Hello and painting question

Hi All. *I've been a lurker here now and again for a long time. *Some of you may or may not recognize me from another popular boating forum that I participate in. *We are closing this week on a 36' taiwanese trawler (MMC brand which looks the same as Monk and same layout). *She needs her topsides painted. *I am pondering tackling this job myself though I am sure it is more than I ought to handle. *I am new to the older boat/trawler scene. *Any sites or blogs or anything on the web describing how to do this job including prep, etc.? *Which paint is best? *I can only imagine what the cost would be from the yard to paint it though I am sure they would do a better job. *
Thanks in advance!

Welcome aboard!!!

Try this link:
http://www.trawlerforum.com/index.spark?aBID=115492&p=3&topicID=33871706


Try this one as well:


http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/diy/media-center/boat-painting-guide.aspx

Tony,Good to have you and you will love the archives. Just search back in the threads and separate the fact from fiction. Since we don't always stay on topic you may find what your'e looking for in strange places but ther's a gold mine of information here. There's a whole lot of guys worth knowing here too and if we haven't done it in the past we can do it in the future.


Eric Henning
Thorne Bay Alaska
Willard 30

Which paint is best?

BEST?

What do you consider as best?

Ease of application? longest lasting?toughest? ease of repair -touchup? least cost ?

There NOT all in the same product so pick what you prefer.

Welcome aboard Woodsong.
You say needs painting. Has the boat been painted before or is it original gelcoat? Not all paints are compatable with each other. Do you need to do any fiberglass repairs? Epoxy repairs should be primed. Painting wood? Removing hardware? Painting non-skid?
Prep is everything. What's your time worth?
Check out some of my photo album pics.

Hi all- thanks for the welcome.

from rubrail down she looks good. Cabin doesn't look so bad...no shine really but not chaulky either. Nonskid decks need some attention and some minor repair on gouges here and there and then the owner sanded down the fiberglass below the flybridge to prep for painting.
Here are some exterior shots:







Video of her exterior:

Luckily her interior is in excellent, excellent shape with no water intrusion damage anywhere and finish very nice. What the heck, here's a vid of her interior (which just needs some clutter control and scrubbing down):

As far as painting the exterior, she has not been painted before this. The area below flybridge is discolored, according to the owner, due to his sanding her down in preparation for painting. Rest of cabin you could probably get by without painting her, though it would be nice to see her all shiny. Brightwork is in excellent condition and just refinished, some already taken down in order to paint.
As far as "best" if i do it myself i'd want something that offers easiest application with the best reasonable results that can be done by hand and not spraying. it may be a mute point b/c I think seller told me he already bought the paint so if he did I guess I'll just be using what he got which I think is 2 part epoxy paint....hopefully not just white spraypaint from the hardware store.

How do you all do the nonskid areas?*


We're very excited about this boat. We sold out 2005 silverton 38 sport bridge (gas powered) this past winter in order to get a diesel powered boat, etc. Can't wait to close!






-- Edited by Woodsong on Tuesday 27th of July 2010 06:26:13 AM

Looks like a big part of the job is already done (prep work accounts for something like 70-80% of the job).

Doing a nice paint job is easier than you might think. I did my transom in the Spring (look for my posts you should find it) and it looks so amazing I will do the entire boat soon.

I used Interlux Brightside (one part) and the roll and tip technique. From 2 feet away you can't tell the difference from a spray job.

Start with a small section to get the hang of it.

If you use the roll and tip method. To thin the paint.**If you use a piece of glass to test the thinning.**If the paint doesn't sag or run and the brush marks don't show you have it right. Glass because it is easy to wipe off and try again.

SD

when you say glass for testing, do you literally mean a piece of clear plate glass or a piece of fiberglass?

Just a piece of glass.* clear flat. If the paint is thinned right it will show up on the glass and work the same on what ever surface you are applying the paint to.

Works great to test for the right thinning of the paint.
It's good for painting with a roller and brush I don't know about spraying.

