How to Paint a Hull?

[tj309]

I am in the process of restoring a 1972 Hydrodyne 18' competition ski boat and need to figgure out how to finish the hull. The last boat I painted I did it with Imron in a paint booth in 1985. I have some options in mind:

1 - Take the boat to a local boat builder and have it gel-coated. I want the deck to be red and the hull to be white. Any ideas of how much this will cost?

2 - Do the gel-coat myself. I have never done this and do not have access to a paint booth. I also do not have a spraygun that will do gel-coat but would buy one if this is possible to do outside.

3 - Use some kind of paint that is applied with a roller. Again this would have to be done outside.

OK experts - now is the time for you to chime in with suggestions.

Thanks in advance - TJ

[outasite]

If you have the time,and a healthy arm,spray the gel your self.I did a 24' a few years back.It will come out great.Get a large tip gun,mine came out looking like an egg shell.Sanded with 320/400/600/1000 grit then lots of buff.In the end you can't beat gel!Just lots of time.

[Varmint]

I've painted plenty of cars when i worked in and owned bodyshops,obviously your prepwork is 90% of your finished product. I have found that interlux epoxy primer is great stuff, as is their 2 part poly perfection paint, it can be rolled with hi density foam rollers or sprayed, spraying is out for you w/out a booth, i just did a paramount 21 in black sides and white cap,i was very impressed with the way it layed down like glass as it dried,and looked alot like gelcoat when dry, w/out any sanding and polishing. Cost was arounf $50/qt for primer and $100/qt. for color. They are kinda limited on color choice but they do have a real nice red and about 5 shades of white.A qt. goes a long way,and you get great coverage over their white primer with both light and dark colors. they also have a good tech forum with good info. It was easier for me to find in my small city, as awlgrip, kiwi grip are also good choices. It is also easy to scuff or wetsand between coats,

[Varmint]

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k615/cajunmerc/Paramount%2021%20Paint/Paramountpaint026_zps4a6e0894.jpg

[Varmint]

It's hard to see under florescent lighting, but i was happy with the results, no runs or sags, i just had to keep tipping it out ,lightly,with a wetted roller to keep any roller tracks and stipple out of it, and once it started to tack, i left it alone, i used about 10% slow reducer to give me more working time,and also to let it flow out nicer.http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k615/cajunmerc/Paramount%2021%20Paint/Paramountpaint030_zpsfa3b6b56.jpg

[Varmint]

Bear in mind, this is just a fishin' boat, but i think i'd use interlux again, thinking of spraying my Alien cowl in the "jet black" the stuff is rock hard when dry,http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k615/cajunmerc/Paramount%2021%20Paint/Paramountpaint034_zps58854d70.jpg

[Varmint]

http://i1118.photobucket.com/albums/k615/cajunmerc/Paramountpaint016_zps9f4e57f5.jpg

[olboatman]

Nice job Varmit:thumbsup:--- I'm impressed with the finish obtained with a roller! Did you use a Badger hair brush to tip the inside corners? Gary

[Varmint]

Nope i thought of the brush, but a few guys told me to use 2 rollers, 1 to keep wetted for application and another fairly wet, but dry enuff to tip behind the wet roller, the key was to get rid of the roller as soon as it showed signs of swelling up from the chemical reaction,which wasn't too often, i just bought a couple 10 packs at Lowes, thanks, it does look better in person.

[Varmint]

Ya boatman, the rollers are 4" and have a round outer end,so i was able to get paint into the corners of the splashwell,just fine, then work it around to where i had no streaks or areas that could sag, it all layed down and blended itself level in the corners, and gave it that "sprayed" look. I did all my fairing with interlux epoxy putty and primer over well abraded gelcoat and used epoxy resin for any old holes i wanted filled.(i deleted the handrails and have a new T Top) I have about 140 hours in a nice dry hull to start with,she's an '88, always trailered and stored in a shop,i stripped it completely ,and installed new Merc binnacle,cables,wiring harness and fresh 225x powerhead should be back by may 1st. Fuel tank is new,

[GIL_CV21]

