Paint work on Boats

[CharlieJ]

split off thread from "new boat-Allegro 27"

Originally I used an oilfield version of two part linear Polyurethane, called Cactus Paints. Used on fiberglass oil storage tanks, and a whole lot cheaper than AlGrip.

I have painted 4 boats with it over the years, one of which was my previous boat, the Lindsay 21. I always spray these paints, usually outdoors, and with a GOOD respirator. If I was indoors, I'd use a forced air mask The stuff contains IsoCyanate, which is not something you want to breathe.

Sadly, the company is now out of business, leaving Imron and AllGrip basically.,

Allgrip is a great  paint, long lasting and horribly expensive Last time I bought a quart, ,by the time I got the paint, the reducer and the catalyst (for a customers boat) that quart ran $225!! Now granted, ,a second or third quart would have only need the paint, so would have been roughly $90.

when I was bringing Tehani back from the Chesapeake by myself in 2011, I ran afoul of some very nasty pilings in West Florida, and scrapped the daylights out of the hull side

Once home i had the boat hauled, for other reasons. Having it here, I repaired the damage with epoxy fillers, and painted with Imron. Far less expensive, and seemingly every bit as good

Here's a picture of the touched up hull before she was relaunched in 2013

Feel free to add, or ask any other questions, or discussions. It's a goods subject for it's own thread

[Sunset]

Charlie all I ever use any more is two part. Mostly Epifanes and with excellent results until I painted outside. I have been trying to get my brothers 28 cruiser painted. I has a boot, and around a 1 foot stripe on the shear all the way around, plus the remainder of the transom. I put the second coat on at about 4 pm, leaving 2/12 hours before dark. The dew landed on some of it and took the gloss away. So I prepped the port and transom again and shot it about 11am. Total disaster some sort of contamination ruined it. I think it was from the sand paper, other areas I shot at the same time look perfect. Those areas were sanded weeks ago and with a different paper. Going to spray the port and transom again this weekend. Will be using a different paper and wipe down with a body shop prep, dewaxer and greaser. If I don't get good results I may just shoot it again, but with a 45!!! ;) :)
I like the gloss you got on your boat. I had took a picture of myself in the blue reflection and sent it to my brother after I had done the first coat. Just goes to show you I shouldn't brag until the job is done.

[cap-couillon]

One of my favorites has always been Interthane 990...  Made by International Paints it is a commercial 2 part urethane used primarily for tanks, bridges, and other steel structures.  However, if you compare the cut sheets on Interthane 990 and the high end Interlux urethane, they are virtually identical. One exception is 990 runs about $70-$90 a gallon kit vs 3 times that for the Interlux yacht paint. Have done several boats with excellent results.  Roll and tip is ok, but recommended is airless spray which does a wonderful job.  Not easy to find, need a commercial house that carries International Paint Products. Have sources available in Richmond Va and Savannah Ga.

Worth the search. 

[maxiSwede]

Thanks for good input guys!
Here in French Polynesia, I am not likely to find other than the 2 part they use for cars, guess it's a PU too?! 

Re the huge price gap between "industrial" and "yacht" products, it's totally silly and goes for a lot of stuff we buy for our loved toys. More often than not industrial suppliers should be of superior quality I thnk, but that would be hard to prove for sure  :o

Re superglossy paint finish, my first boat was a woody and paint was always brushed on. Dunno why our "plastic fantastic" aka GRP boats would need to have Car style  glossy finish ....could it be because most boat owners are more experienced with cars?  ;D

[lastgreatgeneration]

What are you guys using for the application? (Union painter here) I would use a 2 part epoxy gelcoat (ideally) sprayed with an air supplied HVLP. I was also wondering if anyone has had any luck spraying with an airless. I have access to a 390 graco sprayer. I would test with thinning and then maybe a 315 tip. Thoughts? As pointed out above, industrial paints are cheaper however they may chalk easier because they aren't meant to have a yacht finish and quite possibly don't have UV inhibitors. Just an observation based on some data sheets I have read.

[maxiSwede]

As pointed out above, industrial paints are cheaper however they may chalk easier because they aren't meant to have a yacht finish and quite possibly don't have UV inhibitors. Just an observation based on some data sheets I have read.

