Low tech topside paint

[Chotu]

The more I delve into finishing up things, the more I'm learning everything is better when you use common/simple non-marine items when appropriate.

Problems with 2 part linear polyurethane (awlgrip type) paint:

*Very few, if any, places allow you to spray it anymore
*Not easily repairable
*Very, very expensive
*environmental issues
*Need sprayers, big compressors, filter/drier system, supplied air respirator



I got around the expensive part (sort of) by using an automotive 2 part linear polyurethane that was widely available and equivalent to Imron.

Don’t get me wrong. I absolutely loved spraying this stuff and the result that I got.

Thinking forward to the fixing of my hurricane damage, I don't want to deal with all the hassles of using this kind of paint anymore. It's too complicated.

It would be better if top side paint worked a lot more like bottom paint. Even if I had to paint it more often, it would be a lot better to be able to just roll it on there. given that that is my new approach, there’s no reason to be paying marine prices for that.

so what paint do you think would work best to just roll on there when I'm doing the hurricane damage repairs?

I was thinking a Rust-Oleum gloss. apparently they make an aftermarket additive that helps rust oleum stiffen up and get more glossy.

I want something that is very common and low tech. Just roll it on there. No roll and tip. Something I can do myself in any yard anywhere in the world. i’m actually very good at painting. I don’t know why. It’s always been a natural skill of mine. I had no trouble spraying my boat. At all. Came out perfect. that was my first spray job lol. The rest of my painting has been roller and brush.

it also would be nice to use a paint that doesn’t have really high toxicity. now I might be just dreaming

any paint suggestions? Don’t think about boats. Think about industrial situations.

alternatively, should I just vinyl wrap the boat? That’s not really DIY. That’s my only complaint about it

[Simi 60]

Have previously blown boats in urethane aimed at commercial and industrial equipment
Cheap, easily repaired and after a decade if giving it a cut and polish looks good as new.

I imagine (I know) car paints would give similar results, the paint doesn't know what it's going on.

And now, we are using single pack enamel, roll and tip
Could be rolled for a slightly less than perfect finish and will be next time
For us it's about protecting the boat and not "look at me" .

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

Have previously blown boats in urethane aimed at commercial and industrial equipment
Cheap, easily repaired and after a decade if giving it a cut and polish looks good as new.

I imagine (I know) car paints would give similar results, the paint doesn't know what it's going on.

And now, we are using single pack enamel, roll and tip
Could be rolled for a slightly less than perfect finish and will be next time
For us it's about protecting the boat and not "look at me" .

you and I are in the exact same mindset on this.

when you say enamel paint, are you talking about an oil based enamel? Rustoleum is it just a brand name of that here.

I don’t need the paint to be perfect under a microscope. As long as it looks good from 10-20ft away. no one should be getting closer than that to my boat anyway, or they get me being stern. ha ha.

I also want to be self-sufficient and able to do this anywhere. With paint that is widely available. Nothing specialty.

and yes. I agree. It’s just about protecting the boat and just having an even color from a distance. That’s all that really matters. That’s all people actually see. Just not standing out or looking like a trashy boat. That’s all that matters to me

[Pepijn]

It’s with a lot of things. The marine market assumes affluent spenders. I just bought a flyscreen for 60 euro from a company aimed at the RV market. A similar sized flyscreen would have cost me 400 euro from OceanSky.
They nearly look the same.

Good on you for finding a good alternative. The satisfaction after completing the job will be so much more!

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Pepijn

It’s with a lot of things. The marine market assumes affluent spenders. I just bought a flyscreen for 60 euro from a company aimed at the RV market. A similar sized flyscreen would have cost me 400 euro from OceanSky.
They nearly look the same.

Good on you for finding a good alternative. The satisfaction after completing the job will be so much more!

I mean, don’t get me wrong. I really loved spraying the boat from New. It was magical to watch this entire boat turn from looking like a piece of crap to a beautiful yacht in just a couple days . I would do it again if I could pull in somewhere and just spray. But it’s not possible. First, the marinas are trying to rip you off because they only allow themselves to spray. And then they charge you exorbitant rates. Kind of the way bottom paint is going these days. With bottom paint, I’m looking at $8000 quotes. Do you know how much it cost me to put this bottom paint on a few years back? Something like $500-$800. That’s what I spent and I used Petit multi season ablative. So you can clearly see what a scam is going on here with the marinas and boat yards. i’m trying to get as far away from using them as possible.

Second, there are environmental recovery laws in many places that prevent spraying. It’s just not worth the hassle anymore. that’s mostly why I am moving away from it.

I want a simple to use, simple to maintain, marina independent boat. In many ways it is. But the paint is a sticking issue. No pun intended ha ha

[glenn.225]

I think you will need a good paint. I have had very nice results with Interlux Brightside. It's not the cheapest but probably won't break the bank. I mostly roll and tip but have just rolled some with a thin foam epoxy roller.

I have not tried this myself on a boat, but way back when, we used to put a thin nylon sock (knee high type) over a roller for car touch-ups.

Sent from my SM-A536W using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by glenn.225

I think you will need a good paint. I have had very nice results with Interlux Brightside. It's not the cheapest but probably won't break the bank. I mostly roll and tip but have just rolled some with a thin foam epoxy roller.

