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Painting above the waterline |
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 (above) After the first primer coat. (below) start of the final sanding after the 4th coat of primer
(above) after first coat of paint (below) priming of the waterline
(above) first coat of black
click on picture for full size image (above & below) Final coat of black
click on picture for full size image
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So far, this is the only project that has come close to keeping me from sleeping at night by becoming a little overwhelming. There are so many factors involved and the end result of your efforts is going to be on display for the world to see. So, is it going to look like a beautiful professional paint job, or is it going to look like the local kindergarten class got turned loose to do some finger-painting? There are so many products on the market, each claims to be the best, easiest, best suited, most durable.... on and on... I chose to go with Interlux products for no other reason than that is what my dad used on his boat 20 years ago, and he has nothing but good things to say about them. They've got an entire system that will take you from beginning to end and top to bottom of the boat or your project. For painting above the water line I chose to use Perfection, it's a relatively new product. I applied it using their directions with just some very minor deviations based on the recommendations of people who do this for a living. The results have been phenomenal. The Interlux website is loaded with information and product guides. Their call center folks are incredibly knowledgeable and patient. The best way to keep from getting overwhelmed by the enormity and complexity of the project as a whole, is to break it down into several steps and avoid worrying about what's next until you've completed what you're doing right now. Phase I- Surface preparation: This is a key factor to your success. If you paint a screwed up surface, expect screwed up results. Shiny paint will not cover flaws, it will highlight them. Any scratches or gouges that penetrate the gel coat are best opened up with a dremmel before filling them. The filler will hold better to a larger, cleaner, and more uniform surface. Low areas such as where you might have rubbed up on your hull with a spinning sander need to be roughed up with an 80 or 60 grit sand paper by hand. Then the surface needs to be cleaned with the recommended solvent before filling. To prevent making these low areas, never start your sander unless it is in contact with the hull, never try to attack the hull with a sander that's already spun up. After filling, it's time to fair it out so it's smooth and indistinguishable from the rest of the surface of your hull. I started with 120 grit on a random orbit sander and worked down to 220, then block sanded the couple of areas that needed the attention on my hull. The best way to tell if your surface is smooth is by touch. It's difficult to see high and low spots on a white hull, but running your hand back and forth... you can feel the high spots. Sand it, sand it, sand it one more time, then, just in case, sand it again. Bad repair jobs look silly after being painted and stick out like sore thumbs. Patients is the key here. Don't try to "convince" yourself it's okay, continue to work on it until you "know" it's right, and after you know it's right; it probably still isn't perfect. Phase II- Priming: The particular paint I chose didn't require the surface to be primed, but it was recommended. I chose to use primer for a couple of reasons besides the fact that it was recommended. First, priming will fill minor imperfections in the hull such as minor gel coat cracking and small surface scratches; being a twenty year old boat, I had a few areas like that. Secondly, I have no experience with two part epoxy paints and their application; this was a dress rehearsal for the finish coating. Thirdly, and I didn't even know this was a reason until after the first coat was applied, any imperfections you missed during the prep work will brazenly appear for the first time. I ended up applying 4 coats, and sanding off two during the process. Phase III- Top finish: First things first, when choosing what color to go with, my advice choose lighter. Lighter colors seem to flow better and have a better finished look with less orange peel, sagging or dripping. I painted my hull oyster white with a black boot stripe and a black transom. There is a Hunter sailboat about two down from me, someone attempted to paint dark blue. The hull itself looks to be in good shape. The blue paint applied to it is probably a total loss. It has an orange peel texture that looks like it's probably going to need to be completely sanded bare and redone. I used Interlux Perfection yacht paint. I applied the first coat and was already drawing attention. What was I using?... How many times have you done this before?... What's my secret?... The reaction after telling them this was my first attempt and I was just rolling and not using the roll and tip method was disbelief followed up with, "you have a gift". The fact is, the product I used was amazing, I did the research, I followed the directions, I took the advice of folks around me who do it for a living, and I didn't try to rush the job or take short cuts. The real trick is to see how thin a coat you can apply and how uniformly you can apply it. Rather than 3 coats I applied 5 very thin ones and I thinned the paint a little more than the directions called for, as per the advice from the folks at Dolphin Refinishing. The black paint I thinned even more and applied 7 coats on the transom (amazing results). I sanded with 400 grit sand paper between coats and 600 grit before the final coat. Also, I only painted early in the morning when the temp was around 65 - 75 degrees and the winds were lightest or non-existant. I took this picture of myself in the finish after the first coat:
Click to see full size image There are many factors I had to fight to achieve the results I got. First and foremost when painting outdoors is weather. Waiting for a window of opportunity where the humidity, temperature, chance of rain, and calm days line up 3-4 deep can be the worst part of this project. When this window appears you can bet it's not going to happen conveniently over a three day weekend, be prepared to jump when the opportunity does present itself. Anyway, here I am; living proof that an amateur can achieve excellent results. Note: On page 16 of DIY boat owner magazine Vol I 2006 there's a fine article on Perfection. I wish I had seen it before I started the project, lots of good information well presented. It basically backs up what I've said here.
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