Heres a 21 footer that i'm in the process of rebuilding , i re-gelled it with a 1.8 mm Harbor Freight cheapo gun and two gallons of gel-coat and used Duratec high gloss additive to thin it out . Started wet sanding at 400 all the way up to 2000 grit then polish and buff . Its not that hard to do just a lot of sanding and buffing afterwards .
http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp282/GT_160/theCV21010_zps3ca58dcb.jpg (http://s420.photobucket.com/user/GT_160/media/theCV21010_zps3ca58dcb.jpg.html)
http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp282/GT_160/theCV21008_zps5766e272.jpg (http://s420.photobucket.com/user/GT_160/media/theCV21008_zps5766e272.jpg.html)
http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp282/GT_160/theCV21007_zps156a3437.jpg (http://s420.photobucket.com/user/GT_160/media/theCV21007_zps156a3437.jpg.html)
http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp282/GT_160/theCV21004_zpsb974229f.jpg (http://s420.photobucket.com/user/GT_160/media/theCV21004_zpsb974229f.jpg.html)
http://i420.photobucket.com/albums/pp282/GT_160/theCV21008_zpsee5a959e.jpg (http://s420.photobucket.com/user/GT_160/media/theCV21008_zpsee5a959e.jpg.html)

[tj309]

Thanks for the responses. It looks like the Interlux is the way to go for ease of application. Nice work Varmit!

[afr]

perfect it just dont last to long in the sun

[Varmint]

I did my bottom in gel,it should last years for me,It stays in my shop all week,

[tj309]

296306296305

This is what I have. My son-in-law did the starboard side with a disk sander and I did the port side with a hand sander. It would really be nice to just roll on some primer and then some white paint. Interlux seems to be a solution but is it the best? How about the best without alot of sanding? It appears that gelcoat requires a huge amount of sanding between coats but is the best. What is second best? What is second best with ease of application? I am 58 years old and do not have the energy of my 35 year old son-in-law but I cannot expect him to do all the grunt work.

Thanks for your input - that is what makes this forum the best. BTW if you are interested you can see the complete restoration on hydrodyners.com and it is under the restoration thread titled 1972 keel up restoration.

[tj309]

Oh and one more thing - does anyone know the approximate cost to take an 18' hull to a boatbuilder/painter and have it gelcoated? Just looking at all options.

[native2]

Oh and one more thing - does anyone know the approximate cost to take an 18' hull to a boatbuilder/painter and have it gelcoated? Just looking at all options.

Costly bc of all the sanding and buffing required. Hull only (no top deck) 2000-3000 bucs. Every shop is different. Depends on how hungry they are. Lots variables... How much body work does it need first?? Chip, dings , screw holes, ect, I prefer paint over gel any day. Stays shiny longer... Easier to clean... Comes out shiny right out of the gun... Less labor in finish work (IE) CHEEPER!!!

[Varmint]

Well i could never say interlux is the best, just that it works for me, i'd never paint my bassboat,i think awlgrip is very tough to beat,painting is easier to apply with less elbow grease,for a boat that stays in water alot gel is best, my boats are trailered and parked in my warehouse,and only run freshwater,now that said i have a buddy that does repair and warranty repairs for several big companies,and they gelcoat and buff out everything ,so to them it's easy to work with,there is alot of help here if you search, guys like AFR and ginger are real helpful.

[tj309]

Varmint - what did you use for the black part of your hull that is in the water? The Interlux has a huge array of bottom coatings but like you my boats are freshwater only and are on a trailer in the garage when not in use. Is top coat ok on the bottom?

[Varmint]

Varmint - what did you use for the black part of your hull that is in the water? The Interlux has a huge array of bottom coatings but like you my boats are freshwater only and are on a trailer in the garage when not in use. Is top coat ok on the bottom?
I totally stripped my Paramount and flipped it over,(I have big towtruck/wreckers") and put it on a big 'ol yard trailer,did some minor fairing on the pad and gelcoated it black,just sides are painted,no don't use the perfection paint on bottom,they have an underwater epoxy primer and special types of bottom paint,if your freshwater only and on a trailer,they have a lighter bottom paint called VC 17,that you should look into, I think the "underwater primer is inter protect 2000,there is definitely different products for above and below the water applications.on an 18' boat you should be able to get away with 2 quarts of primer and 1 quart of finish color will give you 2-3 thin layers of top cvg.,the black perfection pretty much covered the white primer in one coat,(I couldn't get the gray or any dark tint for the primer at time of purchase)then i sanded in between the next 2 coats,alot of primer gets sanded off between coats,so I suggest that you get 2 times the amount primer vs. color,just so,you don't have run back to the store for more,any leftover primer can be used on lotsa' other projects around your garage,