Glass because all you have to do is wipe off the glass and start the next test

I would pour a measured amount and add a little thinner at a time and test it on the glass. If you have a way to measure small amounts i.e. teaspoon in a pint etc. Then you can up the ammount for a gallon.

Like they say it is mostly prep work.
Use a*good quality brush for the tipping.*

It is just an easy way to be sure the paint is thinned correctly to prevent runs and brush marks.

SD

-- Edited by skipperdude on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 10:11:36 AM

so how does one determine if it is too thin or too thick? How much paint thinner does one typically have to add to get it right for a gallon?
Also, is it possible to color match the paint to existing gelcoat at all? Truth of the matter is that the cabin isn't all that bad and is tolerable for us. Since the flybridge was sanded down, etc. that needs to be painted since it's now discolored. I am toying with whether I could paint just the flybridge exterior fiberglass and leave it at that or whether it will look completely out of place. I guess i could just use flat white exterior paint. hahaha.

Also, any guess from others with experience how many gallons of paint the topsides would take? Seller gave me 2 gallons but one technician told me yesterday it will probably be more like 8 gallons to do the job. My head about spun off when the local yard gave me a price yesterday for the job- $18,000 just for the topsides!!!!

That is what the piece of glass is for.
Add a little thinner paint the glass look for brush marks and runs keep track of how much thinner you added to how much paint. like 1/4 teaspoon per pint.
If you get brush marks add more thinner. If it sags*or runs add *more paint
Wipe off the glass and start again.
just keep track of how much thinner you use. Use a measuring cup and a small amount of paint to start. Then just multiply to get the correct ammount for a gallon
All paint is different.**things like *humidity and temperature etc. come into play.
There is no set ammount.**You have to play with it. The glass method is the best way to get it perfect. You will know when it is.

The can of paint should say how many square feet of surface it will cover.
*Measure and guess. Over estimate so you don't run out.

SD

-- Edited by skipperdude on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 11:43:06 AM

-- Edited by skipperdude on Wednesday 28th of July 2010 11:45:28 AM

I've just completed painting the topsides of Scout with Interlux Perfection 2-part.
30 ft no flybridge. Painted decks, inside of bulwark, pilothouse and salon. Three coats of 2-part primer - 2 1/2 gal.** Three coats of 2-part paint - 2 1/2 gal.
Interlux says it should take 4 qts of 2-part paint to paint a 30 ft power boat topsides.
Or 6 qts of 1-part paint.* I assume because the 1-part is thicker.
Adding thinner to the 2-part doesn't do much to change the viscosity of the paint because the damn stuff is already like water. It does however, retard the drying and allows the paint to 'lay down' before drying. Retard it too much and it will run on a vertical surface.
Be sure to -Throw in a couple of hundred dollars for tape, another couple of hundred for rollers, brushes, etc, another couple of hundred for thinner, sand paper. You get the picture.

If your cabin is just a little chalky, buy some good automotive rubbing compound and a GOOD power buffer (Makita makes one) and you'll be amazed at the results you can achieve.
Get a real color chart from whatever paint manufacture you decide on and match the colors as close as you can for your flybridge. Custom paint colors add another dimension to the process that I don't want to tackle. Boats take a lot of caulking. Caulk generally comes in white, black and sometimes a shade of brown or teak.
I love my white boat.

She looks very nice. I agree, very much like a Monk 36, what engine do you have?
Good luck with the paint job!
Steve

One "trick" is to use a really good quality brush , similar to what you would use with varnish , but 2 1/2 or 3 inches wide.

About $40 to $50 and you will be in the right ball park.

Look online at Jamestown Marine Supply for an idea.

Thanks all for the insight and help. I'll see what I end up doing. I am waiting on one other guy to give me a price to paint and then I am also going to call on another trawler owner I know in the area that rolled and tipped his boat a while ago to see if he had hired someone to do it or not but I am leaning more and more towards not getting a super expense spray job and just doing a roll and tip.


Steve- she has a single 135hp Perkins (I think model # is 6.534). She also has a northern lights 8 KW generator that is newer than the boat but don't know how old.