Painting a boat, what is involved
Jon V.
> After reading Jim Andersons book, I am now contemplating repainting
> my boat. ...
>
> The boat is really not in a bad shape, the gelcoat is of course older
> looking, but with little to no crazing. A few scratches here and there,
> but I can live with them. I am more into performance and reliability
> than into looks.
>
> So... I have questions. How hard it is, how poinsonous it is, how much
> will it cost me and how well will the boat really look. Any ideas?
Hard: depends on type of paint, method of application, and acceptable
results.
Poisonous: if sprayed, can be very poisonous... to the point where it
isn't legal in some areas. If brushed/rolled the problems are less
significant, but it is harder to get a good surface.
Cost: for a 20' boat, figure a quart or two of paint and a 1/2 gallon+
of primer, plus the cost of sandpaper, application systems, etc....
anywhere from $120 for Easypoxy to $1000 for two part polyurethanes like
Awlgrip.
How well will the boat look: Anywhere from "as good as it did" to "Oh
WOW!", depending on how well you prep, and how much you spend. Spraying is
easier to make look good, and may be necessary for a great finish, but is
a lot more dangerous. Tipping and rolling (working with both a roller and
a brush) can give almost as good results if you are willing to spend some
time learning how to thin the paint, but at $100 a quart for some of the
paints, many people never take the time to learn how to use them.
Look at a copy of "Sailboat Refinishing" (I know, you have a power boat) by
Casey... around page 112.
Personally, I wouldn't bother unless it was really tearing into your
ability to enjoy your boat... it is a lot of work, and odds are there will
be some spot somewhere that just comes out wrong... and it'll always bug
you just as badly as your aging gelcoat does now.
-Jon
=============================================================================
| Jon Valesh | http://www.valesh.com/~jon |
| the Valesh group | http://www.valesh.com/ |
=============================================================================
The eagle may soar, but the weasel never gets sucked into a jet engine.
Michael Whelan
Unless you really have to, avoid painting on GRP. It can be done, but always
looks slightly 'tacky' and is likely to reduce the resale value. If you are
concerned about the gelcoat, you could always have a go at patching it.
Painting the boat may make it look better, but is unlikely to have any
bearing on performance or reliability
If you have any further queries, don't hesitate to contact me
Michael
Igor <ig...@Algebra.Com> wrote in message
news:slrn7qhvc...@manifold.algebra.com...
> After reading Jim Andersons book, I am now contemplating repainting
> my boat. It is a 20ft deep v hull cuddy cabin boat. I would paint it
> a white or graying color. I do not have a clear understanding of what
> paint I should use, I only heard one name Awlgrip.
>
> The boat is really not in a bad shape, the gelcoat is of course older
> looking, but with little to no crazing. A few scratches here and there,
> but I can live with them. I am more into performance and reliability
> than into looks.
>
> So... I have questions. How hard it is, how poinsonous it is, how much
> will it cost me and how well will the boat really look. Any ideas?
>
> --------------------------------------------------------------------------
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