Compressor/guns for boat painting?

[matt 57]

Hi guys,
I've recently got my first boat and do know for sure I'll need to do a lot of painting. My older compressor haven't been used for about 5 years and it won't be an adequate anyway as I'm gonna be dealing with large surface and thick paints. So I'm going to get a new one this weekend.
I do know that compressor is never too powerfool and the tank is never too big but there should be something adequate for this somewere inbetween.

I'd really appreciate your suggestions on this.
Thanks in advance.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: Compressor for boat painting?

Re: Compressor for boat painting?

How many CFM does your spray gun draw and at what pressure? Use that as your guide. And you're right, capacity can never really be too large.

Me, I built up a custom one , 220 V 7 hp turning a 10hp pump, coupled it to a 50 gal horizontal tank w/ wheels so I can move the beast. Cost about 800.

If I feel I need more capacity ( like sandblasting ) I bring over a larger tank and run the two tanks in series. Works great.

 

[matt 57]

Re: Compressor for boat painting?

Re: Compressor for boat painting?

Yeah, exactly what I thought: the more the better.

How many CFM does your spray gun draw and at what pressure?

The gun actually is another question and I've edited the header.
What I have is an old unbranded spray gun which was used for small home projects. Wouldn't even bother to look for it.
I used to do some painting but it was some 20 yers ago and I'm well behind on what's available on the market now (both paints and equipment).

So the other question is what gun would you recomend for a particular job?
I'm looking to apply all new custom paint next season besides regular bottom paint and some spot repairs right now. Will be boating mostly in salt water.

Any suggestions, links etc will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Subliminal]

Re: Compressor/guns for boat painting?

My suggestions:

Don't buy a new one. Craigslist is your friend.

Bigger is definitely better.

220V is far superior

I decided to buy a new compressor a few years back. Went to Home Depot and got one that was in their 'Quiet Series'.

Interesting thing about a quiet series compressor...it's the loudest thing on earth. You can't talk outside of the garage, much less in it when the compressor is running.

But, there's a noise selection dial, you say? Oh...ok...on high it takes ~5 minutes to refill the 27 gallon tank.

On low, I don't think it'd ever fill the tank...but it sure would be quiet not filling it...

Also, that compressor came with tools. The impact gun wouldn't remove the lugnuts on a car if my life depended on it.

All over, a terrible experience. Husky tools for the lose.

 

[marlboro180]

Re: Compressor/guns for boat painting?

I'm not sure on the boat paint stuff . I bet if you search the restoration threads you'd come up with some good info.

I use a Craftsman HVLP gun for most everything. .915519 .( Looks like re-worked external mix cup auto spay gun) . 10 psi at the nozzle, 25-45 psi at the inlet, depending on material. For a big job like a hull, I'd probably look at one with a pressure pot.
For really little things like touch ups, I use an airbrush.

Compressor puts out a theoretical 19 CFM at 150 psi. Way more that required.

Ingersoll-rand, rol-air, emglo, curtis, devilbiss. craftman industrial.......

 

[matt 57]

Re: Compressor/guns for boat painting?

Yes, need to do some resurch on guns myself first and then post more specific questions on restoration section. Been busy with assessing mechanical problems and almost no chance to jump on restoration section yet.
Thanks folks.

 

[bigbad 4cyl x2]

Re: Compressor/guns for boat painting?

i think they use pressure pots ,and the paints themselves are actually thin,the high builds are kinda thicker

 

[Woodnaut]

Re: Compressor/guns for boat painting?

I have a homebuilt boat so I ended up painting everything. I decided to spary rather than brush and I'm glad I did. There are plenty of experiened people on this forum that can give lots of good advice, but here's a couple of points I'll throw in:

- You can't do a good gob with crummy equipment. I sprung for a new compressor and a decent paint gun several years ago. I still have the same compressor, but I've been trough a few guns. No need to buy the most expensive, but in my experience, the cheapest is not worth the money.

- Read the instructions on everything (primer, paint, thinners, spray gun, everything). FOLLOW the instructions.

- Practice. I had a 4x8 sheet of plywood that I used until I got the settings on the gun, the mix of the paint and my technique just right.

- Spray painting takes just minutes and is the very last step. The preceeding surface preparation will take many hours (or days/weeks) of work to get it ready. That's where the real work is. Take your time and do it right - especially the primer and the sanding before and between primer and paint coats.

- You need a proper place to spray. I spent a few days turning my garage into a paint booth. You have to cover everything or else it will get paint flecks on it. What a mess.

- Wait for the right weather. Too cold or too humid is bad news. If you're going to go to all of the trouble of preparation then you don't want it spoiled by a bad looking finish.

- Buy quality paint products. Again, not the most expensive, but probably not the cheapest either.

- I spray painted in Jan 2000. In 2006 the finish still looked excellent. (Even my wife remarked that the paint on the boat looked good. I was shocked that she noticed.) It was definitely the way to go. I ended up doing a lot of work to the boat in 2006 and ended up repainting.

- Have fun

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Compressor/guns for boat painting?

Hi volume - low pressure guns are the current state of the art and have been for some time. Far less overspray, less paint required. Be careful what products you use as some of them are really toxic and require use of a respirator.

 

[Marcq]

Re: Compressor/guns for boat painting?

If you are only doing your boat, it's a lot cheaper to have a professional do the job. Do the prep yourself, the masking, buy the paint and have someone that knows what he's doing do the spraying, like an auto body shop. You'll be surprise at the cost
Marc..

 

[matt 57]

Re: Compressor/guns for boat painting?

Thank you folks.
I used to paint cars years ago, know the whole process from preparation to finish very well and still will be able to get the job done right.
I just need some suggestions on current equipment as I'm well behind on this. The paints will be a separate story yet. Have switched to different field and glad I did.

Hi volume - low pressure guns are the current state of the art and have been for some time

Didn't try myself any of these but heard different opinions. Might be worth to try one, especially with primers. Any particular sugestion on manufacturer and model?

Thanks again.

 

[bigbad 4cyl x2]

Re: Compressor/guns for boat painting?

i think people are using cheap siphon feeds for the high build primers ,then stepping to the pressure pot for Finnish primer and top coat .2 part paint systems