DIY Boat painting

[cazberry]

Morning all,

having priced up the costings of a 'professional' paint job, I have decided that I am going to paint my boat myself...

she was paint 'winterised' last autumn and is in good condition (being a new boat)

I have some idea on how to approach the work, but I would really appreciate any advice anyone can give me!

eg; what would you say the best paint was to use?...do you have to rub back thoroughly after every coat?...do I start with an undercoat even though she has part 'undercoat/gloss' on at mo?

 

Lots to ask I know...but I'm determined to give it a go and if it doesn't work out I guess I'll be saving up for some time for a professional job!

[koukouvagia]

There'll be plenty of advice on how to do this. Also a bit of searching on the forum will reveal that there are several professional boat painters who have given really good advice.

I would say think carefully about when and where you're going to paint the boat. Doing a boat in the open means you have to contend with dust, insects, cold, heat etc. You may have to think about rigging up a temporary shelter if you can't or don't want to do the job under cover.

Best of luck. Also, don't skimp on the sign writing. Good sign writing makes all the difference.

[David Schweizer]

Morning all,

having priced up the costings of a 'professional' paint job, I have decided that I am going to paint my boat myself...

she was paint 'winterised' last autumn and is in good condition (being a new boat)

I have some idea on how to approach the work, but I would really appreciate any advice anyone can give me!

eg; what would you say the best paint was to use?...do you have to rub back thoroughly after every coat?...do I start with an undercoat even though she has part 'undercoat/gloss' on at mo?

 

Lots to ask I know...but I'm determined to give it a go and if it doesn't work out I guess I'll be saving up for some time for a professional job!

Re painting a boat is quite a challenge and not one to taken lightly, however it can be done effectively by most practical people. Lightly sanding down between coats is very important to remove any surface blemishes, remove as much dust as possible and finish off by wiping with tack cloths to remove any residual fine dust.

 

You can then apply the paint with ether a brush or roller and brush, but the principals are the same, working quickly apply the paint using the "Union Jack" method, i.e. apply paint diagonally in both directins and then horizontally and vertically, and finish off by "laying off" with a broad brush verically, opinions differ as to whether this should be top to bottom or the other way, I was taught bottom to top and that is how I do it.

 

You might find this short film useful, I amsure there will be others on You Tube if you search:-

 

 

Good luck

Edited March 14, 2011 by David Schweizer

[Speedwheel]

Don't forget a paint job is only as good as the preparation. It is 90% preparation, 10% applying the paint.

[Midnight Rider]

Although very interesting, one thing that Phil Speight's course taught me was --- don't try it yourself, unless you can get the boat under cover, control the temperature & you are able to use power tools for the preparation.

 

Having said that, I have seen some good results done on marina moorings,but it's very time consuming & you need one eye on the weather.

[Chertsey]

PB painted Warrior the year before last and got excellent results using Craftmaster and following Phil Speight's advice. But I would say that if you want a result that looks anything like a professional job, getting under cover is a must. For us this meant a floating wet dock which was a rather ricketty timber structure with industrial polythene sheeting stapled over it - it did the job, which is to keep dust, insects and rain off. It was in summer, so temperature was not so much of an issue (excpet it got bloody hot inside what was effectively a greenhouse). If you're doing it in the water, having a decent platform to stand on also helps.

[AlanM6]

This was posted by a forums member last year I cant remember who I saved it for future ref, It may be of some help.

 

 

I have recently just repainted my NB, the previous owner had just kep plastering paint on top of the old paint and it was in a pretty bad way.

 

So i bought myself a palm sander (really quite quiet too and only cost £25) i decided to flat the paint off to almost bare metal in places, the dust was horrendous (and as i was sanding blue paint off i kept getting around ten comments from passing boaters that i looked like a smurf!!) you will be extremely surprised as to how much dust is created!!.

 

i started off by using the diy store type of sanding pads but at over £20 for a pack of three i resorted to going to a car body shop and bought two boxes of sanding pads (the velcro type) for £13 for a box of 50. i bought them in two grades one was 180 grit for the tough bumpy paint and the other was 400 grit for the light sanding between coats.

