Painting a Our Boat

[David Schweizer]

I have just come into a small legacy and was wondering whether it would stretch to having Helvetia re-painted, something which she has needed for more than ten years!! Superficialay the boat looks reasonably OK, if rather faded,, but there are a lot of small areas of rust, especially around the windows, and where the sides have been kicked by people walking along the gunwhales. It is also painted (very well I might add) in Dulux Weather Shield which has lasted well, but I doubt whether it would form a good base for moderrn Marine Emnamels. The roof is very bad and is covered in rust spots

 

I guess that all the paint will need to be removed along with the windows, everything de-rusted and filled before any proper work can be started. Ideally, I would love to ask someone like Phil Speight or Dave Moore, but I suspect that my paltry £8,000 I have would be an insult to them. Is there anyone out there who has had the job done as thoroughly recently, and can recommend someone, preferrably within only a few days cruising from Napton. Of course if Phil or Dave are reading this, do they have reduced rates for "deserving pensioners" ?

 

edited to add:- Helvetia is 52 ft and the cabin is aproximately 38ft long.

 

Oops, just pressed the greenie instead of the Edit button!

Edited September 2, 2011 by David Schweizer

[Chalky]

I was talking to the crew of another boat 2 weeks ago about the same topic as we worked up Stockton locks as a pair. They were going in for a repaint and were going to have the boat spray painted. They said that since the paint could be applied quicker the costs would be cheaper - the whole job could be completed in a couple of weeks. They were having the boat lifted at Rose Narrowboats and taken by lorry for the repaint. Can't remember where.

[larkshall]

I have just come into a small legacy and was wondering whether it would stretch to having Helvetia re-painted, something which she has needed for more than ten years!! Superficialay the boat looks reasonably OK, if rather faded,, but there are a lot of small areas of rust, especially around the windows, and where the sides have been kicked by people walking along the gunwhales. It is also painted (very well I might add) in Dulux Weather Shield which has lasted well, but I doubt whether it would form a good base for moderrn Marine Emnamels. The roof is very bad and is covered in rust spots

 

I guess that all the paint will need to be removed along with the windows, everything de-rusted and filled before any proper work can be started. Ideally, I would love to ask someone like Phil Speight or Dave Moore, but I suspect that my paltry £8,000 I have would be an insult to them. Is there anyone out there who has had the job done as thoroughly recently, and can recommend someone, preferrably within only a few days cruising from Napton. Of course if Phil or Dave are reading this, do they have reduced rates for "deserving pensioners" ?

 

edited to add:- Helvetia is 52 ft and the cabin is aproximately 38ft long.

 

Oops, just pressed the greenie instead of the Edit button!

 

David, you could save some money by doing some of the donkey work yourself. I mean the rust removal, flatting of the original paintwork etc. I see a number of the self build blogs on here seem to include the purchasers doing a lot of the menial manual work to save in labour charges. Then I think you might well be able to cover the costs

[Ex- Member]

I would think 8k would give you a top notch job.

 

However the problem is that the work is very labour intensive preparation etc, the actual material costs even using quality paints is relatively low in comparison to labour costs, so a good inspection of the boat required to ascertain the amount of time required to complete the work. So any figures mentioned here could be a lot different that the actual cost to paint your boat.

 

Best thing to do is get a few quotes based on your requirements and choose from those.

[Batavia]

I can thoroughly recommend Oxon Boat Painting at Brinklow.

 

They did a fine job on Daedalus a couple of years ago.

 

Leo has just had (or is having) Albion Mills painted there - he might be able to give more recent feedback.

 

Chris G

[Chris-B]

David

Have a chat with Martin oCallaghan at Alvecote marina

Top job

top prices

Chris

 

 

 

 

[David Schweizer]

David, you could save some money by doing some of the donkey work yourself. I mean the rust removal, flatting of the original paintwork etc. I see a number of the self build blogs on here seem to include the purchasers doing a lot of the menial manual work to save in labour charges. Then I think you might well be able to cover the costs

Thats the problem, I have been at it myself for years, with very little progress. The back panels doors, and front end were done some years ago, with the back panels being re-furbished last year, about 20% of the roof has been done - a very slow job, and the deck boards have recently been repaired and re painted, but I will never get around to finishing it myself. Part of the trouble is also that basicly it is the joinery and internal re-fittng that I enjoy, and that has occupied a lot of my time.

 

On top of all that I have been out of action with my little arguement with cancer over the past two years, and now we have Jan's recovery from Brain surgery to get through, so when we can finally get to the boat we would actually prefer to be cruising, rather than working.

