New Paint

[CHB RON]

I have a 35' CHB Trawler and it needs to be repainted. It looks good at a distance but a lot of little things add up to a complete paint job. I'm looking for advice and tips on a paint job. First costs. I have 2 quotes and the lowest is $16,700. Sounds high to me, comments? Any recommendations or tips on what to watch for, what type of paints work best, etc. Thanks.

 

[bshanafelt]

I assume you are talking about painting the topsides?

Check out some info in the archives on the subject.

 

[psneeld]

I've heard $100 per foot for a decent paint job...

Mine was about $3 a foot with roll and tip on the cabin...maybe aother $3/foot for the hull topsides.

 

[Underway]

A few years back a couple were rolling and tipping a 34 Defevre in the storage building. I got to know them as they kept glaring at me when I swept up around my boat. The final product was difficult to distinguish from a spray job. Of course, prep was the key. But they did that job for a few thousand dollars and about a week of effort. Trying to locate their card as I wrote down the name of the paint. Just a thought...

 

[healhustler]

On this coast, there are a couple of guys who have perfected the tip and roll technique. OK, maybe it is not as good as a 16K spray job, but I find it very difficult to see the difference, and my boat is simply not that perfect. Neither am I.

 

[BruceK]

Roll/tip also saves the work of masking of areas of your boat not being painted. And protecting nearby boats.
I understand there is a need to fill and sand gelcoat because microscopic holes otherwise mar the finish. That adds to painting cost first time.

 

[CPseudonym]

It looks good at a distance but a lot of little things add up to a complete paint job.

The above sentence can describe my boat too Ron. I have 47 year old gelcoat that has spent it's life under a covered berth in fresh water, it's in decent overall shape but up close you can see the flaws.

I've talked with several folks at my marina about it and the bottom line is at what range do you want it to look good at? Now if I had to stand 40+ feet away for it to look good I'd pull the trigger in a heartbeat. Currently though from 10 feet away my boat looks fine and ultimately that is good enough for me.

I'm willing to bet that a fresh coat of topside paint is something half the boats on the forum would look better with. We all have to decide at some point if it's worth the cost.

 

[FF]

However you paint it be sure to use only a paint that can be touched up,

if you are going to go cruising.

Tip & Roll Intl Toplac , as easy as it gets with a good varnish brush to tip.

 

[Larry M]

We had Hobo painted this last winter. The job was bigger than we could do so we contacted it out.

When we started looking at contactors, we looked at referrals/local reputations/how long in business, etc. first, then price and then what paint they were using. All the contactors were using name brand 2 part polyurethane. We removed and reinstalled all the hardware including the window frames to lower cost. In the end, we got a great paint job, at good price with a terrible schedule, but I guess 2 out of 3 isn't bad.

 

[CHB RON]

I've heard $100 per foot for a decent paint job...

Mine was about $3 a foot with roll and tip on the cabin...maybe aother $3/foot for the hull topsides.

What is roll and tip? It's a new term to me.

 

[Underway]

Apply the product with a roller and feather it out on the surface (tip) with a very fine bristle brush...some recommend badger hair. Google Sterling paint for some excellent how to "tips" (there are other paint brands with similar do-it-yourself guidelines.

 

[psneeld]

I just smooth with a cheap foam brush..once you get the hang of it it works the same...have to keep it pretty dry though...all it's doing is smoothing the roller marks and getting rid of any bubbles.

Maybe if I was better... a better brush may be the ticket...but I don't really see a diff.

 

[BruceK]

Apply the product with a roller and feather it out on the surface (tip) with a very fine bristle brush...some recommend badger hair. Google Sterling paint for some excellent how to "tips" (there are other paint brands with similar do-it-yourself guidelines.

Usually a 2 person job, one rolling, one tipping. The rolled paint can be brushed before it starts to dry, no swapping roller for brush and v.v., someone to talk to while watching paint dry....

 

[psneeld]

I do it all the time myself...again it may not be $100/foot paint job...the trick is keep the paint thin and a wet edge so you have to plan where the natural break is around windows, etc where it may be harder to keep a wet edge.

yesterday with the temps and wind...I was rolling about a 2 sq ft area before tipping with Brightside paint.

 

[CPseudonym]

If the DIY route interests you Ron http://boatbuildercentral.com/index.php#.UkZCIpm9K0c is a good resource for information. They have a series of YouTube videos describing the process in detail.

Application looks straightforward enough but time constraints would leave me out of the loop. Prep is time consuming too and should not be overlooked. It's a great way to go for those with the time available.

 

[hollywood8118]

I roll and tip using the white 6" round end foam rollers, I use a second dry roller to "tip" big areas and keep a foam 3" brush handy to tip in tight areas. It does work better to do it as a two person team... but I did do Volunteer (48') by my self a few times... and it always came out ok. Using brightside you need to slow it down with brushing thinner for smooth results.
HOLLYWOOD

 

[Peter B]

I have a 35' CHB Trawler and it needs to be repainted. It looks good at a distance but a lot of little things add up to a complete paint job. I'm looking for advice and tips on a paint job. First costs. I have 2 quotes and the lowest is $16,700. Sounds high to me, comments? Any recommendations or tips on what to watch for, what type of paints work best, etc. Thanks.

Ron, all the advice below is good. However, mindful of time, and my limited skills, I compromised in the end, as I wanted to maintain max looks and resale value, so I had a professional 2 pack job done on the hull only, up to gun'ls, for $8000, (they quoted about $15,000 for full job, topsides & hull). I then prep'd and painted the topsides myself, by which I mean gun'ls, decks and superstructure, by brush, with Toplac, and it all looks terrific.
Not sure about in the US, but downunder, the International (Interlux to you) Toplac is better than Brightside by far, in fact has replaced it.