 

once all sanded down i used Rylards primer and undercoat, sanded back with 400 grit on the palm sander then wiped down with thinners, once this was done i got myself some dulux trade exterior gloss paint, cut a milk bottle down to use as a paint pod and mixed the paint with Owatrol oil to help the flow, i was painting my boat in mid june/july and it was absolutely baking, the Owatrol did the job but was still hard to apply the paint in the hottest of sun.

 

the method i used was to roll it on with a foam cheapo roller and then "feather" it off with a long bristled brush, lightly passed over the paintwork, then once left to bake on for a few days i buzzed it back with a 400 grit pad, wiped over with thinners and repeated over again until i had built up three coats, it is really important to let the paint bake before trying to put additional coats on.

 

 

The result now is a great looking paint job (far from professional but looks pretty damn good to me), as all will say its all in the prep work, i have never painted a boat before, infact i have only ever splashed a bit of paint on the walls at home, there is a video of a guy painting a boat on you tube but dont know how to post it on here, i followed this guys technique and it worked really really well

 

a few words of caution that i experienced

 

dont try and paint in the wind/snow/rain/megga hot sun

beware of the dust, youll be amazed at how much the sanding creates

use Owatrol oil as it was my lifesaver

dont use a cheap brush to "feather" off the paint

never ever use the diy shops sanding pads as theyll bankrupt you!! go to a car body supplier

wear a mask and be prepared to go home very very dirty/sweaty/covered in dust etc etc

 

Any questions PM me and ill try to help, i think my pics are on here somewhere of the before and after, if you cant ind them then just ask and ill send them to you

 

Good luck

[cazberry]

Thanks everyone for the great advice....

I know this is going to be seriously hard work, but I'm definitely going to give it a go!

I've blacked my boat when I first had her, and did the primer/undercoat work so I have an idea of how hard it's going to be.

I do need to see about getting her 'indoors' or at least under cover..

this may sound mad, but I'm actually looking forward to doing the work..

and with all your advice hopefully I wont do too bad a job.

cheers all

[Chalky]

Following on from AlanM6 I would add the following comments based upon experience:-

 

Insects love wet paint and will suddenly appear in large quantities at the wrong time!

Beware of people cutting grass! They usually start just after you've finished.

Don't paint if the panel is too hot - the paint will go off too quickly.

Use Owatrol.

Watch out for the "light breeze". It'll blow the solvent out of the paint too quickly and mean its difficult to keep a wet edge.

Boats are huge when it comes to painting. I need at least 2 tins of paint per side/roof - 6 tins in all for each coat.

I've seen large road bridges can act as temporary paint tunnels - but never used one as such

Some makes of paint (Rylard) seem to take forever to fully harden and the red looks distinctly orange.

Black Smoothright seems to last well on the gunwales - resists damage, but goes dark grey.

Buy panel wiping spirits from a car paint dealers. If put on a cloth it'll lift the dust off but not affect the paint underneath (famous last words!)

[system 4-50]

From personal experience doing my painting under a road bridge:

 

Don't paint during the pollen season.

Don't paint when it is too hot.

Don't paint when it is too cold.

Don't paint in strong wind.

Don't paint during the flying insect season.

Don't paint when the council decide to mow the verges.

Don't use a bridge due for resurfacing - the gravel and dust comes down on the boat.

Don't paint in condensation weather.

IF YOU ARE A SAILAWAY IN UNDERCOAT, PAINT IT ASAP! Do NOT put it off!

 

It is amazing just how long it takes.

 

And finally, don't rinse dust off with a hose at a water point without due care & attention. I managed to nearly fill my engine bilge.

[leolady too]

I'd endorse the previous comments, especially about being under cover. We did the roof (back to metal, it was in a dreadful state). It came out well in the end and we used a bridge which was a bit short but helped. However, the wind, sun, rain, insect comments are all true and a dry or wet dock would have helped. In view of that experience we hired the dry dock to do the cabin sides. We did all the preparation beforehand and did the last rub down and all the under and top coats (this was not back to metal) under cover. It made the job vastly easier and the result pretty good, if I say so myself.

