Painting the hull - Novice

[oldharry]

...and just for the alternative view.. once you start painting you're into a cycle, so how faded is the GRP, and how fussy are you about concourse condition....??

++1 Painting really is a last resort, as the finish is never as durable as Gel coat or as repairable. Once you have painted, you are committed for the life of the boat. My boat had been enthusiastically 'maintained' forover 30 years, and previous owners had actually polished in many places right through the gel coat, and the underlying lay up was showing through!

 

[fireball]

Oh, you've opened up a can of worms here! As with all paint finishes, time spent on preparation is the key. How long you spend on it depends on the finish you want to achieve. If you are a "slap it on and go sailing" type then a quick wet and dry to provide a key and a paint of your choice will suffice.
If you want a mirror perfect finish then rub down, undercoat, rub down etc. Until you feel it is right then topcoat. By then the sailing season will have half gone. With all due respect it is a Seawych and unless you want to bring it up to concourse standard, rub it down, paint it, go sailing, simples.
BTW I got a good finish using a four inch gloss roller from Wickes.

I'm refurbing our 51yo mirror dinghy - the hull has had a quick rub down with 40 grade to get the flaky stuff off followed by 120 grade to give a reasonable finish ... it's nowhere near mirror perfect and isn't intended to be. I want to get the boat finished and on the water this season - a better finish will be done in subsequent years when we've ironed out any other issues (like soft wood!)

Btw - using Toplac for the top coat - 1 tin does two coats on the mirror hull ...

 

[Robert Wilson]

...and just for the alternative view.. once you start painting you're into a cycle, so how faded is the GRP, and how fussy are you about concourse condition....??

Annoyingly, and sadly, I am in that cycle. Some previous owner painted Khamsin, and made a bodge of it.
Also, she is badly scratched, gouged, touched-in and in places over-sprayed. She looks a real mess (dark blue).
So I am committed to repaint this year. A well-renowned local professional is to do it. I shall be providing the labour and most of the prep work.

 

[eddystone]

Just don't use Hempel Classic Gloss, it doesn't go on nearly as well as Toplac and seems impossible to get a decent finish - not very durable either. I did the wooden bits of my Solo dinghy and very soon will have a Pre-Kote Grey deck.

 

[Tranona]

...and just for the alternative view.. once you start painting you're into a cycle, so how faded is the GRP, and how fussy are you about concourse condition....??

Read the whole post. In the first para he says that the hull has already been painted. So although the gel coat might be in good condition removing the paint is unlikely to be viable. So - he is in the cycle. However as has been pointed out a good finish can bee obtained, and maintained by painting it properly.

Most rubbish paint jobs are like that because they have not been done properly.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Read the whole post. In the first para he says that the hull has already been painted. So although the gel coat might be in good condition removing the paint is unlikely to be viable

...I did... he said "the gel coat underneath is in OK condition but badly faded" which implies to me that it is possible to go back to GRP.. at the moment....

 

[Tranona]

...I did... he said "the gel coat underneath is in OK condition but badly faded" which implies to me that it is possible to go back to GRP.. at the moment....

So.... confusing as he asks specifically about painting. Maybe he will return and enlighten us to exactly what the problem is!