Painting - am i being ripped off?

[DHutch]

To the op, i would say its all case of how much you want to paint and what you want to achieve.

 

All this spraying application, drybrushing, take the windows out and grit blast it back to bright steel each time is relatively new. As is having the whole side made from a single sheet of steel and using very hard high gloss finish paints. Im certainly sure that, while they cared for there boats, the working boaters never took 6months off to go into dock for a new paintjob.

 

We do our own painting, its gets done about every 8 years or so (thats two repaints in the last 19years) and its involves (or atleast the second time when i was in charge) taking an angle grinder to the rusty parts which had inplaces got fair sized pits in the last 8 years and geting it fairly well back to bright, cleaning the pits as very you can with a wirebrush as well as using the angle grinder. Then it got some red blast primer (thin) followed by some aluminum epoxy (thick and high build) and then a bit of a run over with a orbital sander to flat off the epoxy zinc roughly in with the rest of the paint.

Then the whole of the boat got a really good wash down with degrease and run over with the orbital and a nice sharp coarse grip (p60 ish) paper to give about a 80% key, then it got a coat of undercoat and to coats of topcoats ontop in quick succession.

 

About 3 of about 20 rust sites reappeared within the three years that have past since this, and at the half way point (next year) imight have a touch up when we do the blacking (done every four years ussaly) but it loks fine.

 

Its not super high gloss, but i dont want it to be, an the steelwork wouldnt stand it anyway, and then i would go boating it and spoil it anyway!

She was painted outside too, at brauston infact, during the week before the working boat rally and over the weekend of same in the sun and wind and rain.

 

 

 

 

But it also depends on the state of the 'good' paint on the boat is and how and why its failed where there is rust. We've always used the same good paint withi emilyanne, and she was gritblasted from bright when new. However if the previous owner has painted the boat with poor paint and when new the steel work unsuitably prepaired it may be failing in such a way as for applying paint over it to simply be throwing good money after bad. If its flaking the underlying paint will always flake till removed.

 

Its also a caseof what its worth to you. You wouldnt spend £6k on a boat you had just bought for £10 because if you had £16 you would by a £15 boat that proberbly wouldnt need painting anyway... No body spends money respraying a 8 year old rust feista. Or atlease, its rare.

 

If you feel its too much, maybe it is. Ask youself if its a ripoff to you. Just because its good value for money in terms of time spent on the job doesnt mean its good value for you. I would spend £6k on painting emilyanne and its not becuase we couldnt or we dont like the boat!!

 

 

Daniel

[kitman]

In Bargie Pat's video he calls his technique "Roller and Dry Brush" or something like that. Can I just say if anyone is going to try DIY boat painting for the first time then you'll find that keeping the brush moist with fresh paint will help it glide over the surface of the boat alot easier. Dont let the brush dry out or become too sticky! (Yes I am still talking about Boat Painting!)

 

If you can master the technique of having the right amount of paint on the brush then the cabin side of the boat will look 10x better! After you have mastered that you can move onto putting the paint straight onto the side of the boat without a roller (Using just the brush), although that technique can make your wrists ache alot! (oh and takes a good few years too perfect aswell!)

 

If anyone is looking for a good introduction to boat painting then look up Phil Speights "Learn to Paint your Boat" course.

[Mukiwa]

If anyone is looking for a good introduction to boat painting then look up Phil Speights "Learn to Paint your Boat" course.

 

I second that. I went on his course in November and found it incredibly informative and useful.

Edited January 17, 2010 by DHutch

[Doorman]

If anyone is looking for a good introduction to boat painting then look up Phil Speights "Learn to Paint your Boat" course.

 

If anyone is looking for a good introduction to boat painting then look up Phil Speights "Learn to Paint your Boat" course.

 

 

I second that. I went on his course in November and found it incredibly informative and useful.

 

 

Did you go twice?

[wrigglefingers]

Did you go twice?

 

Nah, did 0.5 initially, then 0.5 on the following day.

[NBMike]

Sounds good to me!

 

When I asked my boat painter how many tins of paint/undercoat I'd need, he asked what length was my boat? I told him 40'. He said he'd recently painted a 40 footer and that required a total of 8 tins. So, I bought 8 tins and passed them on to him. After he'd finished the boat, to my amazement he had four full tins left over! When I questioned him about this and reminded him that he'd told me the other 40' boat needed 8 tins, yet after doing mine he had 4 left over, he said yes and so did the other one

[Mukiwa]

Did you go twice?

Remember the Frank Sinatra song? New York, New York.................... so good they named it twice.

[DJW]

To the op, ......

Daniel

 

 

Thanks for that advice Daniel.

 

Having thought about it over the weekend I think i'm going to have a crack at it myself, roping in some family members for a few working parties!

 

I may go for a simpler paint scheme, it's pretty ornate at the moment which a) i wouldn't have chosen b ) IMO doesn't suit the boat and c) is a pain to repaint! So it may be a complete re-design with a simple one colour with a contrasting coachline.

 

I'm thinking of getting some vinyl lettering for the name - i know this is "cheating" but have seen it on other boats and it can look ok.

Edited January 18, 2010 by DJW

[RLWP]

Remember the Frank Sinatra song? New York, New York.................... so good they named it twice.

Although of course, it is New York, New York, the city being in the state of the same name...

 

Richard

[Phil Speight]

Although of course, it is New York, New York, the city being in the state of the same name...

 

Richard

And things were going so well............

[Phil Speight]

What the hell....... I`m doing a two day "How to Paint Your Boat" course in Stourbridge on Sat/Sun

March 27/28 - anyone interested ?

