Repaint old boat

[ferdly1]

I am in the process of repairing my old fishing buddy of 23 years. The boat has spent its entire time in saltwater. Its actually held up fairly well. Right now i would like to just paint the topside and do some fiberglass repair. I have included a picture if I downloaded it correctly. The paint is quite oxidized over most of the boat. I also removed the air vents on the side of the boat and put vents on the top. The side vents always took on water when running . One of my questions concerns metalflake paint. I want to repaint the boat white however the original color is fairly dark and in metalflake. Will I have to sand down to the bare fiberglass before painting or will primer take care of this problem. i have no experience painting so I will be asking lots of questions.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Repaint old boat

It's prolly not Paint. Prolly Gelcoat. If you can feel the flakes then sanding to the glass might be necessary. I would for sure recommend using High build primer.

 

[Clawman31]

Re: Repaint old boat

Well right up my alley! That metal flake is most likely sequin flake (cool style that is coming back) mixed in a clear topcoat or clear gelcoat. Either way a sand with 180 grit sandpaper over the flake should prep that surface fine. Finish up those vent omissions with some good fairing compound and seal the topsides perferably with a good two-part primer. There are some good one-part primers out there (Petit, Ameron etc) however a good automotive epoxy or urethane primer from your local auto store will work just perfect. The new urethane primers have good protection as well as good build. Whichever will fit your budget. Epoxy is usually more expensive and used as a sealer and then urethane as a build coat. I did a complete restore on my '91 Bayliner Capri and used automotive urethane primer and PPG Base/Clear on the topsides then Awlgrip on the hull since it was going to have constant contact with salt/fresh water.

But to answer your question and keep the project simple:

Sand the entire area to paint with at least 180 grit. Apply a two-part primer sand it starting with 220 grit (depending on how nice you applied primer) and taking it to 320 or 400. You can use any topcoat you want from here. If you are going to brush the topcoat I would go to at least 400 so you will only need to brush to cover color and not sand scratches. the area you worked around the vents will have heavier scratches from working the putty but a few extra coats of primer in these areas will do. The Urethanes dry quickly.

There are many ways and products to use for this. What I have suggested is the easiest to purchase and use, I believe. Let me know if you need further details or just let me know what products you have available and I can make further suggestions. Are you brushing or spraying?

 

[ferdly1]

Re: Repaint old boat

Thanks guys for your quick reply!

 

[ferdly1]

Re: Repaint old boat

Yes I believe it is gelcoat, I hate the stuff. The boat is a 1988 stratos fish and ski. When I bought it in 1990 it was all purty and shiny for the first year. Then I moved to florida. Within 6 months the finish got dull like you see now. I tried lots of products to restore shine only to quickly get dull again. I finally gave up. I always washed my boat and flushed my motor after being in saltwater and the motor has held up quite well thru the years. The boat has been inactive for the last 5years because I was without a job for about 4 years. I am back at work now and am anxious to get back out in the gulf. I have spent the last month going over the boat from stem to stern repairing everything mechanical. Even completely rewired boat with new fuse panel. I would like to repaint boat just have a few questions. The boat is ready for the gulf -I hope to go next weekend. My first question is, I plan to do the body work a little at a time as funds become available. Would it be ok to do the sanding and continue going fishing or do i need to do the sanding and painting all at one time. I know silly question. My next question is can I use my palm sander or do I need one of those random orbital sanders from harbour freight? Third, I paid someone to do some fiberglass work, never do that again. He did a lousy job. I have to smooth out some areas like the vent in the picture. For something like that would I use an 80 grit paper and once again is my palm sander ok(only sander I own).

 

[Clawman31]

Re: Repaint old boat

Gel coat is a bear to keep glossy once the surface coat degrades. You will have to buff it with a heavy compound and still it will fade back over time. Especially in your location. This is a temporary cosmetic fix while getting it ready for paint. As far as prepping as you go; yes you will need to hit your body work areas with 80 grit. If the glass work is proud to the surface around it or they did a poor blend then a grinder would work best to get the glass work level. A palm sander can work on areas that the pad can hit evenly if that is what you have. A small sanding long-board is inexpensive and would work best to fair in your vent spots. I would not sand the entire area until you are ready to at least prime. Once you sand the gel coat you will get into the porous layer and it will be harder to clean contaminants prior to paint. I would work your putty areas and even a rattle can sealer over the putty would do temporally if you use the boat as you go. You just want to keep the putty protected from obsorbing moisture. Checkout tcpglobal.com for materials. They have great prices for tools, sandpaper etc.