Is Dulux going to be my option? and has anyone actually done it that can help? (Rather than I knew a guy!)

[oldharry]

Ive painted a fair few boats over the years including a lightship. My view is marine two pack polyurethene is the most durable for a long length of time.
Houshold paints certainly work on boats but they dont seem to stay as shiny and last as long as a marine paint .
Overall you get what you pay for.

I would dispute that: I painted a boat using Dulux weathershield about the same time as another boat was being done with 'proper' marine paint. I happened to see the two boats alongside each other nine years later. It was generally agreed that mu [paintwork was brighter and less faded than the other boat. I have no idea now what make was used, but my Weathershield Trade was clearly in better overall shape. Having said that I would agree entirely that cheaper DIY store own brand paints are significantly inferior failing withina season in some cases.

 

[Refueler]

Maybe but something to take note of is different gloss paints have different hardnesses depending on what is intended use is. Grp paint would be a harder finish whereas paint for wood would be softer.
Marine paint works on the water line. Domestic paints fail.

My Soviet Speedboat gets a coat of local DIY shops red paint each 2nd or 3rd year ... to recover dings and scrapes ... the majority of the paint cover is good ...

Pal of mine - Consultant Director of Metals Fabrication Plant here ... used the same paint they spray metal framing etc - the final white gloss version .. that was 2yrs ago ..... still looks OK ... but its a trade based paint not available to Joe Public. I did ask him if the did Red ... but they don't have any orders for red finished works ....

 

[Rappey]

I would dispute that:

That's fine. A thread with lots of opinions is a good thing as someone reading it can see a lot of info and make their own informed decision.
What undercoat or primer is used can effect how long paint holds on for. Most of the time I've looked at flaky paint on wood its usually because the primer has come away taking the subsequent coats with it. I like aluminium primer for bare wood as it rarely fails. Blakes ,now hempels used to do an aluminium primer. It was great stuff. They also used to do a wood seal but like tbt anti foul, all good things come to an end.
Ive recently painted a front door with proper dulux trade gloss and it was lovely paint to use giving a nice finish. Have been painting the rest of the windows with toplac and it certainly last longer than domestic orientated paints

 

[westernman]

Most DIY stores down here will mix paint to any colour you like. Just pick out the white base paint you want and tell them the precise colour specification and they will whip it up (almost literally) while you wait.

If you really want to use something special, I am sure you could arrange them to mix in the colours to a white base paint you provide (e.g. International or some other marine brand).

 

[oldharry]

That's fine. A thread with lots of opinions is a good thing as someone reading it can see a lot of info and make their own informed decision.
What undercoat or primer is used can effect how long paint holds on for. Most of the time I've looked at flaky paint on wood its usually because the primer has come away taking the subsequent coats with it. I like aluminium primer for bare wood as it rarely fails. Blakes ,now hempels used to do an aluminium primer. It was great stuff. They also used to do a wood seal but like tbt anti foul, all good things come to an end.
Ive recently painted a front door with proper dulux trade gloss and it was lovely paint to use giving a nice finish. Have been painting the rest of the windows with toplac and it certainly last longer than domestic orientated paints

Ithink we can agree on that. Cheap diy store paint is generally pretty rubbish, and more recently DIY store Weathershield has been pretty useless. But Trade quality paints in my experience match up pretty well to marine paint