 

Consider using Abranet 600 or 800 grit for the inbetween coat rub down. The disks are expensive but amazingly good especially if you have a vacuum cleaner (a Henry works well) attached to the sander. With a vacuum attached they last very well. We used two per side for a 60 ft boat.

 

One last tip, if you mask anything off REMOVE THE MASKING TAPE ASAP. We didn't and it became a nightmare to remove and damaged the paint surface. It isn't irrecoverable but its a real pain to put right. Also, use expensive vinyl type tape. It is infinitely superiour and less damaging to the paint than the paper tape (no matter how good a quality paper tape you get). IMHO of course.

[Tim Doran]

Another tip;

 

All the pesky flies which will land on the paint are only a problem if you poke it when it is wet. Let the paint go off and then brush the flies off, which will leave the legs which in turn will disapear.

[Neil Corbett]

We painted ours last April and I did several blog posts on how we did it. Hard work but we got a pleasing result. You can see the whole story at

 

http://nbherbie.blogspot.com/2010_04_01_archive.html including lots of pictures and tips

 

although being a blog it starts at the end and goes backwards as you read down.

 

It is just possible to enjoy the job, but you need good company. My biggest tip of all would be hire a wet dock. There is about one good day a year for painting a boat outdoors in the UK.

 

Neil

[romarni123]

I painted my gunnels and BW cut the grass it looked like flock wallpaper

[Andy Woods]

Did the roller and brush method on my campervan last year and will be doing the same to the boat this year. Best tip I had from a neighbour who's a vehicle finisher was to use Masons paint from an automotive supplier.

Loads of colour choice, it's designed to be applied by hand / roller and given the quantities needed for a 70ft boat will be a lot cheaper than buying in silly little tins from the swindlery...!!

Also, the longer each coat has to cure the better...paint takes a lot longer than you think to fully harden.

[twbm]

As has been said there's lots of good professional advice lurking on the site, but as a happy amateur I offer the following:

 

Most narrowboats have a number of colours adjacent to each other and thinnish coach lines around panels etc. Bear this and drying time in mind when deciding the order in which you are going to paint stuff - you might for example decide to do the cabin sides but find that once the first colour is on, you have to wait until it dries until you can apply the next one, which could be next weekend. We'll be prepping our boats for painting all over, then doing all the ivory everywhere, followed by all the red and then all the green. (The green will cover mistakes made with the red better than the other way around.) We'll finish off with the random bits of blue and yellow.

 

You can save time by applying the coach line colour fairly liberally over the area it needs to cover, then being content with a line that's the same width as the masking tape. If you're careful you can then paint the colours on either side of the tape, but don't overestimate masking tape's capabilities, there's always a bit of touching up to do. Spend the extra money on masking tape that remains removable for up to fifteen days so you can leave it during the week if needs be.

 

Send everyone else home before painting decks / cants / cabin roofs: that way you can be sure the footprints in the new paint are yours.

[Guest]

Pretty well covered by the other posters.

Only things I would add are;-

 

Use a "random orbital" sander initially, in particular if the surface is a bit rough or you have sign writing to remove - It is much quicker than the palm.

Beware tiny rust spots - treat with rust killer!

When painting have two people - One rolls on paint the other brushes out.

It is hard work otherwise and by the time you reach the end of the boat you can get a bit sloppy!!

First time I did my 40 ft boat on my own I thought my arm was going to drop off! I could be a wimp of course!

 

Under cover is a MUST!!!!!

[Hannah and Jay]

Some great advise on there, we're not far off painting ours... But what purpose does the brush serve after rollering, what's all this "feathering" business?!

[Albion]

Some great advise on there, we're not far off painting ours... But what purpose does the brush serve after rollering, what's all this "feathering" business?!

 

The correct way, if brushing only, is to put a good supply of paint onto the surface spreading it in all directions liberally (someone David S, I believe, has mentioned applying it in a sort of Union Jack series of directions). Then, wipe the brush bristles clean on the edge of the tin, and cut (brush fairly hard) in one direction. Wipe off the bristles, and cut again at 90 degrees to the previous. Wipe again and feather (gentle application of of the brush at 90 degs to the previous. Wipe again and feather at 90 degs to the previous. Some people do only one feathering, but I prefer two. Depending on how many cutting and feathering that you do (3 or 4 in total) you will have to choose your directions such that the last feathering is done in a vertical direction.

