Painting a fibreglass boat

mikesvr6

So we have a small 17ft dory that is not in the best shape aesthetically speaking, i was looking up some paints for fibreglass boats and was completely overwhelmed by the different types and the choice.

Would anyone be able to give me some advice?

I am considering a two tone scheme maybe red for the hull and white for up top, If the boat is kept on a trailer i.e. not in the water all the time, is antifouling a necessity? How much sanding is required, are you trying to clear the old paint off or just coarse up the area so the new paint will stick.
Thanks

fergal.b

Hi mikesvr6, if you sand down to the fiberglass you will need to use a primer something like Pre-kote but if you can lightly sand the paint and get a good smooth finish you can paint straight on top of it,and as you will not be leaving the boat in the water you can paint it with a top side paint and no anti foul I like Top-lac it's a one pac made by international and you can get a very good finish by roll and tipping http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057167854




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mikesvr6

Thansk fergal, that technique looks brilliant. It looks like someone did a repair on a small section of the hull so i can see fibrglass there. Would you recommend putting primer on that section?

fergal.b

If it's just a small bit you will probably get away with. A 17 foot Dory is going to get a few scratches and dings so you will be touching it up every so often anyway, if you want it to be in showroom condition it would be worth your while priming it.




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mikesvr6

Thanks again, will post my progress as i get it done.

fergal.b

mikesvr6 wrote: »

Thanks again, will post my progress as i get it done.

Here is a post I did on a "little" fiberglass boat by roll and tipping without any fine sanding on the finish, it's only a play boat so no need for all the work of a mirror finish but it still looks fine. http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2057059715




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mikesvr6

That's exactly the colour scheme we were thinking of. My father was from cork so we are doing up a boat he got shortly before he passed. What colour red is that? it is hard to make out from the colour cards online. thanks

fergal.b

mikesvr6 wrote: »

That's exactly the colour scheme we were thinking of. My father was from cork so we are doing up a boat he got shortly before he passed. What colour red is that? it is hard to make out from the colour cards online. thanks

It's Toplac 504 fire red http://marineparts.ie/international-toplac-paint-rescue-fire-red-750ml.html




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mikesvr6

I suppose its difficult to show the gloss finish on a colour card

fergal.b

mikesvr6 wrote: »

I suppose its difficult to show the gloss finish on a colour card

Remember the Finnish is under the paint in the preparation





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mikesvr6

Sorry again, do you have the name of the white? is it polar white?

fergal.b

mikesvr6 wrote: »

Sorry again, do you have the name of the white? is it polar white?

Snow white 001

mikesvr6

Going to order it now, sorry for even more questions but about the quantity the boat is a dell quay dory 17 similar to this http://www.donedeal.ie/boats-for-sale/cheap-17ft-sea-boat-and-trailer/6544592 . How much paint would be needed for this i wonder? Can't wait to get started now.

davlacey

a 750 mil can should get u 2 or 3 coats on the hull. like mine only needed a can of red and black for the whole boat with 2 or 3 coats of each check out marinewebstore they sell teamac marine gloss its what i used

fergal.b

mikesvr6 wrote: »

Going to order it now, sorry for even more questions but about the quantity the boat is a dell quay dory 17 similar to this http://www.donedeal.ie/boats-for-sale/cheap-17ft-sea-boat-and-trailer/6544592 . How much paint would be needed for this i wonder? Can't wait to get started now.

Very hard to say, red over white might take 2-3 coats and white over a dark colour would be the same. How is the Gelcoat on the boat if it's any good it might be worth buffing it out instead of painting it.



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mikesvr6

Its not in great shape, i think i will sand it down and use a primer first just to have a solid start. thanks again

mikesvr6

It might sound a stupid question but do these paints need thinners or are they applied directly?? thanks

fergal.b

mikesvr6 wrote: »

It might sound a stupid question but do these paints need thinners or are they applied directly?? thanks

I add 10% to the last coat.




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mikesvr6

Thanks again. Start with the prep work tomorrow!

mikesvr6

Just going to put up some pics of what i've to deal with
Bow with cabin

Inside

Side view


And last but not least the motivation


Can't wait to get stuck in now, will hopefully post some updates as i go along.

fergal.b

That's motivation alright, I think I'd just launch the boat go fishing and do the painting over the winter




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mikesvr6

The rain has landed to help with the pre-wash so think the gods want it done before the summers over!:p

davlacey

fergal.b wrote: »

That's motivation alright, I think I'd just launch the boat go fishing and do the painting over the winter




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id wait till the end of september myself and enjoy it for the summer;)

mikesvr6

Can change quickly the above photo was only last weekend,
This one is only a couple of days old

mikesvr6

So just a quick update, i got bogged down in work so only did small bits here and there on the boat until i reached the transom.

I Started to remove some of the fittings like the aux engine mount, this was when i noticed that the bolts were coming out wet!!

I removed them all and saw what i dreaded to see, the timber inside the transom was basically mush around where the bolts had come out.

The next thing i found was (after deciding to take the D fendering off) some damage where a simple plastic square had been inserted behind the D fender, the foam behind this was saturated. I wanted to see how much the foam had soaked up, but once pulled some out it seemed dry.

I looked up on google for similar restoration projects and they all seem to suggest that the foam once wet cannot be dried. My question here i suppose is if anyone on boards has experience with this foam.

breghall

The foam is to add structural strength between the outer and inner skins. If wet it can add at times huge weight to a boat.
I don't think it'll be easy to dry it out, hopefully it's just on the top. The only way to find out is to drill some small holes down low and see if it's wet there ( same for the transom). then fill in with Sikaflex or better some epoxy resin.

There are countless pages out there on rotten transoms, and with that big engine hanging off the transom, i think you should read them.... you don't want to be bouncing around at sea, with a bad transom and a big four stroke.

mikesvr6

Thanks Breghall, i just drilled out some inspection holes in the deck. The top of the foam was damp so i pulled out some of it.

Two things happened, first the hole( 3 inch deep) vacated by the foam quickly filled with water. The other thing that happened or that i noticed was that the foam seemed dry when i squeezed it. will get photos up shortly

mikesvr6

Inspection hole = not good [IMG][/img]2014-05-26 16.23.42 by moceallachain, on Flickr

fergal.b

Holy crap :eek: Do I have to tell you how to fix this, your not going to like it but I think this is what you would have to do "the music doesn't help"

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mikesvr6

Thanks fergal, i have been reading threads about dory restorations from before and have watched that video, i was wondering if anyone knew of the different foam types, because it is strange to me that the bits that come out are dry.

breghall

mikesvr6 wrote: »

Thanks fergal, i have been reading threads about dory restorations from before and have watched that video, i was wondering if anyone knew of the different foam types, because it is strange to me that the bits that come out are dry.

The foam most used is a two part polyurethane foam I think.