Painting blue gelcoat white (entire superstructure above deck)

jellyellie

jellyellie

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www.jellyellie.com
Hi all

If you've ever met her, you'll know that my boat Miley is very recognisable... she has a white hull and the entire superstructure on deck is an odd shade of blue gelcoat. The decks have been painted white but the rest of the saloon/coachroof/cockpit is a lovely faded, knackered, scratched, stained, weird shade of blue gelcoat.

Here's a pic of her:

216252_222217104462178_219757594708129_1088701_3063005_n.jpg


Up until now I've T-Cutted and polished away all year round, but I just don't have time for it any more, it never lasts, and doesn't deal with the blobs of paint and varnish hardened on in a few places.

So... I am seriously considering painting all the blue gelcoat white.

Crazy idea? Should I just polish her using an electric polisher and compound and hope that comes up better and lasts longer?

I know that paint would require re-painting, but it wouldn't be as constant as polishing.

But I also feel like it would be a shame to hide the blue, as that's such a huge part of her character, but she would look 10 years younger painted white instead. And I remember when I first went to look at her - we were there to look at the boat moored up next to her, but the broker coerced us into having a look aboard miley too - I instantly disregarded her because of the awful blue, but as soon as I went inside I was converted. And then the blue grows on you.

So I know it has to be my decision at the end of the day, but I'd like your opinion on whether a) it's a good idea, and b) if I do decide to paint her, any tips for painting gelcoat?

Thanks!

jelly
 
If you are going to warmer climes the difference that white superstructure makes to internal temperatures compared with blue is almost unbelievable.

For maximum paint hardness and durability a two-pack system is probably best, but more difficult to apply. International Toplac is a single pack paint that is almost as durable but very easy to apply. It flats off particularly well, giving a good gloss. I would use that if I were doing the job.
 
Yeah, I was considering a colour other than white - maybe light blue? But she'd look really smart white, and could always paint a blue strip or something so she's not just all white.

Ideally I'd like white superstructure and blue hull. Shall I just capsize her and keep her that way up...? ;)
 
Thanks Vyv, I like the sound of Toplac.

I did think about the different to internal temperatures as with her raised saloon she does get very hot inside even in the UK, which is a consideration especially with small dog living with us. However, I did a bit of research into this and Mythbusters happened to test the theory of white vs. black paint on cars and there isn't actually a noticeable difference. It would at least would be cooler to touch, though, which is nice when you're walking around the boat and brush past the hot blue.
 
jellyellie said:
Yeah, I was considering a colour other than white - maybe light blue? But she'd look really smart white, and could always paint a blue strip or something so she's not just all white.

Ideally I'd like white superstructure and blue hull. Shall I just capsize her and keep her that way up...? ;)
Click to expand...

Don't paint it white. Paint it off-white by all means but not white as you'd be surprised how white that will be. If you don't believe me, pop over to Emsworth and see how white mine is (bring sunglasses). You'd be surprised how few boats actually are white when they sit next to mine :D

That said, the painting itself is easy enough.
  • Mask everything off, even if you feel lazy.
  • Clean up as best you can.
  • Add in the non slip gubbins as new paint is slippery when wet.
  • Use a mini roller for intricate work, a big roller for big areas if you must.
  • Don't use a brush, even for one coat, even if you're feeling too lazy to go and get a roller and you have a brush in your hand.
  • Don't paint it White :D
Cheers
Dave
 
Thanks for all the replies.

So the general consensus is painting would be a good idea (yes?), Toplac is the one to go for, but not white. I agree with all that.

Dave - and I guess the thing about white is, her hull is white so it would really show that up as dirty off-white. Not good.

OK, so I like the look of International Toplac's Baltic Blue colour - http://www.youngsboatyard.co.uk/product/794/1760/International-Toplac-Baltic-Blue-YKB914

Or shall I be really crazy and paint her red?!?! Time to go to the chandlers and have a look at all the colours... oh what a shame... ;) I am a girl after all!!!

Hang on... I saw a ketch round Portsmouth Harbour that was painted purple.....................
 
