Old paint dilemma

Seagreen

Seagreen

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As I come to touch up Cleone's topsides paint this week, I find that she has so much paint on her in successive layers (up to almost 2mm in places!) that the paint cracks along the seams and in places where the planks themselves flex, usually at knots in the wood.

I know the only real solution to this is to scrape all the paint off back to bare wood and start again to get that showroom finish, but I don't have the time for that. Need to get sailing.

So, what would the panel recommend as a good flexible filler / trowel cement to fill in the cracks and get a usable smooth finish for a season or two. Cheap but effective is what I need. It is for above the waterline, and has to be waterproof and flexible but cures quickly - I can't be dealing with putty and white lead.

All suggestions welcome.
 
There is a fine filler that Painters and Decorators use that is flexible and quick drying and comes in a tube. That may be worth a try as it tends to tick all the boxes that you require.
You can get it at the usual DIY outlets.
 
Decorators Caulking it's sold as. Not entirely flexible but will do for a year or so. Cheap as chips.
I did a tongue and grooved ceiling with it (don't ask) and it has moved a bit on the bigger gaps.
 
Decorators' Caulk? I think I've even got a tube of the stuff lying about in the garage. I think that with a good coat of primer and paint, it'll do the job. I feel as though I'm letting the side down using it, though. I once went to view an old prawner to buy, till I saw that the rotting stem had been filled with silicone bath sealant...
I nearly didn't get out of the car, but that's a tale for another post.
 
[ QUOTE ]
silcone sealer is the spawn of the devil /forums/images/graemlins/shocked.gif

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Tell me about it. All the hood ends of this lovely old prawner were rotten, as were the planks at the turn of the bilge. In fact, she was a wreck, but sadly I'd admired her from afar for many years. Once I'd got over the misery of having my dreams quashed, it became a comedy. The "broker" said, "you're getting a lot of boat for your money!" I replied "A bigger rebuild than Hirta". My pal and I stuck our knives right through the bottom planking in several places. Funny, but a pity I had to waste the money on the petrol from Devon to North Wales and back. Still, Port Penryn was quite a nice place to visit, so it wasn't entirely wasted.

I believe she's still on the quayside, sagging under the weight of rainwater in her, unless someone has kicked a hole in her bilges as a drain.
 
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