What’s the worst that could happen…?

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Bigfatsi

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Hi!

I’ll cut to the chase. I’ve got two boats. One is a 26’ sailboat and is my baby. She’ll mainly be the focus of any questions on here. But I’ve also been playing with an 18’ nameless cabin cruiser. She cost nowt and is worth less. But I like her and I can practice on her to build up my (non-existent) boat fixing skills. And I’m pretty skint. Read above.

My question relates to paint. On the cruiser. I don’t want to spend a fortune on paint, so I’m planning on painting her hull with cheap polyurethane floor paint (£40 for 20l) instead of the posh stuff.

I get that it won’t be ideal, but it is REALLY necessary to buy the expensive stuff? Really? Will it sink? Or will it fall off? I presume it won’t last as long, but is that the only issue?

Anyone done it on the hull? I’ve seen posts about interior and bilges but not the ‘sides’. Anyone?

Cheers!

S
 
Good call! Without any special knowledge, as long as the surface is clean and as good as it can be for 'A' paint to adhere to, then I'd go for it, guessing that it's GRP?
I've worked in Thailand/Vietnam/Burma, where the local fishing boats don't perhaps lose much sleep about whether they've covered the boat with Hempel or International.
If it doesn't work; so what? ;)
 
Is that a 2 pack polyurethane floor paint? Very tough stuff but no good over old oil based paint. If it is a one pack then not so tough but I think ok over old paint. ol'will
 
Is domestic paint that much cheaper than something like SML’s Lustre range - from £50-odd for 2.5L 2-pack poly?

I get the logic for saving money. But presuming ‘expensive’ paint means International - other brands are available!

(I’m just about to finish a 9 coat osmosis barrier/treatment with Jotun, details of which I’ll post on here soon, and saved literally ££££s on the cost of International/Hempel)
 
With paint, there's an element of but cheap, buy twice. House paint in all its forms seems to be difficult to apply to boats. I once went looking for a small canal boat on a smaller budget and saw no end of what we called Dulux boats, covered with runs and sags - they looked horrible and I can't imagine anyone other than an eternally naïve optimist paying for one. Even those where the paint had been applied properly, once the paint was a few years old, looked grim.

Assuming a GRP boat, a good clean and polish will cost little apart from elbow grease, and will buy you time. Then, when you're ready, I'd put a proper 2-pack paint on the hull. 90% of painting is preparation, and the cost of the paint is a relatively small part of the overall cost, even of a DIY job. I was on a tight budget, but did this and it was just getting to time to redo it 18 years later.

For the decks and other bits you walk on, a masonry paint is fine, giving a good non-slip surface, and for the rest of the topsides, you may get away with a house paint, but get a good one, not B&Q budget.
 
Bigfatsi said:
Hi!

I’ll cut to the chase. I’ve got two boats. One is a 26’ sailboat and is my baby. She’ll mainly be the focus of any questions on here. But I’ve also been playing with an 18’ nameless cabin cruiser. She cost nowt and is worth less. But I like her and I can practice on her to build up my (non-existent) boat fixing skills. And I’m pretty skint. Read above.

My question relates to paint. On the cruiser. I don’t want to spend a fortune on paint, so I’m planning on painting her hull with cheap polyurethane floor paint (£40 for 20l) instead of the posh stuff.

I get that it won’t be ideal, but it is REALLY necessary to buy the expensive stuff? Really? Will it sink? Or will it fall off? I presume it won’t last as long, but is that the only issue?

Anyone done it on the hull? I’ve seen posts about interior and bilges but not the ‘sides’. Anyone?

Cheers!

S
Click to expand...
As far as I know, floor paint is made of chlorinated rubber. The fact that it is intended for horizontal surfaces might mean that it is prone to sagging and running when used on vertical surfaces, particularly as it is a 'high-build' product, i.e. it goes on thick.
I have had good results with Dulux 10 Year Outdoor Gloss (I think that's what it's called), both on my own boat and on a fleet of sailing school dayboats. I only did my own fairly recently, but the dayboats were done in 2013 and still look good.
 
Is the Hull painted already? If so you can only use a compatible paint unless you go to all the hassle of stripping it. Two pot will not stay put on old single pot paint for example. Many people have found Trade grade Dulux weathershield (not domestic grade sold by the Superstores _it's rubbish) to be as good as, if not better than, Marine paints. Cheaper too! I once painted a hill with it. 8 years later it was still good as new when I sold the boat. Dulux give a 10 year guarantee, but I doubt they would honour it on a boat rather than a house!
 
