Repainting in winter months

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by chowdan

Hey everyone,

Winter is right around the corner, my finances are getting to a place where I can haul out and perform the needed work that my sailboat has desperately needed.

A few of the things I'll be performing in Nov/Dec during the haul out will be new bottom paint job.

I'm also trying to determine if I can salvage my topsides gelcoat, however with the amount of crazing and chalkiness, I may just go the paint route.

I will also be needing to rip up some of the deck to repair some rotted coring material surrounding the chainplates and some fittings.

That being said, my boat will be hauled out in Port of Everett(unless i find somewhere cheaper and closer to Seattle). I will be hauling in November or December for a month to get a bunch of the tasks on the list knocked off.

That said, it looks like November and December has very similar temperatures, with the min being 24F and the max being 57F and the average being 42F.

The boat will be in a tent of some sort to protect it from the direct weather, however, I am wondering what peoples opinions are? Obviously during paint day I'll be applying in the mornings, allowing the weather to get the temps up before the dew comes about in the night and letting the paint set.

Is the primary reason people dont paint during winter months due to the fact that it takes much longer for the paint to harden? I was planning on painting in the mornings, allowing 24-48 hours to cure before applying a second coat depending on the temperatures. That means i'd be looking at 2 days of drying time per coat giving me a total of 6 days time to get 3 layers on the topsides.

As for the bottom paint, I've found that Super Ship Bottom paint can be applied below 50F but will also take longer to dry.

Opinions? Tips? Ideas? - I am not looking to "wait till spring", rather I am looking for a way to do it during winter months as this is the time I can afford the haul out and have the time to do everything needed.

I have painted bottoms and gelcoated decks
In freezing temperatures (Ontario in Decrmber). The trick is to put the boat in a dark shelter. Wait for a sunny day. The temp will hit 15C on a windless morning. Go fast. You need the paint or gelcoat to cure before you hit the dew point ( in the shelter).

This is a case where one needs to prep and then be patient. I was spraying in mid December in south central Ontario last year. I have painted Awlgrip in an unheard shelter when it was snowing outside. But if you "F" it up, you will have one awful mess to clean up. Fortunately, I've yet to "F" one up.