I have not tried this myself on a boat, but way back when, we used to put a thin nylon sock (knee high type) over a roller for car touch-ups.

Sent from my SM-A536W using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

Help me out here. Brightside says it's a “single part polyurethane enamel.”

Rustoleum is a “single part oil based enamel “

Not real understanding the difference other than oil based paint and polyurethane paint.

In any case I do need some specialty paint because I need to computer color match it. Will need to use a paint supplier like sherwin Williams or something in hardware stores that can take a tint

[Bill O]

Having a decent amount of experience w/enamel paint, your biggest part of the job will be the prep. before the finish paint.
I know you said previously you didn't need a good job, but even a 10' job is fairly close and needs to be better than you think. If want a 100' job, then you can be sloppy and no one will see it (unless they get close).
There is no free lunch the majority of the work is in the prep. As mentioned previously, if the foundation is in poor shape, your finish job will not last long and will need to be repainted sooner.
Besides Rustoleum, would look at the silicone based enamels. Similar pricing and may last longer. Haven't used them yet but some were mil spec paints.

[s/v Jedi]

You must have missed this, but the key point of Awlgrip is that you can simply roll it and light colors there’s no tipping either, so application is exactly the same as for Rustoleum.

I use Rustoleum aboard as well, but inside. Even though now you say you wouldn’t mind it to be like antifouling, I can guarantee you that the feeling quickly wears off when you need to do this every year like varnish work or, what stupid me once did, try to keep a steel boat looking good using basic products.

Like others wrote, the time and money goes to prep work. The price difference of the can of paint doesn’t change the total picture much.

[Chotu]

Well, the boat is already prepped. I’m just fixing damage.

It took 2 guys a whole year working full time with long boards/torture boards to fair the topsides.

That, my build crew did. I hate that type of work. Results don’t come fast enough to keep my brain sane.

I’m just painting here.

Prep is next to nothing.

I’ll fix the dents and gouges (in one of the esters), fair it in and scuff the existing paint to roll whatever paint this might be on.

Looking for the right balance between longevity and being able to roll with no tip. One person job. Looking to stay away from specialized products.

For example: I had a female friend that never painted anything in her life throw exterior latex paint on my dagger boards when I moved them outside the boat shed. No primer. To protect them from UVs. They look awful because she didn’t paint them evenly. This was supposed to be temporary and I’d refinish “soon”. 10 years later the paint looks like the day it went on. Has some Florida mold where she didn’t apply enough paint, but all in all it’s fine. 10 years!! There are definitely other paints out there if Home Depot “exterior latex” is that good.

Note: prep work is free. I already have sand paper, tape, solvent and soap and water to clean. Lol

Also: I’ve never had paint peel off in my life. That’s just poor quality workmanship

[Chotu]

I’ll check into those silicone enamels. Haven’t heard of them before which is great. That’s why I started the thread. Thanks!

[Bill O]

Originally Posted by Chotu

Well, the boat is already prepped. I’m just fixing damage.

It took 2 guys a whole year working full time with long boards/torture boards to fair the topsides.

That, my build crew did. I hate that type of work. Results don’t come fast enough to keep my brain sane.

I’m just painting here.

Prep is next to nothing.

I’ll fix the dents and gouges (in one of the esters), fair it in and scuff the existing paint to roll whatever paint this might be on.

Looking for the right balance between longevity and being able to roll with no tip. One person job. Looking to stay away from specialized products.

Note: prep work is free. I already have sand paper, tape, solvent and soap and water to clean. Lol

Also: I’ve never had paint peel off in my life. That’s just poor quality workmanship

The prep work can be "free", but it will take time. I usually don't charge myself anything for time spent, but it will burn up a few days (at min.) to get the hulls ready to paint.
How long ago were the hulls prepped? If it has been a while it will need some prep again (especially primer).

[Mickeyrouse]

I have rolled and tipped two part urethane for years. No doubt some people can claim to see a difference, and maybe they can. But the average guy walking down the dock can’t, and I imagine most surveyors can’t either.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by Bill O

The prep work can be "free", but it will take time. I usually don't charge myself anything for time spent, but it will burn up a few days (at min.) to get the hulls ready to paint.
How long ago were the hulls prepped? If it has been a while it will need some prep again (especially primer).

I’m expecting weeks of full time work here to fix this. Sanding does not go quickly unfortunately.

Hulls were painted several years back.

I’m just trying to fix damage here. Not trying to repaint the whole boat. Just the topsides outboard where the damage is. (And the non skid my help ruined)

Plan:

Fix damage with the ‘esters
Sand/fair as smooth and fair as possible without touching epoxy below
Hit fixed areas with rattle can primer
Scuff existing paint
Clean with solvents and soap and water
Roll a coat over the whole thing.

[rslifkin]

Being that these are repairs, I'd be inclined to use a good 2 part paint like Alexseal, Awlgrip, something automotive, etc. Choose based on what can be mixed to match your existing color and will be easy to apply (either with the Preval sprayers or a roller).

There are plenty of lower tech paints that would work well if you were painting the whole boat, but being that it's a repair, I think they'd become very obvious in a couple of years (as a single part paint is going to age differently than the existing paint on the boat).