tenting for painting hull

[Gazza]

Have decided to reduce the cost of a professional two-pack spray job on our faded blue hull by tenting the boat myself before letting the painter loose. I'm thinking of putting battens well above toe-rail level, projecting three or four feet out with vertical supports at the ends. Covering will be heavy duty plastic from a builders' merchant.

Has anyone any experience of this DIY approach? Is there anything obvious that I haven't considered (apart from the whole lot blowing away of course).

Thanks in advance.

 

[pvb]

To access it properly for preparation and spraying, you'll almost certainly have to build a staging platform all round the hull. If you did this with scaffolding, it could also form the basis of the tent.

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

If you are going to rent scaffolding for staging you could discuss the tenting requirement with the scaffolder and get a good basic structure.

edit: sorry pvb ,just noted thatyou are making the same point

 

[Boo2]

To access it properly for preparation and spraying, you'll almost certainly have to build a staging platform all round the hull. If you did this with scaffolding, it could also form the basis of the tent.

Sorry to hijack the thread, but how do you hold the boat upright while you're spraying the hull ? Or do you just remove one prop at a time and paint under it ?

Boo2

 

[saltwater_gypsy]

The props are usually placed below the waterline. I think its a topsides paint job we are discussing.

 

[Boo2]

The props are usually placed below the waterline. I think its a topsides paint job we are discussing.

OK, well you've escaped this time, but how do you paint the bottom of the keel when you're doing the antifouling ?

Boo2

 

[pvb]

... how do you paint the bottom of the keel when you're doing the antifouling ?

Get the yard to hold it in the slings for a while.

 

[Gazza]

tenting

Thanks for the info. Should have made it clear that the boat is twin keel and this is a topsides hull paint.

Cheers,

Gazza

 

[pvb]

Should have made it clear that the boat is twin keel ....

Talk about confusing us! Your profile lists a Vancouver 32 which was why, in view of its draft, I suggested you'd need staging. But for a Hunter Pilot, you probably wouldn't.

 

[Gazza]

Time for an update

Whoops - profile now updated. Sorry for any confusion!

 

[BlueLancer]

You could build a bow shelter out of cheap ply and 2x2. Much like the shape of a poly tunnel in gardens. very light suprisingly strong and cheap. Will need pegging down though

 

[MrCramp]

If you do a search on this subject you should find one thread which had loads of info on how to build a shelter.

 

[prv]

how do you paint the bottom of the keel when you're doing the antifouling ?

Have the keel resting on a couple of blocks, so that most of it is six inches off the ground and accessible (just) to paint. Don't worry about the two short patches going unpainted, but make sure the blocks are in a slightly different place next year.

My yard can only put boats in at high water stand (too much current through the lifting dock otherwise, or too little water) so they don't like to hang about with people in the slings at peak lift-in times.

Pete

 

[Bobobolinsky]

I use a party tent. £100 off flea bay. A sheet is £38.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Only 4 feet off the hull may be a bit tight for spraying and also easier to see any problem areas a little further away as well, this will only increase the amount of plastic sheeting by a very small amount on both ends, well worth it though.

You will also need a trestle walkway set up all round or at a minimum full length along one side and start changing it to the other side as the sprayer moves along.

Plastic containers filled with water make good hold down points, as do lengths of scaffold tubing.