[Public-List] Topsides painting experience to share

[Wes Gardner via Public-List]

We used to brush paint 100'+ foot boats with nice scaffolding and a paint crew of 3 - 4, always horizontally brushing back into your work and maintaining a wet edge. Calm weather and out if the sun is key. I can make brush paint look like a spray job, it's all about the flow....

Sent from my location

On Jul 14, 2014, at 5:27 PM, Randy Katz via Public-List <public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:

> 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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