Time to paint my yacht.

[Porthandbuoy]

Ladybird has been painted previously; no idea when or with what, but she's looking pretty scruffy now. I reckon it will all have to come off back to the original gelcoat.

I don't plan to do the job myself, so it'll probably boil down to what brand the yard are familiar with and that will determine which shade of flag/oxford/royal/mauritius blue I choose. (Don't try and change my mind, please)

But what type of paint should I specify? Traditional enamel, single pot urethane, two pot polyurethane, epoxy, modified epoxy . . . the list appears endless. All seem promise to outstanding results, but which ones will still look outstanding 2, 3, 4 years or more down the line? Just how long should a decent paint job last on a GRP yacht?

I suspect the cost of the paint will be small beer compared to the cost of the prep work, so the paint type will be determined by adhesion, abrasion resistance, UV resistance, gloss retention, etc.

Any advice?

 

[Steve Clayton]

There will be a 30:+ year old boat at SIBS (on the water) with a blue hull. Professionally done with paints from Premiermarinepaints.co.uk . Worth a look or I can send you a couple of pics

 

[Avocet]

You can't put 2-pack on top of ordinary single pack paints, it reacts. If you're really going down to bare gelcoat, of course, it won't be a problem, but normally, if properly sanded, you always get hollows in the original moulding that will still have some of the old paint in them and if you sand it out of there, you're likely to get ripples showing in your new paint. You might be able to get isolator paints to prevent the reaction. Not sure.

2-pack is generally reckoned to be harder-wearing. Touching -up is expensive though because none of the manufacturers seem to sell it in small amounts and once opened, the hardener has a limited life.

 

[Fantasie 19]

Take it back to gelcoat, and then restore the gelcoat... forget the paint... if the gelcoat is too bad, just re-gelcoat.. chap in my yard had it done last year, boat looks amazing..

 

[Porthandbuoy]

Take it back to gelcoat, and then restore the gelcoat... forget the paint... if the gelcoat is too bad, just re-gelcoat.. chap in my yard had it done last year, boat looks amazing..

Another option! Isn't re-gelcoating just epoxy paint though?

 

[prv]

Another option! Isn't re-gelcoating just epoxy paint though?

Gelcoat is polyester - I'm no expert on paints, but in laminating epoxy is normally considered to be better!

Pete

 

[Avocet]

Yes, gelcoat is just thickened polyester resin with pigment in it. It will be what your boat was originally finished in. Opinions vary as to whether paint or re-gelcoating is better. Gelcoat has the advantage of being much thicker than paint (and the same colour all the way through). It is, however, also slightly permeable to water, very brittle, and more expensive to apply (because it's more work). If your hull has any fancy moulded shapes in it (like a cove line, or something), that will make it much harder to re-gel.

 

[ghostlymoron]

There's asimilar discussion going on on this thread http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?406020-How-much-does-Awlgrip-cost/page2 #15 gives a link to a re-gelcoating firm which sounds pretty good. I like the idea of gelcoating as it returns the boat to it's original condition and should last for 20 years or so whereas paint will have to be re-done much sooner. I had always assumed that it would be prohibitively expensive but maybe I'm wrong. As I said in the other thread I'm intending to re-paint mine with Sandtex ultra gloss - anything will be better than the present finish.

 

[Tranona]

There's asimilar discussion going on on this thread http://www.ybw.com/forums/showthread.php?406020-How-much-does-Awlgrip-cost/page2 #15 gives a link to a re-gelcoating firm which sounds pretty good. I like the idea of gelcoating as it returns the boat to it's original condition and should last for 20 years or so whereas paint will have to be re-done much sooner. I had always assumed that it would be prohibitively expensive but maybe I'm wrong. As I said in the other thread I'm intending to re-paint mine with Sandtex ultra gloss - anything will be better than the present finish.

If you are going to hand paint then suggest you use Toplac. I use the dark blue and it goes at least 5 years without recoating with no change in colour so touching up is easy. Needs a bit of work to get a good base like any other single pot paint but application is easy and you get a good gloss finish.

 

[Porthandbuoy]

I'll bear the 10" test in mind.
From the links provided I'm leaning towards Toplac. One reason being Ladybird will be on a mooring from next spring, rather than a marina berth with fender scuff to contend with. The second being I like their shade of dark blue.:encouragement:

 

[Tam Lin]

I used Toplac Oxford Blue and got a good finish. However, it has worn through where the mooring buoy rubs against it, where the travel hoist straps touched it and where I scraped alongside with the tender before I put rubber trim along its side.
If I was starting from scratch I would use a two pack paint but you live and learn !

 

[PCUK]

Toplac is just as awkward to apply as two pack and nowhere near as good. My steel boat is thirty years old and still has the original Hempel two-pack on the hull and polishes up a treat every year. Two pack is far more resilient than gel-coat and doesn't chalk. Start with an epoxy primer and fill any indentations before top-coating.

 

[michael_w]

Awlguard, Imron, Alexseal. Don't do what my boat's previous owner did; saved a couple of pennies using International Perfection. It's rubbish. Staines easily, soft, poor gloss, etc.

Talk to the man who's going to spray, to find out what he considers using.

 

[[10753]]

I used Awlgrip 12 years ago. Dark Blue on white hull. Still looks good despite few scratches and fender rubs. Downside is its virtually impossible to touch up. Would I do it again ? Prior to the Awlgrip I used single part and that needed redoing every year or so. I like their dark blue and its worked well never revealing that underneath it is in fact white. Yes, I would do it again. As long as the prep work is perfect the paint will go on for years.

 

[Bodach na mara]

Gelcoat is polyester - I'm no expert on paints, but in laminating epoxy is normally considered to be better!

Pete

As said, gelcoat is polyester and although epoxy may be superior for laminating, it is prone to degradation if exposed to UV light, so not good as a paint finish on a boat. I believe it is possible to over-coat it with something to act as a UV barrier, but I doubt that would solve the problem without creating a new one.

I am interested in the thread as Wight Dawn now has a patch-work appearance due to various repairs that have turned out to be a slightly different shade of white and several patches where the repair material has absorbed dirt and gone a distinct shade of gray. I prefer 1-pack polyurethane as easier to apply and retouch is necessary and have found a few suppliers (by googling "1-pack polyurethane") of industrial quantities (and qualities) as International do not supply it since they discontinued Brightside.

 

[Mel]

I used Toplac on my boat that was previously painted. This was probably 8 years ago and all is still fine. I have no intention to redo this at present as it is too good still ! My boat has always been kept at a marina berth and taken out each winter.