[dollypop]

Oh, I wish I was moored slightly north of Northants, I'd gladly come and help with the preparation. A decent orbital sander, plenty of filler and a lot of elbow grease should have your boat ready for her new coat in no time. Best wishes

[alan_fincher]

I can thoroughly recommend Oxon Boat Painting at Brinklow.

 

They did a fine job on Daedalus a couple of years ago.

 

Leo has just had (or is having) Albion Mills painted there - he might be able to give more recent feedback.

 

Chris G

From what Mike,(Leo), has indicated about costs, and given I suspect David's cabin is longer, and will probably need some window removal and treatment underneath, I rather suspect that the costs may be nearly as high as that £8K figure.

 

But I agree, they seem to do an excellent job, and would be worth talking to, particularly as they will be relatively easy for David to get the boat to.

[Ray T]

PM sent

[dave moore]

Hi David

 

Dave Moore here.

Thanks for putting me on the wish list; although I can coach paint I don't....I only do the pretties! 8K should get you a cracking job, the lads at Oxon do indeed do a great job, also not too far away is Mike Looby at Heyford Fields Marina and John Kingham at Stockton. If I can help further, please PM me.

Best wishes

Dave

[Midnight Rider]

My 'plan of action' is to paint/get it painted, a bit at a time.

 

I have got rid of the gloss paint which was between blacking & gunwales & changed to mat black which can be rollered over easily.

 

The next step will be the roof which I believe will cost £1400 or so to get done.

 

Finaly will be the sides & bow/stern which will be the expensive one, but at least the cost has been split up a bit.

[BEngo]

I can thoroughly recommend Oxon Boat Painting at Brinklow.

 

They did a fine job on Daedalus a couple of years ago.

 

Leo has just had (or is having) Albion Mills painted there - he might be able to give more recent feedback.

 

Chris G

 

 

 

Seconded. They did a very good job on Jarrah this year. Costs for 60ft were within your budget- Oxon boat painting have an on-line price quoting app on their site. Kitman occasionally posts on here.

 

N

Edited September 3, 2011 by BEngo

[blackrose]

Ideally, I would love to ask someone like Phil Speight or Dave Moore, but I suspect that my paltry £8,000 I have would be an insult to them.

 

Dude! For £8k I'd want Michelangelo to paint my boat! If anyone turned their nose up at that in this time of recession then they're living on another planet.

[twbm]

Dave, We've never met but I know you've had a pretty crap couple of years. Taking a lead from your signature I would spend at least some of your money on fairly frivolous silly things. To facilitate that you can have me and my sander for a couple of weekends if you like. (I'm no expert but any recent photo of the NBT pair will show you the results of some prep work I did. The repaint was a team effort, as is knocking some of it off again.)

[David Schweizer]

Thanks for all the responses so far, I will be following up some of them.

 

I am also grateful for offers of help, but I have more or less decided that, even with willing help, I am getting too old to mess about with hours of manual labour doing something I am not particularly enthusiastic about or competent in doing. So I think I will be looking for proffessional intevention, I have already checked out some prices and it would appear that I could get a good job done within my budget, which will be courtesy of my late Mum.

 

I will be a bit upset that the signwriting and decoration will have to be done by someone other than Ron Hough (who has decorated our boat for the past thirty years), as he is no longer doing any Dock painting, unless I can persuade him to do it against Doctor's Orders!

Edited September 3, 2011 by David Schweizer

[Higgs]

The cost of a good paint job is offset, by the value that it will give to the boat and the pleasure it will give to the owners.

[soldthehouse]

Dude! For £8k I'd want Michelangelo to paint my boat! If anyone turned their nose up at that in this time of recession then they're living on another planet.

You can buy a boat for £8000 I always think that painting and the cost is something that has been steadily hyped over the years and the price accordingly. I can undestand the signwriting roses and castles bit costing as much again as a basic paint job but just a repai/ repaint shouldnt cost a kings ransome

[Higgs]

200 hrs of work on a boat is not abmormal. Plus the cost of paint. Plus Vat.

 

The degree of prep-work, how many coats, the kind of design, Signwriting. A good re-paint is not a cheap job.

 

In the past, we've lost work to people that quoted below our price. I've known boat owners sell their boat because they were disappointed with the cheaper job. Other paint jobs, that after 18 months, looked the same as they did prior to painting; a wreck in need of a paint job. You take your choice.

 

If you have an expensive paint job, make sure it's in good hands.

[ditchcrawler]

The cost of a good paint job is offset, by the value that it will give to the boat and the pleasure it will give to the owners.

I wish. You spend all that money and after the first winter watch the micro blisters because there was snow on the roof and decks.

[Higgs]

I wish. You spend all that money and after the first winter watch the micro blisters because there was snow on the roof and decks.

