and was easy to repair occasional scratches. Most people thought the boats were fiberglass and had to be convinced they were plywood. I also used an exterior latex to paint the interior of my sailboat 3 years ago and have no complaints. It could use some touching up but thats not the paints failing.  I don't know about painting a glass hull or deck with it but most of this stuff works with good prep work.   wade

[CharlieJ]

Kind of agree, with one modification-

I you make that ACYLIC latex enamel. That's all I've used on the insides of any boat I built, or owned, in the last 25  or 30 years.

Painted our shop sign with it and it lasted, fully exposed, for almost 20 years

Haven't used it on outsides- for that I've been using  Porch and Deck enamel.

[tomwatt]

Gloss latex house paint (exterior kind) or exterior grade latex enamel either should be acrylic and should perform well above the waterline and for interior use. House paint has a possible inclusion of mildewcides (in most consumer formulations), so that's something to think about before using it.
Below waterline materials will always have to be different, but otherwise, a good grade of material should give you great results. Both Sherwin-Williams (for whom I worked before I retired) and PPG have some really good (industrial) products useful for this, just check the specs.

[CharlieJ]

Sherwin Williams Anchor Bond primer, and Incredi-Coat Acrylic were my "Go- to" coatings, til they quit selling them:(

[tomwatt]

CharlieJ, I understand your frustration with discontinued products. I share it. It seems to be a part of EPA/environmental regulations forcing paint mfrs. to eliminate all sorts of volatile vapors from their products... on a better note, a good many "new" things are acrylic enamels good for interior/exterior use. And I know SW has a few primer replacements to support their new epoxy materials too. Unfortunately, the old fashioned spar varnish has not been replaced by anything better... the water-based spar varnishes are not still being worked out.

[Kettlewell]

I tried latex a few times on various exterior places and it didn't hold up very well--it's a lot softer than oil enamels--and then it's a pain to remove it and recoat with oil-based paint. However, I'm not convinced that marine paint is worth the price over quality hardware store paint. On the interior latex holds up fine, but still not as durable as oil-based stuff. I knew Tom Jones well and he believed this and did it on most of his boats, but he also recoated on the exterior nearly every year, I believe.

[w00dy]

I don't have any tangible experience of my own to relate, but I am currently in the midst of re-doing my decks with epoxy and have been thinking about what paint I will eventually use to cover them.

I too have browsed the hardware stores in search of an cheaper, yet adequate alternative to Pettit and Interlux. We live aboard our boat, so the deck will see much more abrasion and wear than your average trailer sailer. The coating will constantly be exposed to the brunt of the Texas summer sun. Of course, it must handle water well.

Of the local offerings, the only potential candidates were the Porch & Floor paint that CharlieJ mentioned and a non-skid product for walkways, tennis courts, etc.
The porch and floor paint, while labeled "Interior/Exterior", stated specifically on the back label that it was suited for "covered porches" (read:not for constant, direct sunlight). The non-skid walkway stuff, while UV-resistant, warned against using where there might be pooled water. Either might work and both would definitely save me money, but the thought of having to re-prep and paint the entire deck again has me leaning toward the higher end, one or two-part polyurethane paints.

If anybody has any experience with this, I'd love to hear about it. Otherwise, it's time to break out the check book.

[Kettlewell]

In my experience porch and floor latex is adequate on the interior of a boat, but if the boat is used full time the paint will need to be redone every couple of years. For the exterior deck you can't beat 2-part paints for durability.

[CharlieJ]

The porch and deck I use is not a latex- it's a modified polyurethane enamel.

And as I said earlier- there is a HUGE difference between the old latex, and the new ACRYLIC latex's The interior of my current boat was painted with acrylic latex in 1998, and is still looking good, except in a few worn places.

For non skid on decks these days, I've been using Interlux Interdeck. Found it to be quite long lasting.

Have to agree on the two part polys for longevity though.

[Sunset]

The prep time and effort to paint a deck and cabin top are too great. Two part is the only way to go, unless you like that sort of thing. ;)

[Kettlewell]

Something I have been meaning to investigate are various industrial coatings that are used for floors in factories, warehouses, and other commercial buildings. I believe some of the commercial fishing fleet uses that type of stuff on their decks. I'll have to ask at my yacht club what was used on our aluminum ramp that goes down to the floating docks--it is gray, nonskid, has been left outside for years summer and winter, and seems to hold up very well. It might be a bit hard sourcing the industrial products, but they are often much cheaper and tougher than consumer grade coatings, if you don't mind having a less spiffy appearance.

[marujo_sortudo]

We use various marine enamels for everything, including the deck.  They're pretty durable and will put several years in before needing a simple prep and recoat.  I like them simply because touch up is easy and the work is pleasant.  The hassle of touch up keeps me away from 2 part paints, but then again I like to keep my boat pretty and it's wood well protected.  We got a small artists brush for edging and have built up our skills painting around hardware, etc. which saves us the money and hassle of tape and often gives a better result anyway.  Just pick whatever paint system is the best match between your budget and how you'd like to keep up the deck.

[tomwatt]

House paints for exterior use do okay on a boat I suppose... but they are designed to wear (chalk) to keep a fresh looking surface on your house, so may not be what you want on a boat. The additives to combat mildew make them unsuitable for interior use on a boat... you don't want to sleep breathing that stuff!
There were several really great new floor-painting products out, but I believe they are very hard and brittle... I saw them used for painting metal shelves, where they chipped badly from the flexible surface underneath them.
Always on the lookout for less expensive alternatives, I'm kind of gravitating towards two-part boat specific paints anymore, despite the expense they do perform well without added complications. However, topside enamel is just exterior grade enamel, and can be replaced by any similar material.