questions about painting a 18' bayliner capri.....

[dgsmooth]

cheers all, new to the site (and some-what to boating as well i suppose)..... we picked up a 93 bayliner capri couple years ago. so far been a great boat. i'm a mechanic by trade and got it all running sweet and all that works great. issue is it doesn't look nearly as great as it really is anymore. i have painted cars before (yes in a real spray booth etc etc) and had 'pretty' good luck, thinking about painting out boat. the research i've done so far tells me not to spray to roll and tip anyways, which sounds good, but i'm more worried about the physical 'logistics' of doing it...... how do you paint the area's sitting on the trailer? if i roll it off onto stands, how do i paint the areas under the stands? just move the stands? is there a way to do it on the trailer? for an 18' capri with the engine in (cargo removed of course), how much support do you think is necessary? 4 one foot by one foot surfaces be enough? at the front where the profile is sharp, will the center of the hull support the front end weight with a couple stands at rear? thanks to all for any help or start on this.....

 

[Woodonglass]

If you have a bunk trailer, I'd say you could paint her on the trailer. Just make two stands and slide her back on to them and paint the back half then slide her forward after the back half has cured. then jack up the front of the trailer for easier access to the front and paint the front. Shouldn't be that much of a problem to get to all the areas. If you have experience spraying I'd spray it and not roll n' tip it.

 

[Axkiker]

cheers all, new to the site (and some-what to boating as well i suppose)..... we picked up a 93 bayliner capri couple years ago. so far been a great boat. i'm a mechanic by trade and got it all running sweet and all that works great. issue is it doesn't look nearly as great as it really is anymore. i have painted cars before (yes in a real spray booth etc etc) and had 'pretty' good luck, thinking about painting out boat. the research i've done so far tells me not to spray to roll and tip anyways, which sounds good, but i'm more worried about the physical 'logistics' of doing it...... how do you paint the area's sitting on the trailer? if i roll it off onto stands, how do i paint the areas under the stands? just move the stands? is there a way to do it on the trailer? for an 18' capri with the engine in (cargo removed of course), how much support do you think is necessary? 4 one foot by one foot surfaces be enough? at the front where the profile is sharp, will the center of the hull support the front end weight with a couple stands at rear? thanks to all for any help or start on this.....

IMO I would not paint the bottom. If its beat up that bad I would address it by fixing the gel coat. If you have painted cars you have most likely done body work before. Fixing gel coat is a lot like that but instead of bondo you are using gel coat. Its also a lot more forgiving and once you have it blended there is no need to paint. The final step is buffing to a shine which is also much easier than buffing a traditional auto clear.

As far as the sides and top I personally have used auto base and clear with great results. The really high end boats you see out there with fancy graphics are all painted. So its a very accepted practice. just remember no auto paint below the water line.

 

[Woodonglass]

This ^^^ is a bIt misleading. If the boat is to be left in the Marina for long periods of time,then yes it's probably best to not use auto paint for the bottom of the boat. If she's a Trailer Queen the auto paint is perfectly fine. If you have Major gouges and dings then repairs need to be done using more than just gelcoat paste.

 

[Axkiker]

This ^^^ is a bIt misleading. If the boat is to be left in the Marina for long periods of time,then yes it's probably best to not use auto paint for the bottom of the boat. If she's a Trailer Queen the auto paint is perfectly fine. If you have Major gouges and dings then repairs need to be done using more than just gelcoat paste.

We shall agree to disagree. I have yet to ever see a boat with a painted bottom hold up as well as gel coat. If its ever beached etc the paint will easily be scratched. Then all you have is a streak where the gel coat shows through to gel. If you ever try to load on a trailer that has a bunk with worn carpet its gonna sratch. This would be why I cant think of a boat or ski that doesnt have a gel coat bottom. Now hey if the bottom is so bad you feel it needs a completly new gel job then sure paint away... what would you be hurting.

you are indeed correct if you have any major gouges you cant just fix with gel coat. They would need to be filled. I just assume this was a known factor.