Painting blue gelcoat white (entire superstructure above deck)

lustyd said:
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 :)
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Ooooh, a purple mix....... now there's a thought! Purple hull, white coachroof...?!

Yeah, sail covers are beige. They don't match anything anyway (except for the gold masts, which I'd eventually like to paint white as well) so not even bringing them into the equation. Would like to get new sail covers one day when I can afford them, would make a huge difference to her appearance. Do you think they could be dyed?!

lustyd said:
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.
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Ahh, this is where miley is more like a car than a boat. Her raised saloon is covered in windows so basically acts as a greenhouse. But yeah, it does make sense that lighter = cooler.

ccscott49 said:
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.
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Thanks. Definitely wouldn't have dark blue deck paint - think I want to keep white (actually I think it's very light grey) deck paint, looks smart. Or maybe light blue. Depends what colour I choose for the coachroof sides.

nimbusgb said:
Why not gelcoat it white?
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Because I imagine it would be expensive (at least, more expensive than paint), would require some pro help, would be a huge faff, need to be in a yard, etc.? No?

lustyd said:
to pink :D
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Purple yes, pink, no! That's Jessica Watson's forté ;)
 
jellyellie said:
Ooooh, a purple mix....... now there's a thought! Purple hull, white coachroof...?!
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I think purple and pink stripes would look nice, especially since you are Brighton based so there should be less opposition over that way.

jellyellie said:
Yeah, sail covers are beige. They don't match anything anyway (except for the gold masts, which I'd eventually like to paint white as well) so not even bringing them into the equation. Would like to get new sail covers one day when I can afford them, would make a huge difference to her appearance. Do you think they could be dyed?!
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They are waterproof so probably not - if you try and succeed let me know as mine needs to be darker too :) New ones are more than you probably think so get a quote before committing.


jellyellie said:
Ahh, this is where miley is more like a car than a boat. Her raised saloon is covered in windows so basically acts as a greenhouse. But yeah, it does make sense that lighter = cooler.
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In that case, fluffy dice may block some light and help with the cooling :D

jellyellie said:
Thanks. Definitely wouldn't have dark blue deck paint - think I want to keep white (actually I think it's very light grey) deck paint, looks smart. Or maybe light blue. Depends what colour I choose for the coachroof sides.
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Cream is also quite nice and may suit the covers.

jellyellie said:
Because I imagine it would be expensive (at least, more expensive than paint), would require some pro help, would be a huge faff, need to be in a yard, etc.? No?
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Flowcoat is fairly similar to two pack paint but if you get a drip it's significantly harder to flatten.

jellyellie said:
Purple yes, pink, no! That's Jessica Watson's forté ;)
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And you call yourself a lady!
 
If using Toplac ignore the advice to use only a roller.
You will end up with an orange peel surface with tiny air bubbles throughout. For the best finish go "roll 'n tip" which involves laying on the paint with a foam gloss roller then tipping with a good quality brush. Its best done with one person rolling and a chum tipping off, but I did the job on the hull of my ketch solo using Toplac (nae mates).
For the deck I second the suggestion of using masonry paint, such as Sandtex. Apart from being much cheaper than oil-based specialist deck paint it goes on easier, is as doddle to clean up and comes in a range of colours. Sandtex Light Cream is virtually the same hue as International Interdeck Sand Beige.
 
Why paint it Jelly? looks like you have loads of gel coat left on there, just needs proper polishing, not dusting, t-cut etc wont touch it, you will need some fine paper.
It will also keep the craft original.

Painting the interior wood white?

Jelly... step away from the paintbrush!
:)
 
Please keep her original

I'm with M R on this.

T-cutting, yes it's a pain but please use "Farecla G3" if it's really faded.

After compounding it needs to be sealed, I've given up using waxes, used a clear sealer, "Marine A-Glaze" There are others but haven't tried them.

BTW, nice boat.
 
jellyellie said:
Thanks for all the tips.

I have now decided I want to paint her hull as well - blue hull, and her coachroof & decks off-white! Oh man...
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What on earth happenned to the purple? If the topsides are still original gelcoat I would hold off painting them. The finish will be good but paint can be scratched easier than gelcoat and will show the white underneath if you have a scrape.
 
No quick n easy fix, of course, unless you want to devalue your rather nice boat there.
It's the same amount of preparation whether you use 'proper' two pack polyurethane, one can Toplac, or B nQ wallowing but, with two pack, you will add value and won't have to do it again in two yeRs time or think' what if..'. What you need is a cheap place to haul out to do the work( join SYC), and a friendly competent
Sprayer and the boat will simply look fantastic, really amsziny professional, which can only reflect well on her skipper and crew!
We sprayed
My last boat including the spars, off White with light grey nonskid areas, hid the dirt and didn't glare(tropics) and for what it's worth, I bought "industrial" Imron 2pack polyurethane, wot they use on steel buildings exposed to sun sea and salt, and it was as cheap as Toplac I reckon.
 
