Black Paint

[badgerbag]

Can anybody recommend a good black paint for touching up above the waterline? Preferably something one can get from the DIY shop rather than pay chandlers prices!

[Sanddancer]

I tried out Hamerite this year and all is okay so far

[Machpoint005]

So long as it has high VOC content you should be fine (ie oil based, not water-based).

[Neil2]

Whatever you use it will get knocked off, assuming you use your boat, so there's an argument for cheap and cheerful and redo it every year.

 

Having said that I do like that Andy Russell stuff.

 

I have also seen boats with blackboard paint, that seems to work quite well too.

[Murflynn]

I touch up around the base of the house walls below the DPC with a product I bought at Wickes called Black Jack (thick tarry bitumen paint). Easy to apply, reasonably tolerant of damp conditions when applying, and covers well. It doesn't tend to drip, so ideal for applying on a boat without polluting the cut.

[Raybo]

I use Wilkinsons Exterior Metal Black paint. It is water-based, but forms a good seal against corrosion. It paints on really easily and gives a nice finish (Matt or Satin available). It may not be as robust as some paints when coming into contact with locksides etc. but is really easy to touch up and is pretty cheap.

[Tony Brooks]

Can anybody recommend a good black paint for touching up above the waterline? Preferably something one can get from the DIY shop rather than pay chandlers prices!

 

 

Do you mean hull side or the glossy section that might be above the top rubbing band? The above answers have made their own assumptions on this.

[David Mack]

I touch up around the base of the house walls below the DPC with a product I bought at Wickes called Black Jack (thick tarry bitumen paint).

 

Why are your house walls below the dpc blacked at all? Doesn't that just stop them drying out, meaning there's more chance of rising damp passing any breaks in the dpc?

[badgerbag]

Tony, I meant the hull sides, although suggestions for the shiny stuff would also be welcome. I have some good old fashioned liquid gloss that is as tough as old boots, but it takes days to dry, and attracts every feather and bit of fluff for miles.

[Tony Brooks]

Next question - is the hull coated with a tar based, bitumen based or a modern 2 pack product. If you try to pout a tar based product on top of bitumen it may fall off. I suspect well over half of narrowboats use bitumen and if yours does I can see no reason why Murflynn's suggestion would not be fine.

 

I use Wilco one coat black gloss on the top part of the hull because if you have gloss there and want to keep it looking presentable its an annual repaint job.

[dmr]

Whatever you use it will get knocked off, assuming you use your boat, so there's an argument for cheap and cheerful and redo it every year.

 

Having said that I do like that Andy Russell stuff.

 

I have also seen boats with blackboard paint, that seems to work quite well too.

 

Also a fan of Andy Russels stuff. In fact just tidied up the hull side this morning. Quick sand of damaged areas with rough emery paper (about 60 grit). Quick coat of Bondaprimer, this dries in a few minutes, then slap on some Andy Russel that also dries dead quick. If there is not too much paint damage can do the whole lot in well under two hours.

Both BondaPrimer and Andy Russell are very volatile, the Andy Russel actually forms a skin in the tin whilst you are using it. I decant both of these paints into several jam jars as soon as I get them then use these jars one at a time.

 

................Dave

[Neil2]

I know a lot of owners just go down the bitumen blacking route for the topsides, topbands, whatever you want to call them, (Black Jack is bitumen blacking) but bear in mind you are pretty much stuck with that solution from then on. You can't paint anything else over the top of this stuff, you can try sealing it with aluminium primer but it's not always satisfactory.

[Chertsey]

Tony, I meant the hull sides, although suggestions for the shiny stuff would also be welcome. I have some good old fashioned liquid gloss that is as tough as old boots, but it takes days to dry, and attracts every feather and bit of fluff for miles.

That would be blacking surely?

[Karen Lea Rainey]

I recently did my blacking above the waterline with wickes butumen paint for metal and concrete.

I like to read reviews for all paints before using them, some reviews are invaluable, to save wasteing time and money, but the reviews for wickes bitumen were from a couple of narrowboaters amongst others.

So i bought a 5 ltr tin for £17.25, very good value i thought.

Anyway i applied 2 coats and wow, it was as good as the reviews were saying, i put it on with a 4" brush and it made a big difference to the look of the boat, only time will tell now how long it lasts but its worth checking it out in my book.

