Which paint?

[Guest]

I have a 17 fibreglass cabin boat which I am renevating and dont know what paint is best, is it single pack and two pack??
How can I find out what one to go for?

Any help would be greatfull

Thanks

 

[ccscott49]

Sorry, but what are you going to paint? It does make a difference, hull, inside etc.

 

[Guest]

Sorry, I should have explained that one. Im actually going to have to paint the whole thing inside and out. It has been painted before, ive rubbed it all down with an electric sander and then been over it again a few times using wet 'n' dry sandpaper. I went to one of the boat jumbles down in Gosport and was chatting to a fella who advised me that if I dont get the right paint then I could end up having to paint the outside every year due to the weather cracking the paint.
Not sure if it makes any difference but I will only be using on rivers, mainly the Thames.

 

[ccscott49]

For fibreglass, (GRP), you would be best to use two pack polyurethane paint for the outside of the hull and any areas inside exposed to the sun, for other areas, you can use any good quality gloss paint, the bilges, use bilgepaint. You will need to find out if the paint it was painted with is two pack, as putting two pack on the top of single pack paint will make a mess. You may need to apply a coat of isolator paint to ensure this does not happen. Try putting some paint thinners on a rag and vigorously rubbing this on the paint which is still on the boat, if it dissolves the paint, then its single pack paint. Cellulose thinners is best for this little trick, it will dissolve anything, apart from two pack.

 

[Guest]

Thanks very much for your reply, well explained and very much appreciated.

Cheers
Tim

 

[AndrewB]

Two pack polyurethane paint may be longer wearing and more impermiable, but it needs great care to apply by brush. It tends to both bind and screen. If you use it, have a second person following up behind to lay off properly and catch screens. Much better results are obtained by spraying. Oh, and if you do it outdoors, the smell attracts flies like ... er ... flies. (If they do get stuck, best is to leave them till the paint dries, and brush off).

One-pack polyurethane is much easier to apply but if you go down that route resign yourself to overcoating every 3 years. And two-pack should not be used over one-pack.

 

[Guest]

Thanks Andrew,
I will be painting it outside, what sort of temperature should I apply the paint in?

Cheers
Tim

 

[ccscott49]

Warmish weather is fine. Remember to use the brushing thinners, in two pack paint, or it will dry too fast and not flow properly. Just as andrew says, use a roller to put the paint on and have a mate with good touch (females are good at this) to come after you and smooth the paint out with a good quality brush or (as I'm told) a pad. Although I have no experience of pads, never used one.

 

[AndrewB]

That's right. Check the product guide (free leaflet in chandlers for International or Blakes). You need to maintain the minimum temperature until the paint is touch-dry. At 15 deg C that's about 7 hrs for two-pack, 4 for one-pack. Avoid direct sunlight if possible. Damp will affect two-pack particularly, so painting should be completed in the morning to avoid evening dew. I would prefer to keep brushing thinners to a minimum except in very hot weather as the topcoat paint is thin to start with. Or you could first apply a matching undercoat, which will be necessary anyway if you want to change the hull colour or the hull is very badly stained.

Incidentally there are two types of marine one-pack top-coat, polyurethane and acrylic. I've heard good reports of the latter but never used it myself. Both are unsuitable for permanently immersed surfaces.

 

[tgalea]

Hi,

I'm just about to do an exterior spray job too. The guy who shall be spraying the boat for me suggested i can use a good car paint with hardner ? Any comments

Thanks & Regards
Tyrone

 

[chippie]

I have seen pictures of a recently launched high performance (read expensive) catamaran that had a silver bronze automotive finish that looked fantastic. The modern automotive paints are pretty durable -acid rain and all that.IMHO

 

[Bejasus]

We painted our hull & topsides last May/June.
After prepping & a wash down with International No.1 Thinners, we applied 2 coats of International Pre-Kote Primer and followed that with 2 coats International Toplac, all applied with foam radiator size rollers, and taking care to roll out all of the minute air bubbles that initially appear. Each of these coats, was followed by a light rubdown with a fine wet & dry paper.
We followed that with a third coat of Toplac applied with said foam rollers, with SWMBO following & laying off vertically from under the rubbing strake to the anti-foul line with a mohair paint pad. Then we anti-fouled.
After 4 weeks of hardening(i was away working), but best left for at least 10-14 days anyhow, we polished with International Polish with Teflon and then applied International Wax Sealer with Teflon.

BTW, this was also a complete colour change.

This was the first time we had attempted anything like this or used any of these products. Hopefully, usind a superfine rubbing compound, such as Farclas, to remove whe old polish & repolish & reseal, will negate having to repaint for up to 4-5 years. We will have to see. We are only on the Broads so no real saltwater probs.

Before & after can be viewed below.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/h00>http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/h00</A>

 

[ccscott49]

Are these two pack products? I will try the mohair pad thingies this year.

 

[AndrewB]

Toplac is a one-pack enamel paint - the sort of thing we used before polyurethanes came along. Never used this brand myself, but enamel is a relatively easy paint to work with and I've heard good reports of it. <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.yachtpaint.com/uk/product_guide/finishes_undercoats/toplac.asp?ComponentID=9061&SourcePageID=3303#1>Click here</A> for product details.

 

[ccscott49]

Thanks for that, what I need is a good brushing two pack poly, the boat is painted with two pack now and has been for many years, in fact it has only been totally painted five times in it's life! (33yrs), so I want to stick with two pack. Most of the two packs are designed for spraying, so don't have a lot of pigment and "body" to them, do you happen to know of a two pack paint more suitable for hand painting? I used one from Holland last time, but cant remeber what it was called, for trade use I think. This year, is just an undercoat and couple of topcoat job, to freshen her up.