Steel Sailboat Paint job

[Glenn Walsh]

I have an older steel hull sailboat and I am thinking of striping it and repainting it any suggestion as to procedure, type of paint, etc

[Unicorn Dreams]

When I built mine years ago, took boa down to bare metal, then acid washed the metal to get rid of any possible oil.

At that time we used coal tar epoxy paint.

When I sold the boat, she was 25 years old, cou;d have used a buffing, but no signs of rust inside or out.

Do not go cheap painting a sreel boat.

[rg500]

told you... coal tar epoxy...why you don risten...

[conachair]

Metal boat maintenance-A do it ... - Google Books

Metal boat maintenance-A do it yourself guide by Scott Fratcher in Engineering

Everything you need to know.

[Delfin]

Sandblast, then 30-Y-94 Awlgrip mil spec anti-corrosion primer, followed by 2 - 3 coats of Awlgrip 545 primer, followed by 2 - 3 coats of whatever you like for an Awlgrip topcoat. My suggestion is something in a light gray, which is easier to repair and maintain than darker finishes This is a 20 year finish.

[Matt sachs]

Not to hijack this thread, but I have a related question. Below the water line, when sand blasting I have a layer of coal tar epoxy, but above the water line I blast through a thick layer of a brown substance that seems to be used as a filler to smooth out imperfections in the surface. Some places its 1/4 inch thick other places its not there at all. What is this stuff? Its been on there for 20+ years and the steel under it looks new so I think I want to put it back. (I wish I had been smart enough not to remove it)

[S/V Alchemy]

Bondo?

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by Matt sachs

Not to hijack this thread, but I have a related question. Below the water line, when sand blasting I have a layer of coal tar epoxy, but above the water line I blast through a thick layer of a brown substance that seems to be used as a filler to smooth out imperfections in the surface. Some places its 1/4 inch thick other places its not there at all. What is this stuff? Its been on there for 20+ years and the steel under it looks new so I think I want to put it back. (I wish I had been smart enough not to remove it)

You probably don't want to hear this, but it sounds like the boat was faired, which is a very expensive process. West System with fairing compound looks brown. Bondo usually isn't used and shouldn't be because it absorbs moisture and will expand and crack if submerged.

If you use Awl Grip or a similar coating, its brightness will telegraph the slightest imperfection, which is why hulls are faired in the first place. If you have removed the fairing, you might consider using something like Awl Grip with matting agents added to reduce the gloss. It still looks nice but you won't see every imperfection.

[osirissail]

Awlgrip also makes fairing material/putty to smooth out dents and dings.

[Matt sachs]

...self inflicted expense...damit damit....

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Matt sachs

...self inflicted expense...damit damit....

My sympathy, mate. You are now officially enrolled in the school of hard knocks!

Remember, experience is what you get just after you really needed it.

Hang in there...

Cheers,

Jim

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Delfin

You probably don't want to hear this, but it sounds like the boat was faired, which is a very expensive process. West System with fairing compound looks brown. Bondo usually isn't used and shouldn't be because it absorbs moisture and will expand and crack if submerged. .

Delfin, I was joking about the Bondo, because it's the worst fairing to find short of papier-mache...

[S/V Alchemy]

Originally Posted by Delfin

If you use Awl Grip or a similar coating, its brightness will telegraph the slightest imperfection, which is why hulls are faired in the first place. If you have removed the fairing, you might consider using something like Awl Grip with matting agents added to reduce the gloss. It still looks nice but you won't see every imperfection.

Awlgrip is like loads of above-deck wood: I love seeing it on other peoples' boats, but life's too short for me to keep it Bristol.

For steel, I certainly wouldn't discourage Awlgrip if you like expensively shiny, but I prefer industrial topcoats like Imron, Ameron and Endura, a paint I use that is used on oil rigs, seaside bulldozers and deep-water buoys. I prefer to work smarter, which means less. Awlgrip would keep me sweating if I dropped a wrench, which is not why I bought steel, frankly.

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Delfin, I was joking about the Bondo, because it's the worst fairing to find short of papier-mache...

Well, I wasn't sure, so I was trying to be diplomatic, rather than suggesting you were dumb as a box of hammers.

But of course, I knew you weren't....

[Delfin]

Originally Posted by S/V Alchemy

Awlgrip is like loads of above-deck wood: I love seeing it on other peoples' boats, but life's too short for me to keep it Bristol.

For steel, I certainly wouldn't discourage Awlgrip if you like expensively shiny, but I prefer industrial topcoats like Imron, Ameron and Endura, a paint I use that is used on oil rigs, seaside bulldozers and deep-water buoys. I prefer to work smarter, which means less. Awlgrip would keep me sweating if I dropped a wrench, which is not why I bought steel, frankly.

That's probably better advice. In fact, I'm reminded of the company Tnemec in Seattle. I bought their paint to do the metal railing on our deck. It is the company that supplies all of the paint to do bridges in Washington State. Major league industrial coatings and the polyurethane I got for the railing had a gloss, but not the lipgloss of Awlgrip. It was also very inexpensive. Tnemec Industrial Coatings and Architectural Coatings