Car paint for steel boat

Das_Boot

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Does anyone know if Car paint (solvent based) paint is any good for boats. I am in the North and due to the short gaps between the rain would like to use a quick drying paint to spray paint my deck.
 

AndrewB

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Can't say I've ever tried it, but this seems extremely doubtful. Even new cars go rusty pretty quickly if kept where sea-spray reaches them, as I know to my cost. If you need quick-drying paint for steel, use something like Blake's epoxy primer, which is touch dry in a couple of hours on a mild winter's day in the UK. Five coats offer excellent protection, but for looks it can be overcoated with polyurethane when the weather gets better.
 

branko

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You can use acrylic automotive finish for outside parts of boat, 2 K system ( base color mix with Clear and than add hardener)and it will be better than Polyurethane, but price performance is questionable as PU have twice lower cost.
Rule is: UP - Polyurethane
Underwater - Epoxy paint over Epoxy primer
Bilges - Epoxy paint
 

PaulJ

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I would be very wary of using car paint.... I used Jotun "Jotamastic" epoxy followed by their "Hardtop" two-pack polyurethane on my steel boat. They say you can use the epoxy at temperatures down to +5 deg and I think (not sure) that the polyurethane can also be used down to that temp. I haven't used it at a temp as low as that but I have used it at 10 deg. The epoxy took a couple of days before I felt it was hard enough to rub down but the polyurethane top coat dried much more quickly. On a warm day (20+deg) it actually goes off too quickly and at ten degrees.... I didn't time it but I would guess that it was touch dry in a couple of hours though I wouldn't walk on it for 24 hrs or more.
I have been very pleased with Jotun, it is easy to use and VERY tough.
 
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