That's good info, thanks!

Strange that industrial paint would not be considered to need UV - inhibitors though.....unless meant to be used strictly indoors?!

[CharlieJ]

maxiSwede said-

"Re superglossy paint finish, my first boat was a woody and paint was always brushed on. Dunno why our "plastic fantastic" aka GRP boats would need to have Car style  glossy finish ....could it be because most boat owners are more experienced with cars?  "

I've always knocked down the gloss on paints on boats. .I really don't like the super glossy look.. Of course, most of my boats are older, and have seen a good bit of "dock rash" so the gloss would just accentuate that :)

[lastgreatgeneration]

Well I have been considering SW Macropoxy 646 as a barrier coat, the specs say it's rated for underwater use and water tank lining. The thing is every product has specifications on the variables temp, pot life, millage. This is why a lot of bottom paints fail because of improper application. Point is if you have some junkie at a boatyard slapping on that paint where the application is not measured, it will be thin in some areas and heavy in others, your paint will fail.

As for doing it yourself, if the coating was sprayed you build thicker millage within the specs with less coats. So if I was to do it right I would use a 2 part gelcoat 7-10 mills thick.

Rolling and tipping is fine, although you have a thinner coat of material that scratches easier although touches up easily.

However you can roll on a 2 part gelcoat with a tight nap roller but you won't get that glossy finish. Also you may need to apply 5 coats to build millage.

As far as the uv inhibitors, it all depends on the product. Most exterior industrial paints and epoxies will chalk as most of their uses will be on structural steel, bridges etc. they do have uv inhibitors but they won't be formulated like the yacht paints. As bridges and factories aren't meant to have the yacht like finish.

There is the seaguard line at SW that is used for commercial ships hulls, deck houses. Those are cost effective at $60/gallon.

Millage is important, always use a mill gauge when applying barrier coats or bottom paint. You can pick one up free from Sherwin Williams.

Also, get a data sheet on the product and read it several times. Follow the directions. Also don't trust boatyard painters, they have no idea what they are doing!

[Phantom Jim]

Sherwin Williams had a two part polyurethane, Polane, that is very good.  Reuel Parker uses it on his boats.  I Painted a Cal 29 in 1996 and it looked very good.  I rolled and tipped.  SW also carries epoxy paints.  These products are in their commercial outlets.

[lastgreatgeneration]

Sherwin Williams had a two part polyurethane, Polane, that is very good.  Reuel Parker uses it on his boats.  I Painted a Cal 29 in 1996 and it looked very good.  I rolled and tipped.  SW also carries epoxy paints.  These products are in their commercial outlets.

Thanks for the tip, they have a myriad of products. I have been recommended a two part paint by a SW rep,  but i thought it was mostly anectdotal. I will have to revisit their two part yacht paints and report back.

Thanks

[lastgreatgeneration]

Update,

Sherwin Williams macropoxy is a satisfactory barrier coat. I team it past a reputable surveyor and he agreed it is sufficient. In fact I recently sandblasted a 40# spade anchor I picked up cheap because the galvanized failed. I did an epoxy/steel primer and two coats of 646. Great stuff, I also sealed a steel keel with it recently. You can build sufficient millage in one cost vs 2-3 coats of yacht paint. I you are doing barrier coat I would pick up some macropoxy thinner also from SW, thin at max 10%. In fact I like the stuff so much I'm thinking about doing the deck with it. It's a highly durable industrial 2 part epoxy.

[w00dy]

We hauled Mona two summers ago and rolled and tipped her hull with Easypoxy, which is great paint and easy to work with. That said, two cruising seasons have gone by and the one part paint has suffered the toll of contact with dinghies, anchors, fenders, docks, etc. When I think of all the work it took to sand, prep, tape, and paint 4 coats, I REALLY wish we had used the more durable 2 part stuff.... :(

Lesson learned. The real cost of a paint job isn't the paint itself. Buy the highest quality stuff you can afford.

A boater friend in NC told us about an industrial paint company called DevCo. I think their 2 part Poly is called Devthane and reasonably priced. Will give that a shot next time.