Thanks for all the input. I’ll clarify a bit. The hull was painted (badly - at least the last time) many times with god knows what and I’ve scraped it back to gel and it’s got a lot of blemishes, presumably why it was painted in the first place so polishing is a no-go.
It’ll then be sanded and faired (ish) commensurate with its value - so not much, in readiness for paint.
I’m (probably) planning to go with trade single pack polyurethane floor paint that claims it’s waterproof, fuel proof, blah blah blah.
Unless I win some money this weekend! Fingers crossed…
 
oldharry said:
Is the Hull painted already? If so you can only use a compatible paint unless you go to all the hassle of stripping it. Two pot will not stay put on old single pot paint for example. Many people have found Trade grade Dulux weathershield (not domestic grade sold by the Superstores _it's rubbish) to be as good as, if not better than, Marine paints. Cheaper too! I once painted a hill with it. 8 years later it was still good as new when I sold the boat. Dulux give a 10 year guarantee, but I doubt they would honour it on a boat rather than a house!
Click to expand...
Did you paint the hill green to remind you of the hills of home ?
 
oldharry said:
Many people have found Trade grade Dulux weathershield (not domestic grade sold by the Superstores _it's rubbish) to be as good as, if not better than, Marine paints. Cheaper too!
Click to expand...
Are we talking Weathershield masonry (admittedly very cheap!) or gloss (actually quite expensive IMO!)?

Sorry to be a pedant, but at RRP for 2.5L the Dulux gloss is the same as SML Lustre (2 pack or 1 pack available). This is a ‘marine’ paint, which gets good reviews, and given that SML are Jotun’s main UK distributor I think there’s a fair chance it’s Jotun in the tin.

If you can justify 5L, Jotun Hardtop is actually cheaper than the Dulux gloss.
 
I'm thinking an 18ft cabin cruiser probably has say 12 sqm of hull and cabin sides?
That's more like 1 litre of top coat than 20.

My recent experience of painting stuff at home tells me that 'solvent based' paint is not what it was.
The product I used to use is now a new version with less 'VOC's and I find it horrible to use.

I struggle to get acceptable results with water based paint, at least all those I've tried.
But aren't all cars under about 15 years old painted with water based paint?

I seem to paint at least one dinghy rudder every year.
The only paints I can say anything positive about are International 2 pot, of which I had the dregs which came with a boat ages ago, and acrylic spray from Aldi, which did remarkably well.

If you are going to brush it, find out what people brush paint vans with these days?
 
dankilb said:
Are we talking Weathershield masonry (admittedly very cheap!) or gloss (actually quite expensive IMO!)?

Sorry to be a pedant, but at RRP for 2.5L the Dulux gloss is the same as SML Lustre (2 pack or 1 pack available). This is a ‘marine’ paint, which gets good reviews, and given that SML are Jotun’s main UK distributor I think there’s a fair chance it’s Jotun in the tin.

If you can justify 5L, Jotun Hardtop is actually cheaper than the Dulux gloss.
Click to expand...

I recently built a plywood dinghy and painted it with SML Lustre. Didn't need a huge quantity so in the scheme of things not a big cost. I had the luxury of being able to apply it indoors, and found it very easy to work with, compared to the previous boat painting job I did where I used Toplac.

If the OP has stripped the boat back to gelcoat, there's a very strong argument in favour of spending a few more quid and going 2-pack.
 
I used Wickes version of Weathershield outdoor gloss; correct prep and thinning gave a pretty good result. I also used Teamac yacht paint, and loved it. SML was also good, but not the two pack. I’d never diy paint with two pack again. I’m on the threshold of next paint job: 15ft fishing boat with cuddy, just a fun project. I’ll be using Wickes on topsides, floor paint plus abrasive granules on cockpit floor.
 
This is an old boat - you have no idea of the history of the hull. The more 'technical' the paint, the better the substrate has to be. You have no idea of what went before , or know the moisture content of the hull. Don't use a polyurethane (1 or 2 pack) as they will be more trouble then they are worth.

Sand and fill to get a good matt surface then use any reasonable conventional paint - the cost for a boat of this size between a 'premium' and a budget make for the quantity that you will use will be negligible in terms of total boaty expenditure.
 
What about a car type spray paint? It seems to stay put okay on car panels both metal and plastic. It's something I've been considering myself.
 
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