Touch up paint - specifics???

[tmh]

OK, here's my situation. Rammed a dock a bit last year then used Marine Tex to patch a few months ago. Thanks to the good advice here, that went pretty well. I then tried to gelcoat the area (maybe 1.5 ft high by 10" wide on the front of the keel) with a color matching kit from West marine. The gelcoat was a disaster - some came up with the plastic cover sheet they supply, all looked bad and totally impossible to even come close on color. Just the white marine Tex looked better on my off-white hull.

So, when I have the boat in the driveway this weekend I may try to sand it down a bit and paint the bad area. The boat is from 1985 and not a "showpiece" so I don't need perfection at all and I know that's not attainable with a spot paint. I just want a better color match and consistant paint coverage. So, I'm looking for specifics on what roller/brushes to use as well as paint and how to best match color. IF i could use color samples then have it batched to the one that's closest that would be great.

Do I spray paint or brush or roll or some of each? DO I sand first and after? Any other tips? Do local home stores carry what I need or some paint stores or marine stores?

Thanks a ton.

 

[tmh]

Re: Touch up paint - specifics???

I only have a few days to get this paint job done....any ideas to get me started? Thx.

 

[salty87]

Re: Touch up paint - specifics???

sorry, no paint experience here or gel coating.

have you thought about coloring the marine tex and adding another layer or 2? i've never tried coloring it but the instrux say you can. just a thought, application is easy enough with marine tex so you may get better results that way.

 

[erikgreen]

Re: Touch up paint - specifics???

The rules for painting are simple.

Spend 90 percent of your time on prep work... clean the surface, make any repairs needed, then fair it smooth... very smooth. Any imperfections will show up in the paint.

Sand it smooth with 600 grit until you're sure it's done, then sand some more.

Then prime and sand again, then paint using the roll and tip method.

I've used interlux paints and primer.. expensive but they get the job done. Rust-oleum has a line of marine paints now, they're inexpensive but work ok.

But spend most of your time getting it smooth first.

Erik

 

[tmh]

Re: Touch up paint - specifics???

Thanks for the info. I have read lots of the non-specific stuff here, so I now have a better general idea. However, I still haven't seen anything about color matching for spot painting. Are these Interlux paints mixed to color of a sample swatch like home paints? Or, are they off the shelf, in which case unlikely to find a good enough match? Same with other types.

How do i color match? I can't bring the boat into the paint shop! Also, Home Depot/Lowes or some specific marine paint store?

Thanks.

 

[gcboat]

Re: Touch up paint - specifics???

No, the Interlux paints are pretty much all factory canned with no color matching from the factory. You can however have a reputable paint store - auto preferred - tint a basic white to what you want. But a sample will be needed to match it. Here is a color chart from Yachtpaint who makes Interlux, http://www.yachtpaint.com/usa/
Since you can't get your boat to the store I'm thinking your best shot is just to get a close as possible.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: Touch up paint - specifics???

I'd fill the void with Marine-Tex, then sand it as smooth as possible. Then, I would drag the boat to an auto paint supply house and get a pint of single stage matched paint mixed up. Then, I'd go to the hardware store and get a 2" wide high density foam roller and roll on the paint. After it dries, I'd wet sand it with 600-800 grit paper to blend it in a bit.

I fixed a good size crack in the ABS rear bezel on my camper using a similar painting method. Only thing is.....I used color matched gloss exterior latex. With gentle wet sanding, I blended it in pretty darn good. The repair is on th e right side between the tail light and spare tire. You gotta walk up and look for the repair. The color match and slickness of the finish is great.

 

[tmh]

Re: Touch up paint - specifics???

OK, I think I will tow the boat to an auto paint store - why not - I see no way to be even close otherwise. Hopefully, they'll know what product to use for marine environment. It's not a section of the boat that's always in the water, but gets plenty of splash.

thanks for the help.