Topside paint on a McKee - Tractor paint last as long as others?

[djm3801]

Looking at many paint threads on a search. I have a 1979 16' McKee Waccamaw I am restoring - photo attached. I want to keep cost down but do not want foolish economy. Boat is in PA right now but will be taken to Florida this winter. Will paint before we leave. Currently the boat has original Gelcoat interior which CAN be rebuffed but I have some patching to do and I would think the Gelcoat will not ever buff up to look really good. I also do not want something with short life as boat painting is not my idea of a good time on a continued basis - initial restore is interesting, though. Boat will be kept on trailer. I am not entering any contests with this and not looking for a museum finish - just something that looks good and will be easy to maintain. Also - boat as the non skid texture on floor in very good physical shape so do not want something too slippery. I have access to spray guns - both compressor driven and electric HVLP.

Have read Woodonglass Tractor paint article with great interest. Seems easy enough and very cost effective.Have also read about AWLGRIP and Interlux finishes. More expensive. Perhaps more temperamental to apply? Bottom line - how much more effective are these latter two products? I assume washing the topside, perhaps light sanding or Scotchbrite pad rub down, wipedown with proper solvent product, and then prime and topcoat as needed. Need to Seacast transom first as it is rotted in one section.

For the hull, it has been painted so will be more work.Boat is heavy (Mckee craft 16' boat goes 1200 pounds) so need to figure how to get it off trailer but... will deal with that issue when ready. Have determined there is a BIT of water in foam but not excessive - weight maybe 120 pounds more than factory specs and it seems to be drying as I leave it wrapped in plastic in the sun. Also did a couple of core cuts and water is not present in one and only in top on the other sample - rest of foam bone dry. no signs of de-lamination and no soft spots at all. Need to do some searches on flipping a boat over.

Thanks for an insight.

 

[Woodonglass]

"Have determined there is a BIT of water in foam but not excessive - weight maybe 120 pounds more than factory specs and it seems to be drying as I leave it wrapped in plastic in the sun. Also did a couple of core cuts and water is not present in one and only in top on the other sample - rest of foam bone dry."

This is a bit concerning to me. 120lbs is the weight of an average sized teenager. I've never seen Foam Dry out! How is it Wrapped in plastic in the sun??? What do you mean by Core Cuts?? Do McKees have stringers? Have you Core Sampled Or Moisture Metered the Transom? If the foam has water there's a good possibility that the transom has been compromised and any other wood components below deck have too!!! Boats of this vintage need to be thoroughly inspected to ensure they are structurally sound and seaworthy. Before you make Painting decisions I believe you need to do more investigation. That's my 2 cents!!!

 

[djm3801]

ok.....................................

Core cuts - in a previous post it was suggested that I use piece of 1 1/2" diameter PVC pipe and cut saw tooth edges on one end to cut out foam "cores" and see how the foam inside looked. In some cases, water intrusion gets to the point where the entire foam core is wet and can be rung out like a sponge. In my case, the top perhaps 1/2 " had water and bottom 4 - 5" was totally dry. I also took the dry foam and submerged it in a container of water for 2 days to see if it would absorb water and it did not - floated same as it did when I put it into container.

McKee craft boats are built like whalers only with significantly thicker glass and there are no stringers. Lannis McKee, who founded the company, was an engineer for Whaler. Plywood is used on flat deck surfaces and some other areas for support. I have removed all deck hardware and re-drilled holes used for mounting hardware and the resulting shavings are dry and not discolored. Did this to promote some evaporation if needed and also because I will be refilling them with PB.

I have had discussions with the former owner of the McKee Craft company, Key McKee, who suggested the plastic - essentially a clear plastic 6 mil "greenhouse" I have wrapped the deck and sides in to promote heat per his advice.

I mentioned in original post that the transom was rotted and will be repaired with Seacast. I have spent time with their customer support and they are familiar with this transom design, advised it is a good candidate for Seacast. I have already started to hog the wood out of the transom.

