Top sides painting

[kingfisher]

Because of some discolouration in the gelcoat, I'm going to repaint the topsides of the boat. I'm thinking International Perfection 709 two component.

Anybody have any experience with same product ? What am I to expect, finish-wise: showroom shine, or DIY clearly visible?

Pittfalls in application ?

Does it need a base layer, or can it be applied directly to the clean sanded gelcoat ?

Obi-Wan

 

[miket]

Assume you have tried all sorts of "compound" type polish first.

Unless the boat is quite old I am always suspicious of a GRP boat that has been painted.

Have a word with 3M techical dep't on their products.

 

[kingfisher]

Boat is a 1973 Sirocco 31 (http://sirocco31.tripod.com)

Did the whole polish thing last winter: wet sanded with 600-800-1200, then polished with lots of elbow grease. Discolouration returned after 2 months. Boat shines wonderfull, but the gellcoat has fainted/yellowed over the years, though not all the places the same tint

Is the paintjob worth it (I'm quite the perfectionist), or do only the pros get a decent result ?

Obi-Wan

 

[claymore]

There's one near my and it looked great at first - the owner is a car body man so he made a good job - 2 years later it looks scuffed and tattier than it did before he started.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Hi Kingfisher
You will need to prime / undercoat then apply your topcoats. I have used International paints with good results that last many years; the long chain polymer based two pack work really well and give a very hard high gloss finish. Don’t forget about your non slip areas, a very smooth finish is easy to keep clean but it can be as slippery as a butcher’s block when wet. A standard spray gun with 50+ PSI and a number 2 tip does a fine job, add 5 to 7% thinners and let the paint stand for about 10 minutes after mixing. Make sure you have good access right around the deck and don’t drag the hose behind you. I’m no pro painter but a few light coats wet on wet provided a fantastic finish, have a practice on a hatch cover first.
Andavanicechrissie Old Salt Oz........

 

[kingfisher]

Manualy applied, no spraygun

To make things worse: the facilities where I winter don't give me the spraygun option, so it will be applied by roller and spread out with a quality brush.

Obi-Wan

 

[lezgar]

Re: Manualy applied, no spraygun

Try to use Jenny foam brushes

 

[Strathglass]

Re: Manualy applied, no spraygun

You can get a good finish with International twopart. The most important thing is to degrease the hull FULLY. I have both sprayed and brush painted it. When spraying use a 1.2mm tip and a seperate air fed mask. But you cannot spray. so you require two people with a brush and a pad. You mix all you require and decant a little at a time sealing the mix up each time after decanting.
I have found that if you decant too much at a time, then as you use the mixed paint, solvent evaporation thickens what is left in the tin and you have to use more solvent.
One E boat I hand painted 12 years ago with 709 is still looking very smart and has a good gloss.
You do not require undercoats or primers on GRP if the surface is flat and clean.
However any shall scratches or dents will show through the gloss.

 

[oldsaltoz]

Re: Manualy applied, no spraygun

G’day again Kingfisher.
If you must apply the paint by hand try using a paint pad rather than a quality brush, just keep the pad clean between wipes with thinners soaked clean rag and roll an area about 18 inches by the roller width at a time, this means a two person operation and a few thin coats but the results are worth it, again practice on a hatch cover first.
Old Salt Oz........

 

[gus]

Found nothing to beat a good quality Hamilton paint brush and lots of arm work. Tried rollers and pads and found them hopeless by comparison. It's a bit difficult to describe the proper method of using a brush but if you can find an old fashioned coach painter and watch him paint to a mirror finish with no brush marks, then you'll understand. The polyester paint is not the best to work with and does take a bit of skill, but the finish can be just as good as spraying without the mess and wastage.

 

[david_bagshaw]

Although I have only painted two pack on steel,(awlgrip) and only in repair areas, Have tried brushing , but not with great sucess, spray is as good as original, but the real problem is dust & humidity & temp control for that perfect finish.

good luck

David
www.yachtman.co.uk

 

[kingfisher]

Thx for the confidence

Here's why I asked the question:

The boat is on the hard, under an open shed in Gent, Belgium. It needs to be back in the water, april 1st (used as a youth training vessel in Easter). So I have to have all the sanding done by march, and then pray for 2 weekends with:
-temp above 10°
-low humidity
- little pollen or dust in the air

Talk about taking a gamble. Thanks for giving me the confidence that, if all works well, the result would be worth it.

And now, only to decide which colour: dark red or Prada green ? Dark red is a standard International colour, Prada green needs to be mixed. Can you mix the colours of bipack paints ?

dark red is nice, but:
a) it will make the boat look smaller
b) any scratches down to the white gelcoat will stick out like a sore thumb.

http://sirocco31.tripod.com

Obi-Wan

 

[Danny]

Re: Thx for the confidence

Are you all being too much of a perfectionist about the colour of the hull. Remember the only time that you see the marks and the colour is when she is on the hard on a cradle.
When she is in the water you will not see the hull except when you come alongside in the tender. A few weeks after the boat is in the water then all the usual accumulation of dirt etc will be back. I think we pay more attention to polishing etc than we do to the basics engine, rigging etc.
Danny

 

[kingfisher]

But she\'s my pride and joy

I'd sell my mother for her So not only do I keep her in ship shape, I want her to look good to.

Obi-Wan