 

Yes, that is a bad result. I know from experience that paint work can fail, even after the best care. It is no consolation to the owners. Within a year, it should be repaired.

 

I would definitely not have a paint business. I've repaired a few of my own jobs that went wrong. On a few occasions, would have put it down to the boat going out too soon; one, effected like your boat, after snow had been standing.

 

I can understand the way you feel. After ten years of painting boats, I was really glad to finish. Some of my relief was due, in part, to not having to worry anymore about the hard work being wrecked by something I'd tried in every way to avoid ie, micro blistering and other effects. As you know, from the forum, even the best have had these problems. No consolation, I fear.

[soldthehouse]

200 hrs of work on a boat is not abmormal. Plus the cost of paint. Plus Vat.

 

The degree of prep-work, how many coats, the kind of design, Signwriting. A good re-paint is not a cheap job.

 

In the past, we've lost work to people that quoted below our price. I've known boat owners sell their boat because they were disappointed with the cheaper job. Other paint jobs, that after 18 months, looked the same as they did prior to painting; a wreck in need of a paint job. You take your choice.

 

If you have an expensive paint job, make sure it's in good hands.

200hours !!!!!!!!! for a professional? An amateur working with rudimentry tools maybe. A pro surely uses professional tools for preparation? and on what a predominantly large flat area? even removing windows and replacing, we are talking professionals arnt we? I cant imagine a serious pro who gets on with it taking four weeks for one person or a fortnight for two people, and thats full time. It may take a month leaving coats to dry while getting on with another boat but 4 weeks painting flat mild steel to a reasonable state seems incomprehensible

[Bob18]

Friend have been quoted a ball park figure is £100-£150 per foot, which may include a bit of decoration and sign-writing depending on who's doing the job.

[Higgs]

200hours !!!!!!!!! for a professional? An amateur working with rudimentry tools maybe. A pro surely uses professional tools for preparation? and on what a predominantly large flat area? even removing windows and replacing, we are talking professionals arnt we? I cant imagine a serious pro who gets on with it taking four weeks for one person or a fortnight for two people, and thats full time. It may take a month leaving coats to dry while getting on with another boat but 4 weeks painting flat mild steel to a reasonable state seems incomprehensible

 

 

I won't repeat myself.

 

Flat every inch of a 60 footer of a re-paint. Multiply that by each coat. Taping up, scollops. Cleaning, vacuuming........ Don't forget to spend a few hours removing all the silicon. Take fixings off, mushrooms, horns, lamps, cratch.....etc. At the end of the job, fit them all back. It's not all about painting.

 

Estimate the time it takes to tape up a boat for coachlines, with a pinstripe inside that, in a different colour, three panels each side, with scollops. When you've done that, do the mickey mouse ears on the rear bulkhead. Put a candy twist on the tiller. Don't forget the decoration on the bow. When you've finished the coachlines etc, take all the tape of and believe me it's very quick to do in the head. Try it for real.

 

I've scraped quite a few sand-coated roofs without the use of a scabler, 3 to 4 days. With a scabler, 2 hrs.

 

I can paint a sliding hatch in less than a minute and a decent-sized cabin side, with windows, in 45 mins +/-.

 

Each boat varies, so does the amount of rust and grinding. 200 hrs is not abnormal in real life boat painting.

 

The signwriting alone can take a couple of days and cost well over £1,000 .

Edited September 3, 2011 by Higgs

[soldthehouse]

I won't repeat myself.

 

Flat every inch of a 60 footer of a re-paint. Multiply that by each coat. Taping up, scollops. Cleaning, vacuuming........ Don't forget to spend a few hours removing all the silicon. Take fixings off, mushrooms, horns, lamps, cratch.....etc. At the end of the job, fit them all back. It's not all about painting.

 

Estimate the time it takes to tape up a boat for coachlines, with a pinstripe inside that, in a different colour, three panels each side, with scollops. When you've done that, do the mickey mouse ears on the rear bulkhead. Put a candy twist on the tiller. Don't forget the decoration on the bow. When you've finished the coachlines etc, take all the tape of and believe me it's very quick to do in the head. Try it for real.

 

I've scraped quite a few sand-coated roofs without the use of a scabler, 3 to 4 days. With a scabler, 2 hrs.

 

I can paint a sliding hatch in less than a minute and a decent-sized cabin side, with windows, in 45 mins +/-.

 

Each boat varies, so does the amount of rust and grinding. 200 hrs is not abnormal in real life boat painting.

 

The signwriting alone can take a couple of days and cost well over £1,000 .

Thanks for that, as is always the case things look easier when viewing from the gallery