Started the paint job

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Got started two weeks ago on the paint job - boat is 1988 and sat in FL and MS sun for 30 yrs - oxidized quite a bit. Using AlexSeal Coatings - a bit tricky, but very satisfied so far. Started at the top - radar arch, top of sundeck roof, sundeck walls and flybridge so far. Filling cracks, sanding, de-waxing, priming and two-three coats. Starting on the exterior next week. Nothing like a $39,000 paint estimate to get you motivated to do it yourself My wife wants a shiny boat.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Could someone please rotate these photos

 

[Comodave]

Looks great. We painted our boat a couple of years ago so I know how much work it is. Keep it up, you will love it when it is done.

 

[HGR]

That is looking excellent. Been stalking the forum for a while but had to register to keep an eye on this thread. I just got a $43k quote for paint and have been chewing my nails off debating whether to give it a crack myself. Are you spraying or rolling? How are you keeping the dirt and dust at bay?

 

[Comodave]

Welcome aboard. We rolled and tipped the cabin and flybridge. We sprayed the hull because I didn’t think that my shoulders could keep up rolling and tipping that big of an area. We did it inside a storage barn after the other boats launched. We paid a professional painter to do the actual spraying. It cost about $900. We did all the prep work and repairs prior to the spraying. So we probably spent about $3000 for the spray job including materials. It came out very nice.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Welcome aboard. We rolled and tipped the cabin and flybridge. We sprayed the hull because I didn’t think that my shoulders could keep up rolling and tipping that big of an area. We did it inside a storage barn after the other boats launched. We paid a professional painter to do the actual spraying. It cost about $900. We did all the prep work and repairs prior to the spraying. So we probably spent about $3000 for the spray job including materials. It came out very nice.

So far just rolling. Saw several utube videos of this with AlexSeal Coating. I use small 4” rollers made to stand up to the strong chemicals in the two-part coating. It tightens up and looks great so far. But I do like Dave’s idea of paying just $900 for a professional to spray the hull[emoji106]. We are in a covered slip and so far most work is within the enclosures on the boat. Will haul out for the hull, for below rub rail.
edit. We are in a 60ft covered floating slip (boat is 47’ all in) with full length finger piers, so good easy access to the exterior.

 

[rslifkin]

Looks good so far! What color did you go with?

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Looks good so far! What color did you go with?

After several samples we settled on Stark White. Boat had never been painted, so no way to exactly match 30 yr old bleached gel coat. My wife loves the color so all is good.

 

[Airstream345]

Look terrific. We’re facing this in the future so it’s great to see results like yours.

 

[Mrwesson]

Keep them coming as you move along. Alot of us are due for this...

 

[HGR]

I think I may borrow some tricks and have a pro do the hull sides and give my flybridge and cockpit a crack myself. Figure if it goes wrong there, easy enough to fix with Alexseal.

 

[Southern Boater]

I think I may borrow some tricks and have a pro do the hull sides and give my flybridge and cockpit a crack myself. Figure if it goes wrong there, easy enough to fix with Alexseal.

I hear good things about Alexseal, thinking along the same lines myself. I will try some less obvious places to practice on first

 

[Comodave]

Like I said we painted the flybridge and cabin sides with roll and tip. Came out pretty good though not perfect, but I was not striving for perfection. But when it came to the hull, I was not sure that my shoulders would be able to keep up with a wet edge. I have had surgeries on both shoulders and they don’t really like working above my shoulder height. We have a fiberglass guy here that sprayed it for $75 per hour. I had done all the prep and masking. It took about 12 hours since we had issues with adequate air flow. I ended up buying a new compressor and also borrowing another compressor and hooked up both of them in tandem. Then we started blowing breakers in the barn so I had to bring my generator down to run the compressors. Then we had an issue with water in the air so I had to get a filter system to dry the air. But all in all it came out great. If we didn’t have the issues it would have taken less than 8 hours to spray the hull and sundeck sideboards. The painter said that if he had done the prep work it would have cost north of $25K for the job. I figure that including labor I am around $3K.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Here are some updates

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

Guess I also need to update my avatar - with paint job and full enclosures. New Pfifertex Plus window covers are being made right now - was going to sew them myself but my wife found a lady with much experience that is sewing them for an extremely good price. I will install the snaps.

 

[koliver]

Must be due to Covid that many of us are taking the time to clean up our boats by applying fresh paint. At my annual haulout, I removed the yellow smile from the bow with that blue gel stuff. Then I painted the bottom couple of strakes of the phony "planks" hull treatment, with Petit Eazypoxy white, which matches my gelcoat almost perfectly.

By the time I got back home, having transited the Fraser river North arm and South arm flows, the yellow was back, as strong as ever, but not a hint of it on the new paint.
Over the next couple of weeks, I did the rest of the hull. Now every time I walk towards my boat I wonder why I waited so long to deal with this!

On a side note, I have had the recurrent yellow smile for years. As the gelcoat has oxidized over the years the yellow came on more quickly and became a stronger colour, despite being easily removed by the cleaner. When I could avoid the river outlets, I got far less yellow on my bow. The simple fact of its easy removal with toilet bowl cleaner has me wondering if the source is simply that it is sewage, carried by the river.

 

[swampu]

Looks great, I am about 5 years into a 6 year paint job. We had a lot of fiberglass work to do and lots of faring. I say we but I was stroking checks on all that, I had other items that needed work so I hired local guys on the weekends and what not. All thats left is some fairing on the ceiling and another coat of primer and paint. Yours looks great, I wish I had the time to do that.
Edit: Thats a lie, Im glad I don't have the time to do that, I hate painting

 

[Comodave]

Your paint looks great. We have painted our boat over the last couple of years. I know how much work it is.

 

[Warwgn]

Looking Awesome!!

 

[sailormike]

Due to Covid 19 I also jumped on some much needed maintenance and neglected paint that needed re painting. I rolled and tipped our entire cabin and fly-bridge so far with Awlgrip

 

[Comodave]

Looks great!

 

[Russell Clifton]

I sure all you guys watch Boatworks Today on you tube. A few weeks ago he hinted that Alexseal has a new product that does not require you to tip it after rolling it on. Still waiting to see him demonstrate it.

 

[Comodave]

Alexseal and Quantum both have a 2 part that doesn’t need tipping.

 

[FF]

Painting in a slip can be very expensive as the atomized paint can float 40-50 ft , even more in a tiny breeze.

Expensive to repaint a couple of neighbor boats , or remove hardened over spray.

 

[FoxtrotCharlie]

I sure all you guys watch Boatworks Today on you tube. A few weeks ago he hinted that Alexseal has a new product that does not require you to tip it after rolling it on. Still waiting to see him demonstrate it.

That's exactly what I used - turned out great. Used RedTree 4" rollers - lots of them. You must remember to sand the primer well though, as it will not lay smooth like the coating