Marine Reflections said:
Why paint it Jelly? looks like you have loads of gel coat left on there, just needs proper polishing, not dusting, t-cut etc wont touch it, you will need some fine paper.
It will also keep the craft original.
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I would go with this. Painting the hull is a last resort, only to be considered if the gelcoat is severely damaged or abraded away. A relatively low-cost and effort free way of restoring a big hull is to approach the young lads who polish cars all day at a big dealer's yard. They work fast and have muscles everywhere! You provide the scaffolding, materials and beer, they will bring the tools they use at work. A friend's 50 footer was transformed doing it this way.
 
vyv_cox said:
Painting the hull is a last resort, only to be considered if the gelcoat is severely damaged or abraded away.
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+1

My last boat was painted by someone and therefore devalued and possibly more difficult to sell.
I also have a frind who sold his Maxi eventually but it had been painted and he lost money on what it should have been worth and it was slow to sell
 
Good gel coat covered in paint is a sin! The right preparation and polishing will bring it up like new. Without doubt you need power tools and good quality polish/cutting compounds together with the right grade of polishing bonnets. You will still need a day or so to cover the area but well worth the effort. Investigate a couple of manufacturers range of professional polishing compounds and see what they recommend. Cutting and polishing can be like wet and dry, you need to go through the grades to achieve the right finish. Indeed you may even need to start with some very fine (2400 grit) wet and dry. My hull was done with 3M products and (before being holed) looked the dogs joracks - not bad for 46 year old gelcoat.

Yoda
 
just my humble opinion, having owned a yacht with painted cockpit/superstructure, I would put off painting as long as possible. then if you must paint it, use a 2 pack like awlgrip.

one pack like toplac is fine for the topsides but the deck and superstructure take such a hammering, they flex more and they get the suns rays beating down on them , then covered in snow and ice all winter.

All this means that you will forever be touching it up . when it gets covered in bird sh*t and goes green with algae -where you used to pressure wash and scrub the gelcoat - you'll end up taking half the paint off.

I wouldn't be put off buying another yacht with painted topsides but I wouldn't want another with painted cockpit/superstructure.

If you use 2 pack paint its a rather different story its a lot closer to the gelcoat in its hardness and longivety.

I agree with your thoughts on colour - white would make the boat look newer. Also white is less prone to fade and the damaging effects of UV.

good luck lady
 
I know someone who used car paint. He did have a very good spray gun and compressor though. His theory was that Cars stay out all weathers. The panels flex and move. Also he could use the DIY cans of spray paint for large areas of touch up , if required. 5 years later , it looked as good as new.
Regarding brushes. Ive seen painters use brush on and pad finish. Its a 2 man job. Someone lays it on with a brush and straight after someone finishes with the pads. It worked well.
 
Thanks for everyone's advice. I have had a good think about it all.

To be honest, I don't want to paint the hull - the gelcoat is in really good condition, and I was only considering it because I like the idea of blue hull & white-ish superstructure; white hull and white-ish superstructure would be boring on her.

Whilst I wouldn't choose the superstructure colour she currently is, it would be nice to keep her original, and apart from a few chips in the cockpit, the gelcoat is in really good condition (especially for her age!). So I think it's only fair that I give proper polishing a go, and see how she comes up. If it's not great, then I can think about painting her.

So... polishing. One of those electric polishers and a proper compound? How would I get to all the fiddly hard-to-reach bits? Yoda makes it sound quite complicated!
 
You'll want a proper polisher, not one of the cheap halfords car ones. If you can, speak to someone who paints cars (or boats if you can) because they will talk you through the whole process.
 
jellyellie said:
Thanks for everyone's advice. I have had a good think about it all.

To be honest, I don't want to paint the hull - the gelcoat is in really good condition, and I was only considering it because I like the idea of blue hull & white-ish superstructure; white hull and white-ish superstructure would be boring on her.

Whilst I wouldn't choose the superstructure colour she currently is, it would be nice to keep her original, and apart from a few chips in the cockpit, the gelcoat is in really good condition (especially for her age!). So I think it's only fair that I give proper polishing a go, and see how she comes up. If it's not great, then I can think about painting her.

So... polishing. One of those electric polishers and a proper compound? How would I get to all the fiddly hard-to-reach bits? Yoda makes it sound quite complicated!
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Jellie

Don't worry, it's not that difficult. It is however worth doing some research and getting all the right stuff. Also worth talking to a professional if you see one out doing the job. The guy who did my hull used a paint brush to apply the polish to the hull and then buffed with a good quality machine. I'm sure you will find out about it all and you can't go far wrong.

Yoda
 
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