Help - Painting Fiberglass Boat

[nobelstephan]

Is there anybody out there that can help me with some tips on how to paint my 1979 fiberglass speed boat? (over water line for now)<br /><br />I need help on the following:<br />1. How to prep the surface,<br />2. What kind of a paint to use, rol, brush, or spray (+ and -). I would like to have shinny. Preffer some common paint that I can puchase in places like Wal-Mart.<br />3. Finishing and buffing.<br /><br />Any tips or experiences are appreciated. Thanks.

 

[thunderroad]

Re: Help - Painting Fiberglass Boat

It's hard to generalize tips on how to paint a boat. I've painted a few using automotive paint so I could pass on the way I might look at it.<br />1. Fix any imperfections in the finish. The final result depends almost entirely on the preparation<br />2. Sand the area smooth. I prefer wet-sanding with 320-400 automotive for the first go round<br />3. Prime any spots you fixed and check for sufficent smoothness<br />4. Wet sand again with 600 paper or if it's not too rough, use a fine scuff pad. Wash the surface off with water. Wipe or blow off remaining water.<br />5. Wipe the area with a rag lightly soaked in the thinner you are going to use in the paint. (make sure the primer has had time to dry sufficiently) They make a special material to wipe down with but to save a few bucks, thinner works ok.<br />6. Priming the entire surface may or may not be necessary depending on several things, including what the new color is. Normally I would prime, using a no-sand primer sealer. Do your masking and tack-ragging now and prime if you chose.<br />7. Personally, I'd never do anything but spray the paint on but I know others have gotten good results by doing otherwise so I'll defer to them for suggestions.<br />8. Unless your Wal-Mart is different than those around here, I wouldn't plan on getting the paint there. Go to an auto parts dealer that sells automotive paint and ask some questions. They usually have someone who is somewhat of a paint specialist.<br /><br />These things have worked for me in the past but again, I'd certainly defer to those who have more experience than I. If you're talking Gel Coating, I know absolutely nothing about that process. This is strictly from an automotive type paint perspective.

 

[nobelstephan]

Re: Help - Painting Fiberglass Boat

Thanks for the tips thunderroad. Very methodical approach.<br /><br />Couple of follow up questions for clarification:<br />1. Wet vs. Dry sanding: why do prefer wet over dry sanding? How does each affect prep surface? Can I use my electric sander for wet sanding and how to do that to avoid getting electricuted?<br /><br />2. What type of paint have you used successfully? acrylic enamel? epoxy paint? polyester gel coating? Which would last longer, resist cracking, chipping and scratches?<br /><br />I realize that you may/not have all the answers, but any further input would be greatly appreciated.<br /><br />Have a great day.

 

[thunderroad]

Re: Help - Painting Fiberglass Boat

Definitely wet sand. Either by hand or with a sanding block. Get a plastic bucket with clean water, sprinkle a little on the surface, then dip the paper in it frequently to clean and "re-water". (don't do it in direct sunlight, the surface dries too fast) The water helps cut and keeps the paper cleaner. You can use finer paper so you get a smoother cut than you can by dry sanding. It's ok to dry sand any areas that you fill with putty with a rougher paper. Just be careful not to get out of the area you're working on or it will make for more work later to get the sand marks out. Try a small spot. You'll see what I mean. Electric sanders usually leave a pattern of sand marks that can be visible through the finish coat. Plus..you're dealing with fiberglass. Too much pressure with a powered sander can make for an uneven surface that won't show up until it's nice and shiny and too late to fix. <br />I normally use DuPont paint. If it's something I want to be really nice I use their Chroma One system. A lot of people like Imron. It's great stuff but IMO it's harder to deal with and very expensive. Most of the time I just use Acrylic Enamel w/ hardener. My luck has been as good with their lower line Nason brand as it has with the more expensive ones.<br />My last project I used Nason Sea Foam green which was $61 per gallon. A gallon is usually more than enough but having them mix 2 quarts costs $50 so I got the gallon. The hardener was around $20 and a gallon of reducer (thinner) was $12. It turned out fine and has been bangin around in the Missouri River all summer with no problems (paint wise, anyway) at all. The hardener gets the paint to the dust-free and bug-free stage quickly which is important if you're not painting in a nice comfy paint booth. Plus it helps out in the shine department. <br />I'm sure that gelcoating would be the longest lasting but as I mentioned earlier, I know nothing about that process so I can't help you there. Painting is just something I do on the side. I've done ag equipment, trucks, cars, boats, lawn furniture, guitars, bicycles, sprint cars, lawn tractors, etc. 90% of the time using acrylic emanel. Most of the results have been good with only an occasional "oh ****" hiccup.<br /><br />good luck

 

[nobelstephan]

Re: Help - Painting Fiberglass Boat

Thanks again thunderroad. It should a challenging project (hopefully fun too).<br /><br />P.S.- Dirty Harry is one of faviorate characters as well.

 

[thunderroad]

Re: Help - Painting Fiberglass Boat

It will be fun, rewarding and at times, frustrating but you'll be glad you did it.<br />I don't know how far down the side you're gonna paint but the secret (IMO) to making paint shine but not run on vertical surfaces is putting on light to progressively heavier coats while letting the paint get to it's stickiest point between coats before recoating. You can test with a light touch to an inconspicuous place. The hardener makes the mixture really sticky and actually helps to avoids runs on vertical areas.<br />If you're not so sure about putting on the finish coat, I'll bet you can find someone who's done some painting to shoot it for you if you've already done all the prep work and masking. The finish is the easy part but also a part you want to be right.<br />good luck