If you are doing the initial application with a roller then you may be able to get away with just one feathering off afterwards with the brush. Feathering is a VERY gentle application of the tips of the bristles though.

I was taught, by a coach painter (literally one of the guys who used to paint whole coaches and buses at a bus and coach manufacturer that I used to work for....gang of three did a whole vehicle), to lay it on fairly thick and then REMOVE paint by the cutting and feathering. That's why you keep taking the paint out of the bristles between cutting and feathering. Keep an eye open for excess application though as it is easy to create runs, particularly where there are changes in section, door edges and reveals etc.

I've just done a toy, ride in Land Rover, for my grand-daughter with Phil Speight's Craftmaster paint and got a virtual mirror finish using the technique described above.

Good luck, it's not for the faint hearted and I hope that you are a reasonably practical person.

Roger

[NB Alnwick]

It is generally agreed that painting under cover is essential for the best results but finding a suitable undercover location isn't easy - especially when the weather conditions are right.

[rnb canal art]

painted our boat undercover over the xmas period and boy was it cold. managed to heat steel from inside and with no insects got a great finish. Use a good quality brush and allways line off either with brush or sponge. this will give a good mirror finish. Used all sorts of paint over the 8 years we have had the boat but allways find Craftmaster gives the best finish.

[Québec]

At the risk of attracting the wrath of the perfect finishers.....we've been slowly (and it is SLOWLY) painting our boat on the cut, grabbing whatever decent weather opportunities arise (last Sunday afternoon was almost perfect except for one tiny greenfly which was easily brushed off and brushed over). Although I accept all the stuff about heat, wind, rain, insects etc. and that it's far, far better thing doing it inside, I think it is possible to get a decent though not perfect finish through choosing your time, taking care, using decent paint and good brushes, paying attention to the details, and applying a bit of painting skill e.g. a very light but consistent touch with the feathering. As the great Russian writer Solzhenitsyn once wrote: "Writing a novel (or painting a narrowboat!) is like walking a thousand kilometres. However, the difference between a mediocre novel (or paint job) and a great one lies entirely in the final metre".

 

The photo is of our first, faltering steps on the journey, and the first coat (no border yet). Several hundred kilometres still to travel...and several more coats to go on.

[Tim Doran]

There were lots of tips in the Boat the Guy built. By this I mean, the way that Guy did it is not the best method*, so look at how he did it and discount it.

 

 

*if he is happy with it then thats fine.

[koukouvagia]

.

 

The photo is of our first, faltering steps on the journey, and the first coat (no border yet). Several hundred kilometres still to travel...and several more coats to go on.

 

Fine and well done for ignoring all the doom mongers – me included – and finishing it in the open. However, is it too late to adjust the line of the top border? I think it should run parallel to the handrail. As it stands I have the urge to try to straighten the red panel up. It's rather like seeing a picture hung crookedly on a wall.

[Québec]

Fine and well done for ignoring all the doom mongers – me included – and finishing it in the open. However, is it too late to adjust the line of the top border? I think it should run parallel to the handrail. As it stands I have the urge to try to straighten the red panel up. It's rather like seeing a picture hung crookedly on a wall.

Thanks...and it's weird...I reckon I have a pretty good eye and I've obviously stared at it for hours - both close to and standing back to get the full view. It's only when I posted the photo last night that I noticed that line does look a bit odd....though it seems fine in 'real life'.

 

I was following the lines of the original panels, and they also looked OK at the time.

 

Hmmmm! Thinking hat on.

 

[PAUSE FOR THINKING]

 

OK, I think I now understand why it seems 'wrong'. It's the photo, not the boat. The photo shows only the area around the panel, so the upward line of the roof is particularly prominent, and causes the sense of misalignment. However, when seen in relation to the whole boat, it's clear the border line runs parallel to the main roof line, and the 'uplift' bit doesn't have anything like the same impact. There used to be a top stripe right along the boat, which I might consider reapplying to make it clear.

 

Edited to add this photo of original paint job.

Edited March 31, 2011 by Québec