Who wants a Malo when you could have a Colvic?! ;)

White with blue strips would look very smart, but too normal, I fear. I like the fact that Miley stands out along a pontoon filled with white boats. Hmm.
 
jellyellie said:
Thanks for all the replies.

So the general consensus is painting would be a good idea (yes?), Toplac is the one to go for, but not white. I agree with all that.

Dave - and I guess the thing about white is, her hull is white so it would really show that up as dirty off-white. Not good.

OK, so I like the look of International Toplac's Baltic Blue colour - http://www.youngsboatyard.co.uk/product/794/1760/International-Toplac-Baltic-Blue-YKB914

Or shall I be really crazy and paint her red?!?! Time to go to the chandlers and have a look at all the colours... oh what a shame... ;) I am a girl after all!!!

Hang on... I saw a ketch round Portsmouth Harbour that was painted purple.....................
Click to expand...

Purple!!! Dont you dare! Think pretty ocean blue!
 
But... but... puuuurple! *sob*

Thankfully for you (and miley), Toplac doesn't come in purple, so I'll have to forget that option.

OK, so... choose colour, buy paint, rollers and masking tape. Any idea how much paint I'll need? And I guess I'll need a different type of paint (less slippy deck paint) for the white decks which need doing again anyway.

In terms of preparation, I know I need to sand the existing deck paint right back to get a good key for the new stuff, so I guess I need to sand all the gelcoat too? How 'deep' do I need to go with this? Would it be ruined if someone wanted to remove all the paint in the future?
 
jellyellie said:
But... but... puuuurple! *sob*

Thankfully for you (and miley), Toplac doesn't come in purple, so I'll have to forget that option.

OK, so... choose colour, buy paint, rollers and masking tape. Any idea how much paint I'll need? And I guess I'll need a different type of paint (less slippy deck paint) for the white decks which need doing again anyway.

In terms of preparation, I know I need to sand the existing deck paint right back to get a good key for the new stuff, so I guess I need to sand all the gelcoat too? How 'deep' do I need to go with this? Would it be ruined if someone wanted to remove all the paint in the future?
Click to expand...

Surely you can make purple yourself!! One other thing I'll warn you of is that your sail cover looks beige and you may have other fittings and fixtures that are expensive and need to match. I know I'm not a girl but these things matter dagnammit!
You can mix these colours btw :)
 
Maybe Mythbusters have never lived on a boat in the Med. Deck colour makes a big difference. I don't know whether a bright white is available in Toplac anyway but something slightly more grey would be a good idea.
 
vyv_cox said:
Maybe Mythbusters have never lived on a boat in the Med. Deck colour makes a big difference. I don't know whether a bright white is available in Toplac anyway but something slightly more grey would be a good idea.
Click to expand...

I used Hempel so not seen the Toplac equivelant white. I suspect it would still make the hull look bad though.
The car thing is probably down to it being basically a greenhouse. Boats have fewer windows (or less area windows per volume hull) so would be affected in a different way.
 
jellyellie said:
But... but... puuuurple! *sob*

Thankfully for you (and miley), Toplac doesn't come in purple, so I'll have to forget that option.

OK, so... choose colour, buy paint, rollers and masking tape. Any idea how much paint I'll need? And I guess I'll need a different type of paint (less slippy deck paint) for the white decks which need doing again anyway.

In terms of preparation, I know I need to sand the existing deck paint right back to get a good key for the new stuff, so I guess I need to sand all the gelcoat too? How 'deep' do I need to go with this? Would it be ruined if someone wanted to remove all the paint in the future?
Click to expand...

You dont need to go daft with the flatting, a good flat with 220-280 paper will be fine. Get a good undercoat, designed for the toplac and go for it.
You can get an additive for your deck paint, but I would not go for blue deck paint, unless pale blue, which with a white hull and dark blue coachroof sides, will look pretty (girly enough for you?) You can buy deck paint, but mixing your own non slip in toplac will do nicely. Hope this helps, Oh! by the way, I like the mohair rollers, nice finish.
 
I didn't sand mine at all and it seems OK so far although I plan to sand it back this winter so I was only trying to get away from the old blue colour :)
 
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