 

[AKFish]

Ended up doing paint myself this summer and hired help on paint day. Six weeks of prep, one week of paint and one week of reassembly. One part Interlux topside for the house, two part epoxy Devoe (Ameron) for the deck and hull. Standard copolymer ablative bottom paint.

Quotes of $15K are in the range I would expect.

If I could afford it, I would have had someone else do it, but the way it worked out, probably only cost a third of a contracted job or less. I did a bunch of welding too, so I haven't separated those costs. Just the paint itself cost around $2000 for top to bottom. Needed special roller covers that would not melt and had perfect weather which really helps.

As said before, its the prep. Then pick a few days and paint it with help. I had absolutely awesome results that looked sprayed on.

 

[psneeld]

Ron, all the advice below is good. However, mindful of time, and my limited skills, I compromised in the end, as I wanted to maintain max looks and resale value, so I had a professional 2 pack job done on the hull only, up to gun'ls, for $8000, (they quoted about $15,000 for full job, topsides & hull). I then prep'd and painted the topsides myself, by which I mean gun'ls, decks and superstructure, by brush, with Toplac, and it all looks terrific.
Not sure about in the US, but downunder, the International (Interlux to you) Toplac is better than Brightside by far, in fact has replaced it.

Toplac is still listed by some retailers...but not on the Interlux US site anymore that I can see....sounds like they reformulated Brightside with something even better than the silicone base (now it's a flouro based miracle I suppose) and dumped Toplac.

 

[driller66]

Hi folks, It's haul out time and lots to be done. I'm thinking of painting from the waterline up to the decks with epoxy paint. At present there is Interlux brightsides on the wood hull. As far as I can tell, the consensus is I'll have to strip off the old paint, then prime and re-paint. Any comments or feedback for me?

 

[RT Firefly]

Greetings,
Mr. 66. At some point, and it may not be this haul, you will be stripping all the old finish and re-coating. Give some thought as to what finish you'll have to strip. Brightside or epoxy? If you're doing this yourself and I don't envy you, will you be giving yourself unnecessary grief if you use epoxy which may be a bear to remove?

 

[C lectric]

Driller 66

My limited knowledge says be carefull. Epoxy paints have their place but often it is not where eposure to the sun's uv cannot be avoided. Epoxy paint base with a coating on top such as urethane may work. Polyurethane paints are what Brightsides, Awlgrip, Imron are made of. Brightsides is a one part, the others are usually 2 parts.

People confuse the types which can be trouble if you really do get the wrong one for the application.
Talk to your paint supplier and be sure.

 

[sailtones]

I have a 35' CHB Trawler and it needs to be repainted. It looks good at a distance but a lot of little things add up to a complete paint job. I'm looking for advice and tips on a paint job. First costs. I have 2 quotes and the lowest is $16,700. Sounds high to me, comments? Any recommendations or tips on what to watch for, what type of paints work best, etc. Thanks.

We have just done a partial re-paint job on our boat.

2 part International Perfection over an unknown 1 part. (yes it can be done without any problems)



I blogged about it, more because of the late decision color change we made, than the technicalities of how to paint.

The 'Prawn Cracker' - Marine Trader Trawler yacht: The all important colour scheme!

This was only about a 3rd of the hull, but it literally cost only my time and materials. i/e. a couple of hundred bucks. And a couple of days for a friend of mine who is a dab hand at rolling and tipping.

As everyone has mentioned, it is all about the prep work. Every imperfection will stand out like dogs nuts when the high gloss is applied.

Roll and tip v's spray - there is no question it is a better finish. But to be honest, not by much, and some may argue that you actually get a thicker application when rolled and tipped.

Anyway, loads of advice on here from everyone, but if you want anything specific from me, happy to help.

Cheers,
Tony

 

[koliver]

Tony:

It looks great. I especially applaud your decision to change the colour. That is often the hardest part, as it draws critical attention to the fact of the new paint job.

As for the finish, is it good enough to be applied to the house, where the eye is brought to within a few inches of the surface regularly and frequently? I have a couple of places where I have repainted that wouldn't pass that level of scrutiny, so I have been reluctant to do the rest of the house, especially when I have found that I can get a surface that I am almost happy with just by cleaning and waxing.

 

[sailtones]

As for the finish, is it good enough to be applied to the house, where the eye is brought to within a few inches of the surface regularly and frequently?

The finish is near perfect, not quite a spray finish, but very close.

It comes down to a few factors.

Surface prep - the smoother it is the better the finish.

Quality of paint - Awlgrip is with out a doubt the best. International perfection is a close second, but at half the price you cannot expect the same finish as awlgrip, although IMHO it is pretty close. Durability is pretty close also.

Tools and equipment - you need quality rollers, brushes, tack cloths, mixing pots, masking tape, fine line tape, etc

Skills - I am pretty good with a roller and brush, but I had my mate do the painting for me purely because he is better.

The right day - the temp needs to be right for the paint you are using. Too hot and it will not flow out to hide the brush strokes, too cold and it will dull off before it dries.

That's about it really.

But if you have gel coat that will still take a polish, go for that!

 

[FF]

Awlgrip is with out a doubt the best

Most folks do not have the protective suit and air breathing equippment to do Imeron or Awlgrip.

 

[fryedaze]

I used Awlgrip on a 18' sea kayak 15 years ago. It was a two part paint with an additionaly reducer that you add for thinning. I hand painted the kayak and the paint leveled like it was sprayed. It results in a very hard finish and is almost as pretty today as it was when I painted it.
To FFs point on protection. I wore an organic respirator that blocked all the bad stuff. When I pulled the respirator off in the garage where I was painting it only took a minute or so before the vapors started screwing with my head.

I used Brightsides on another kayak. Its good but not as hard as Awlgrip.