Restoration Project

[alistairh]

Just been given a 14ft wooden kit boat (already built) that need lots of work and effort, but the only thing is i dont have that much time. its was previously painted white and was primed with one coat of wood primer even below the waterline. this paint has blistered and is peeling off,so to save time can i paint over the old paint if i remove the flaky bits and sand smooth. and if i reprime the hull can i just paint and antifoul it, will it last on a swing mooring. Also how can i strip the old paint without spending all my time doing it.

 

[Lakesailor]

You haven't got much time and that is the very thing you need for a wooden boat repair/restore.
I spent a year doing an 11 foot Heron dinghy.
If it's going to be on a swinging mooring it needs to be spot on before you put it on the water. Most small boats live on trailers.
(Admitedly most rot in dinghies is from rainwater)

 

[Jake]

You can certainly do a quick job with removing all the flaking paint, sanding flat with an orbital sander, and then going over with a couple of coats of undercoat followed by a top coat. It won't be smooth and pleasing to the eye, but it will get you afloat and protect the wood.

Also, a couple of layers of antifouling below the waterline ( and an inch or so above it) will keep the weeds away. Remember to cover the boat as rain - especially this summer - fills them up quickly on an exposed mooring.

Quickest way to strip will be using a scotchbright type rotary style brush designed for just this purpose (around £7 from any DIY store) and will rip through it very quickly. You may even find it so successful that you will have stripped most of the boat back to bare wood (always the best option) before you know it!

A hot air gun also works well, but can scorch the wood, and chemical stripping is effective, but requires quite a bit of cleaning up.

So yes, you can do a quick bodge job by just removing the flaking paint, priming any exposed wood, and slapping on some more paint. You can do a proper job in the winter!

 

[Swanrad2]

Seen it done before, sand/scrape off the flaky. Paint/sand a couple of times should equalize a bit.

Otherwisw nitromors?

 

[William_H]

Rainwater will be a big killer in a wooden boat on a mooring. The fresh water encouraes wood rot. In fact check for rot before you start. Especially in the area where rain will settle if the boat has been standing bow down or stern down.
I beleive one trick is to put lots of salt in the areas where water may accumulate. But this should be in conjunction with a cover to deflect water from getting into the hull. There may be a na anti rot treatment available too. good luck olewill

 

[Sixpence]

Did someone mention 'restoration project' /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif
My favourite topic /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif
My 21 ft Debutante has the same problem and in between the rain I've been using a hot air gun to remove all the cracked paint , it's worth removing large areas around the cracked parts because the cracked paint lets in rain water and it penetrates quite a long way underneath supposedly good paint . The heat also helps dry up the fresh water too . As said , careful you don't scorch the wood but I've found it's much faster than sanding and chemicals , well why spend more time and money when one tool does the job nicely , in the right hands
Try it out on some scrap wood first so you get a feel for it

 

[Pasarell]

I think you definitely need to remove the old paint if it has blistered and flaked. Water has got under it and the adhesion to the wood is obviously compromised. Once removed you need a primer suitable for permanent immersion such as Primocon from International and then an antifouling.
Jake suggested undercoat and a top coat but this will not form a waterproof barrier or prevent fouling. Fine for topsides or a dinghy stored ashore but no good underwater. It will blister and come away pretty quickly if the boat is kept on a mooring.

 

[alistairh]

going to remove old paint that will come off easily with heat gun and then paint with a thin epoxy mix to waterproof hull and top sides ,slap on a coat or two for undercoat and then the topcoats. in the corners of the back and transom im going to use epoxy and glass tape to make the joints fully watertight. for the areas that are rotting i have cut away the rot and filled with epoxy filler. but i did make a mess of drilling a hole in the hull for a skin fitting, a little mis measuring so now i have a hole in the hull! but apart from the hole does this seem a good idea.