[Public-List] Topsides painting experience to share

[Randy Katz via Public-List]

Greetings, All,

I just successfully finished painting the topsides of the boat. It turned
out rather well, especially considering it was my first experience with
one-part polyurethane. There were definitely tricks to learn along the way,
and having read a lot in advance was VERY helpful. I was out of the water
for about 2 weeks.

(Did a relatively simple bottom painting, too. I'm trying an ablative
(Interlux ACT) over too-thick layers of West Marine Bottomshield, which I
chipped off as best I could. Need to strip the bottom next year....)

I used Interlux Brightside white gloss and Interlux primer (also white,
though an off-color would have helped in order to distinguish between
primer and finish coat).

And yep, prepping was most of the job! Simple scaffolding (an elevated
board walkway, really) made all parts reachable. I sanded through 12 yr.
old coats of Rustoleum applied by the previous owner over the gel coat.
(That paint was listed as "good" by Practical Sailor-- that surprised me!
It had fish oil in it---?) There were, alas, spots where sanding went
through to the bare fiberglass: I used the grit and primer as recommended
by Interlux in those cases. The hull looked like hell when I was finished,
and I couldn't wait to get primer on to cover that mess!

I applied two primer coats and three finish coats, sanding between as
recommended. There is a bit of an art to the sanding and painting process,
which I was beginning to get a handle on by the time I finished (of
course!). In the end, I have a shiny coating that looks great with only a
few dings here and there, but even those pass the 10-feet-away test.

Rolling and tipping-- I used foam rollers from LFS in Bellingham ("slacker"
brand). These had a bit thicker nap than West Marine's and so were easier
to control. Thinning with Interlux 333 helped keep the paint flowing during
hot/windy times of the day. Question-- Best to tip with horizontal strokes
or with vertical strokes? I used horizontal, and things turned out well.
Another person in the yard (The Landings, Bellingham) went with vertical
tips with the plan to avoid drips and runs.

Well, who knows?

At any rate, this was a job I'd avoided for several years. It turned out to
be laborious, but not as bad as I'd expected--and the boat looks a HECK of
a lot better than before.

If any of you would like to see a basic assortment of photos, let me know--
I'd be glad to send you a few.

Hope this helps--

Best Regards,

Randy Katz
#249, Simple Gifts
Bellingham/Seattle




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