 

[Woodonglass]

Couple of things. You mentioned previous posts. This is one of the reasons the forum recommends you keep all of your posts concerning your project in the same thread. It keeps this type of confusion to a minimum and all the members can understand all of the issues concerning your project and not have to re-ask questions. If the foam is only wet on top and not on the bottom then there might be a chance that you can get it to "Give Up" the moisture to some extent. I've not heard nor seen to many examples of this being successful but you may be the exception. Pour In Seacast transoms are quite common here on the forum and if you do some searching I'm certain you'll find plenty of examples to give you some pointers. Pics always help us to help you, so post some up so we can see what your working with. As to the paint. I find the Rustoleum or the Tractor Paint to be a Very durable and long lasting surface as long as the hardener is used. It's really not much different that the two part paints then. I've had it on my boat for 2.5 years now and it's still has a high gloss and hard as nails. I'm extremely pleased with its durability. For the cost and ease of application I would for sure do it again.

 

[sphelps]

The deal with the Seacast is to make sure ALL the wood is out and you clean the inside of the skin as good as you possibly can to insure the best bond possible .. I used it on mine and would use it again in a heartbeat .. Just a bit pricey though ...I used the tractor paint with hardener on mine but I did re gellcoat the deck though . No problems so far with the paint . I do keep it inside the carport when not in use . I have only waxed it once . Still nice and shiny
It does touch up really easy when scratched and it will get scratched ..
Good luck which ever way you go with it ..

 

[djm3801]

No Title

@WoodonGlass - Agree fully about previous posts and the one I am referring to was mysteriously deleted! No clue how. There were a number of helpful comments in that one and it just disappeared. I understand fully the fact that an ethical person would NOT give restoration advice without making sure that a person is not restoring a potential concrete block. I have read many of your helpful posts. I am currently closely following @nurseman's Lund rebuild - amazed by this fellow.

@sphelps - Yes - Seacast is pricey but given the construction of the rear part of the boat, I am not inclined to want to pull off the inside glass. I will say they have been more than helpful in my calls to them and given I only need 8 gallons, it is appreciated. I would not pick their brains and buy another brand. Photo attached of transom in early stages of pulling out mulch.......

So... tractor paint is in my future and I have a Tractor Supply close by. I would want to try to match color a bit - at the price of this stuff I guess a little white and Ford Blue would work. Note - If the foam was as wet through - or close - I would have scrapped the whole thing and NOT invested $500 in Seacast. I am getting enough heat from the family who think I do not need a boat "at my age". 67 years old and I do not feel over the hill yet. As a former project manager, I try to apply that regimentation to my work.

I did have a pontoon boat back in the 1980's - steel pontoons that were rusted to hell. Sanded the crap out of them, did yards of cloth and epoxy resin.. and it worked well for a while and I sold it due to costs of dock space on the lake to a guy who used it for 4 years more.

Just a note - not terribly important but - my planned use will be restricted to 4 people aboard a 6 person boat on either freshwater lakes or the intercoastal near Sebastian, FL. NO ventures out to sea.My view of the ocean is that it is a very scary place for a 16' boat. I have always wanted to fish Florida bass lakes and due to gators and water moccasins and no real lake shorelines - mostly marshes around the lakes - as we have here in the Northeast, a boat is needed.

I thank you both for your attention to this.

Dan

 

[Woodonglass]

Dan, I thought I remembered a previous post but when I couldn't find it I thought I was getting Old Timers but with the Forum being so Glitchy these days you never know. Anywhoo, I hope your foam drys but as I stated I'll remain skeptical until you prove me wrong. I will say I'd be putting some wind power on it if at all possible. Box fans etc. That would help speed up the process as well. One thing I would NOT recommend is the Tractor Primer It's NOT good stuff unless its Factory Fresh. I use the rustoleum Metal Primer and then the Tractor Paint. They are totally compatible. Never had any issues with the Rusty primer but have had some with the tractor primer and so have others. You can use Rustoleum with the hardener too. there's practically NO difference in the two paints. The Hardener will work equally well with either.

 

[djm3801]

The forum has had its issues. I was really puzzled by the sudden disappearance of the thread. I lurk here a lot and have done a lot of reading here, on THT and Continuous Wave. No substitute for experience. Your skepticism is understood. Saw the primer note on use of Metal primer and will follow your counsel. Love that green color you have chosen but want to stick to the original "baby blue" that Mckee used.

Frankly I was expecting a bad news story when I took it to the scales but between the massive Shoreline trailer weight and the boat, I came in at 1890 pounds. Trailer is 600 at least. Mckees are notoriously heavy. The newer 16 footers are about 1000 pounds the old ones 1170.

Thank you again. Next work will be transom. Then patch and paint. Then hull. Then refitting.

Dan