I’m in the same boat you’re in (Pun intended??). Bought a 25 yo boat in good condition just needing some freshening up. From the research I’ve done most any good oil based paint should work above water. If the boat is not left in the water it could work also below water. But there are paints specifically for under water, which I will use for the bottom half of the boat. Haven’t decided which one as I won’t do anything till spring. More requirements if salt water. There are videos of guys using rattle-can paint getting good results. Prep is important. I’ve never painted a boat so get more information. The guy doing the Boats from Work thread I would think is knowledgeable in painting. The thread show some really nice work.
For decals I have looked at a few sites. I’m going with Custom Vinyl Lettering (
https://customvinyllettering.net/). I liked their site a bit better and being in Indiana was a plus. They quoted my design, very similar to the original, and I was happy with the price. I’m not doing anything until spring and they actually told me to wait till then to order. They have the design saved. I’m changing the color scheme to black and gold from blue and gold because Purdue’s colors are soooo much better than Michigans, along with some other minor changes.