Fiberglass boat painting

[wswaneyw]

I am rebuilding a glassstream bass n ski boat. The boat was originally (still kind of is) metallic blue and met. gray color. I want to paint it burgundy to match my blazer with a white bottom hull. My question would be what kind of paint do i need to use and do i need to primer it. I have spent almost a month sanding the hull and my perfection standards are slowly growing less. Any help would be appreciated.

 

[DJ]

Re: Fiberglass boat painting

ws,<br /><br />West Marine has a great section on boat painting.<br /><br />www.westmarine.com<br /><br />Also, check out: www.pettitpaint.com<br /><br />Both sites are a wealth of knowledge on the subject. Pettit will gladly send you a free painting pamphlet.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Fiberglass boat painting

use the Same Exact paint that's on your Blazer....<br />i've sprayed several fiberglass, aluminum,+ steel boats with MSU paint from NAPA.... 3 years on my alu. boat, trailer kept, + No problems.....

 

[wswaneyw]

Re: Fiberglass boat painting

Thanks Bondo. I have a NAPA parts store just down the block. I do have another question, how perfect does my sanding have to be??? Do I need to worry about it being dimpleless? Do i need to primer first? Sorry for all the "everyone should know this" questions. Wayne

 

[Firewood]

Re: Fiberglass boat painting

I'm a fan of Interlux Interthane Plus and Doupont Imron 5.0, both will out last the life of your boat. They both cost about $170 a gallon. I painted my current boat with Imron because I wanted it mixed a certain color. You can't get the Interthane custom mixed. The extremely high gloss of these paints will highlight any imperfection. Its all about the preperation.

 

[wswaneyw]

Re: Fiberglass boat painting

thanks for the comment firewood. Any thoughts on how far a gallon will go? I am doing this all in my garage and i am to the point of gathering a bunch of "buddies" together to get the boat flipped upside down to paint the hull. I bet they dont come over for a beer again after this task.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Fiberglass boat painting

wayne,<br />the MSU is a two part urethane.. a gal.(3/4gal. color,1/4gal. hardener) did 2 coats on my 21' starcraft, with just a splash left over...<br />Prep. is everything... paint will "bring out", not "hide", all the imperfections.... get a gal. of sandable primer.. this will help fill the sanding marks,+ "bring out" all the other marks so you can sand them out, Before you top coat.... the primer will also give you a "clean canvas", No chance of "shadows" from the past colors...<br />Sounds like your ready for primer Now... it'll "tell" you which dimples still need sanding or not...<br /><br />go down to your NAPA store,+ find the guy in charge of the paint dept. , he Should be able to give you a few hints on what to use, how to do it, etc....<br /><br />All sprayed paint is Toxic.... Imron is the Worst..... even though it's proabaly the toughest, it'll Kill ya abit quicker...<br /><br />Don't worry about the "stupid questions".... my Usual 1st responce to posts like your's is "would you be comfortable painting your Car ????".. if the answer is NO..... DON'T even Think about painting your boat... you'll Never be happy...<br /><br />1 last tip....... you'll use a gal. of thinner per gal. of paint.... paint is messy,+ clean up is Important....<br /><br />Don't let your "perfections standards" slip Now... Hell you're Almost there !!!!

 

[DJ]

Re: Fiberglass boat painting

ws,<br /><br />Yes, you can use automotive paint (enamel). It works fine, as long as the boat doesn't sit in the water. Imron will be OK in the water.<br /><br />The others are right about sanding. Paint brings the inperfections out.<br /><br />There was a GREAT tip about sandable primer. It will greatly help you find your imperfections. Make sure it is compatable with your top coat!

 

[wswaneyw]

Re: Fiberglass boat painting

Thanks to all for the great responses. I used to paint helicopters in the navy so this shouldnt be a big deal. I did primer a portion of the boat about a month ago and went to the auto store to pickup the spray can version of the same color as my blazer to make sure i would like it. It seems like that paint scratches off very easy. I am assuming that i have to clear coat the new paint to protect it? Thanks again for all the help

 

[Firewood]

Re: Fiberglass boat painting

If you go with the Imron 5.0 you don't have to thin it. I think a gallon will cover 400sq.ft<br />I only sprayed the transom and freeboard of my boat and it took a gallon (pale yellow 23.5').(I actually sprayed mine with 1 1/2 gallons to get it perfect)With darker colors probably you'd use less. The catalyst for the paint is good for a week or two after you open it, so don't buy too much. The paint is fine to hang on to. Good Luck. Remeber this stuff is really bad for you. Make sure you do it outside. Use the proper saftey equipment.