Phil

[Midnight Rider]

What the hell....... I`m doing a two day "How to Paint Your Boat" course in Stourbridge on Sat/Sun

March 27/28 - anyone interested ?

Phil

Yes please

 

Tony

[Graham_Robinson]

And things were going so well............

 

Surely you didn't think it would last ?

[kitman]

Thanks for that advice Daniel.

 

Having thought about it over the weekend I think i'm going to have a crack at it myself, roping in some family members for a few working parties!

 

I may go for a simpler paint scheme, it's pretty ornate at the moment which a) i wouldn't have chosen b ) IMO doesn't suit the boat and c) is a pain to repaint! So it may be a complete re-design with a simple one colour with a contrasting coachline.

 

I'm thinking of getting some vinyl lettering for the name - i know this is "cheating" but have seen it on other boats and it can look ok.

Cool, that will be a good crack! Who's dock are you renting? or will you be using the old 'motorway bridge' method?

[Doorman]

Nah, did 0.5 initially, then 0.5 on the following day.

 

 

[Phil Speight]

Yes please

 

Tony

Hi Tony

 

Excellent - thank you. PM your postal address and we`ll send details.

Cheers

Phil

[DHutch]

Thanks for that advice Daniel.

 

Having thought about it over the weekend I think i'm going to have a crack at it myself, roping in some family members for a few working parties!

 

I may go for a simpler paint scheme, it's pretty ornate at the moment which a) i wouldn't have chosen b ) IMO doesn't suit the boat and c) is a pain to repaint! So it may be a complete re-design with a simple one colour with a contrasting coachline.

 

I'm thinking of getting some vinyl lettering for the name - i know this is "cheating" but have seen it on other boats and it can look ok.

Sounds good to me!

- Horses for courses, but as i say, i very much prefer to do it myself.

 

Clearly the blacking needs the boat out of the water somehow, but we have always done the cabin paint out in the open. Aprils not a bad time, warm and dry enough, without been scorching with the steelwork getting to hot to paint. That said, we did the last lot at the end of june under the tree at braunston as i say.

I found the 3m rotary pads good too for removing lots of paint, bit of an art to a smooth finish but they do take it off and i used it for removing the old coachlines where you have several layers built up although clearly if there going on in *roughly* the same place again as in our case it becomes more forgiving. We then roller on the paint, without flatting it off, and being a softer almost eggshell paint it doesnt seam worth it for our paint.

 

Im not a fan of vinal lettering, and EA is sign written, the only bit that we didnt repaint when we did the cabin, becuase it just has the more natural soft look and graduated shading on the shadowing that you just cant get with vinyl. However if you going for a more minimalistic/modern look it can as you say look fine and suit the look of the boat and lasts fairly well if you use good vinyl.

 

Have fun, keep us posted!

 

 

Daniel

[DJW]

I'll be painting her in the marina - she is due to come out for blacking as well this summer but, being a liveaboard, she'll be out for as short a time as possible.

 

Unfortunately the jetty's only about 2/3rds the length of the boat so this may involve some balancing acts or moving to the river bank to get the rest painted!

 

Thanks for the advice all, i'm off to buy a book on painting/preparing and do some homework!

[kitman]

Im not a fan of vinal lettering, and EA is sign written, the only bit that we didnt repaint when we did the cabin, becuase it just has the more natural soft look and graduated shading on the shadowing that you just cant get with vinyl. However if you going for a more minimalistic/modern look it can as you say look fine and suit the look of the boat and lasts fairly well if you use good vinyl.

 

These pictures above are of Vinyl lettering, the shading is sprayed in by hand. (Sprayed on to blank vinyl at the signwriter's workshop, and then stuck onto the boat on the canal side). I'm not a fan of vinyl either but I when I saw this I had to admit it looked stunning! BTW it looks even better in real life! (You cant beat hand painted tho!)

(Sorry for the massive photo, but I thought it was worth it so you can see the detail!)

Edited January 19, 2010 by kitman

[PaddingtonBear]

I really don't why anyone would bother to do this when properly done writing is so reasonable.

[DHutch]

I really don't why anyone would bother to do this when properly done writing is so reasonable.

Well thats the thing isnt it.

- IM not saying that doesnt look pretty bloody good, but i do argue that by the time you painting the vinal you might as well paint the boat!

[kitman]

I really don't why anyone would bother to do this when properly done writing is so reasonable.

Well thats the thing isnt it.

- IM not saying that doesnt look pretty bloody good, but i do argue that by the time you painting the vinal you might as well paint the boat!

Very true. Interestingly, the hand painted and the vinyl letting from the Signwriting company (whose name I forget now) cost rougly the same price.

 

The critiscism I have of the above lettering is that is is too perfect! I prefer the 'human' element of the hand written, the odd mistake or 'quirk' adds to the character so much more (Well that is our excuse when making a mistake when painting anyway! )

[kitman]

You can juxtapose the vinyl and the hand written, see what you think. In the photo below the signwriter is Sheila Smith.

 

Edited January 19, 2010 by kitman

[Doorman]

You can juxtapose the vinyl and the hand written, see what you think. In the photo below the signwriter is Sheila Smith.

 

 

 

The skills of signwriters never fail to impress me. There's one up in Rufford, Lancs, on the L&L canal, who also specialises in air brushing. Although his art work is probably more suited to the sides of American style trucks, his work is none the less stunning!

 

Mike

[Phil Speight]

How do I get a picture in here ?