[Public-List] Topsides painting experience to share

[Gordon Laco via Public-List]

Our position at Epifanes is that done well, a roll and tip job is superior
to spraying...

Gord
#426 Surprise


On 14/07/14 8:11 PM, "Wes Gardner via Public-List"
<public-list at lists.alberg30.org> wrote:

> 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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