Cost of painting the hull

[safariKY]

Appreciate any owner's recent expericence with the typical cost of painting the hull of a 49 ft mom. It is white, but we are considering flagship blue. The boat is currently in the BVIS but will be moving soon to Puerto Rico. Does anyone know of a good boatyard in the BVIS for such a job? Is it more expensive to paint the hull blue vs. keeping it white? Any advice greatly appreciated.

[Idylles15.5]

No, not a big deal. They just have to put a bite in the Gelcoat or white paint, do any filling/ repairs and seal with 545 gray Awlgrip primer if your going with Blue. If there isn't any hull damage and just needs to be sanded, I think you should be able to get the job done for around 13- 15 grand. Thats what I would charge you here in NY, so probably cheaper down there. Of course if you had hull damage it would be more.

[Idylles15.5]

That would be topsides only, waterline to toe rail. Remember that would include three coats of color and three coats of clear. Then wet sanded compounded out with 3m microfinish

[Idylles15.5]

Oh, stay away from ALEXSEAL. It was new to the market, but now thats its been around for a few years and out in the elements it's showing its real properties, and no I have nothing to do with Awgrip other then I work with and like their products. They also have Awlcraft 2000, which is cheaper and easier to work with and repair. I'm sure you'll get other replies contrary to mine, but I have been doing this for twenty five years. I do have some knowledge on the topic. Good Luck

[dw1979]

I have a boat that has flag blue and while it looks great from 20 feet away, you have to be very careful not to let water spots get started. PITA to remove. I'd stick with the white unless you are a glutton for extra work. Bye the way, Prism and elbow grease knocks down a lot of the water spots on the Awlgrip even though it is not recommended by Awlgrip people.

[Sdwcheney]

Check out Virgin Gorda Yatch Harbor, they have a painter who is very reasonable. Best deals in the Caribbean are in Trinidad, if you want to go down there.

[Cheechako]

White is much more forgiving than blue. Any scratch on the blue will show the white below.

[The Black Pearl]

Just bought a 1979 Tayanna 37, one owner boat well maintained but needs new paint, botom, topsides, deck, remove cytology and varnish exterior wood. Can you give me a guesstimate?

[UNCIVILIZED]

Darker colors are a good bit harder to get a perfect finish with than are light ones. They tend to show every imperfection, both in the finish & in the hull.

[JPA Cate]

If you plan to go to the hot areas of the world, the darker hull will be warmer below decks.

In 2010, we had our topsides painted "white" with automotive LPU. Cost at that time was $14,000 AUD. The hull was quite fair, and the job well done.

So far, quite pleased with it. Incidentally, we were given 600 different shades of white from which to choose, I was amazed! Our boat's topsides are now painted "Chevy White", with the deck house, etc a plain brushable, out of the can whiter white. Sometimes, she looks white, sometimes, sort of fog color and white, depends on the light. And, the non-skid is a different color, matte white. It keeps the boat noticeably cooler than the old, grey non-skid.

Ann

[Matt Johnson]

Watched a Islander 36 get a beautiful Awlgrip roll and tip job a few weeks ago. Faired, primed and painted ran $5,000 here in Indiantown Florida. The painter is doing about 5 boats at a time, but well worth it.

Matt

[ztsf]

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but may I echo the person who mentioned that it will show every bloody scratch and knick. I know, I had a flag blue hull on my last boat, and I have a dark green hull on my current one. I'm thinking about going white.

White is not only more forgiving with respect to repair, but it's a lot cooler, especially down in the tropics.

May I recommend that if you do go dark Awlgrip, that you NOT have a clear coat applied over it. The base paint is glossy enough when polished out. Clear coat makes repairing and blending in scratches next to impossible.

[Idylles15.5]

Originally Posted by ztsf

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but may I echo the person who mentioned that it will show every bloody scratch and knick. I know, I had a flag blue hull on my last boat, and I have a dark green hull on my current one. I'm thinking about going white.

White is not only more forgiving with respect to repair, but it's a lot cooler, especially down in the tropics.

May I recommend that if you do go dark Awlgrip, that you NOT have a clear coat applied over it. The base paint is glossy enough when polished out. Clear coat makes repairing and blending in scratches next to impossible.

Three good coats of clear are precisely for that reason. To take the damage before it gets to the color. Are you in the business? They specifically make a blending agent for awlgrip colors to bleed the color into the original paint. The Blending agent is also used on the clear. Certain colors have to be cleared. Go look at the paint on the fenders of people who decided to cheap out on the clear. The fenders will have the actual color, Flag Blue, Claret Red, Sea Green etc. all over the edges where they ride on the hull. The real problem is that the real talented painters who take pride in their work and know the tricks are far and few between.

[UNCIVILIZED]

Originally Posted by ztsf

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, but may I echo the person who mentioned that it will show every bloody scratch and knick. I know, I had a flag blue hull on my last boat, and I have a dark green hull on my current one. I'm thinking about going white.

White is not only more forgiving with respect to repair, but it's a lot cooler, especially down in the tropics.

May I recommend that if you do go dark Awlgrip, that you NOT have a clear coat applied over it. The base paint is glossy enough when polished out. Clear coat makes repairing and blending in scratches next to impossible.

Firstly: For the most part, polishing Awlgrip is a No, No. And if in doubt, find out Exactly what kind of paint you have, first, & then consult the manufacturer about it.
Tips for Maintaining Topcoats

Secondly: Ann is spot on (correct) about using automotive paint. Often Imron, at least in the US.
While it's slightly less durable than Awlgrip (according to some), it can be a good bit less expensive. And it's purpose designed to work with clear coats. As witnessed by the millions of cars out there, painted thusly.
I had a 43' boat done with it, & it worked out beautifully. Especially as I hired an auto body guy for the job. So that, total, it cost me 20% of what a marine painter, working with Awlgrip, was quoting.

Thirdly, And this is key: If your boat was built using epoxy, even if she was post cured, Dark colored topsides are/can be a Real bad idea in warm climates. Even including the southern US sometimes. Because the tropical sun can heat things up to the point where the epoxy hits it's HDT (Heat Deflection Temp.) & it starts to soften.
Which, as Tarzan would say; "That's Bad JuJu, Bwana".

I've seen as much happen on boats built to the highest standards of quality, using premium materials & techniques.
One was a million dollar Maxi racer, built by a well know yard of high repute. And the owner insisted on painting her black. However, in the time that it took to transit the Panama Canal, going from the E. Coast, to the W. Coast of the US, she developed football sized blisters, an inch deep, in her topsides.
And this was a Spring time delivery. So the boat wasn't even subject to the Summer Sun's hot rays.

It's easy enough to look up how hot color X will get when subject to a certain level of heat & sunshine. There's even some info on it on the WEST System site/in their publications. Some of the figures are truly eye openers.

[Scout 30]

We painted our last sailboat's topsides black & just loved it. It really transformed the boat's looks. We're in Florida & the boat never seemed hotter than it did with white & the paint held up great for the 10 years we owned it. We sure never worried about water spots.