[MHS]

Wilkinsons do a very good bitumin paint. We have been very pleased with it. There are lots of Wilko stores in town centres, so easy to access from many towpaths. It comes in 2.5L or 5L sizes.

 

http://www.wilko.com/roofing/ikopro-bitumen-paint-black-5l/invt/0135502

[blackrose]

Tony, I meant the hull sides, although suggestions for the shiny stuff would also be welcome. I have some good old fashioned liquid gloss that is as tough as old boots, but it takes days to dry, and attracts every feather and bit of fluff for miles.

For the cabin sides try International 10 Year Gloss. It's a really good quality flexible paint and available cheaply on Amazon & ebay. Only available in a few colours.

 

Edit: at least it was available a couple of years ago, but I can't seem to find it now?

Edited October 31, 2016 by blackrose

[Cheshire cat]

 

Also a fan of Andy Russels stuff. In fact just tidied up the hull side this morning. Quick sand of damaged areas with rough emery paper (about 60 grit). Quick coat of Bondaprimer, this dries in a few minutes, then slap on some Andy Russel that also dries dead quick. If there is not too much paint damage can do the whole lot in well under two hours.

Both BondaPrimer and Andy Russell are very volatile, the Andy Russel actually forms a skin in the tin whilst you are using it. I decant both of these paints into several jam jars as soon as I get them then use these jars one at a time.

 

................Dave

Dave,

 

Have you found a cheap source of the Andy Russell stuff.

 

I agree its great to use. It dries in half an hour.

[tonyt40]

Also a fan of Andy Russels stuff. In fact just tidied up the hull side this morning. Quick sand of damaged areas with rough emery paper (about 60 grit). Quick coat of Bondaprimer, this dries in a few minutes, then slap on some Andy Russel that also dries dead quick. If there is not too much paint damage can do the whole lot in well under two hours.

Both BondaPrimer and Andy Russell are very volatile, the Andy Russel actually forms a skin in the tin whilst you are using it. I decant both of these paints into several jam jars as soon as I get them then use these jars one at a time.

 

................Dave

Which bonda primer do you use? I searched and found G4 Marine for wood, grp and metal or Anti rust zinc primer for metal.

 

Thanks

[Gareth E]

Another boater told me that the Andy Russell paint is mixed for him by a paint supplier somewhere between Hazel Grove and Stockport. You can apparently go in there and ask for it by name, they'll supply it for around half the price you would pay anywhere else. I don't know the name of the supplier, sorry.

[Cheshire cat]

The company has got lots of Ps in its name. Well 3 anyway.

[stripey]

http://www.3ppaintcompany.co.uk/other/

[Paringa]

Last year I used that Wilko bitumen black on the sides - a couple of coats below the waterline - and then went over again above and below the waterline with a coat of Dulux Weathershield - I use this purely for the look, it is less glossy.

My preparation was minimal with the Wilko paint, I just scraped the worst of the green off and slapped it on. It is quite thin so soaked into the remaining weed which seems to stick so well I thought why scrape it all off it it is stuck so well.

Every year I do a coat of paint for appearances really so I will be interested to see how things have lasted...or not. If I remember I will post the result.

[blackrose]

I like International 10 Year Gloss.

I really think it's as good as any "marine" paint. I think it's now been discontinued but still available cheaply.

https://www.maxwellsdiy.com/gardening-outdoors-c1/exterior-woodcare-c43/international-10-year-exterior-gloss-2-5l-jet-black-p939

Edited June 8, 2017 by blackrose

[Paringa]

On ‎08‎/‎06‎/‎2017 at 14:02, Paringa said:

Last year I used that Wilko bitumen black on the sides - a couple of coats below the waterline - and then went over again above and below the waterline with a coat of Dulux Weathershield - I use this purely for the look, it is less glossy.

My preparation was minimal with the Wilko paint, I just scraped the worst of the green off and slapped it on. It is quite thin so soaked into the remaining weed which seems to stick so well I thought why scrape it all off it it is stuck so well.

Every year I do a coat of paint for appearances really so I will be interested to see how things have lasted...or not. If I remember I will post the result.

I said I would report back...

For the first year I actually had paint left on the sides of the boat after I had scraped off the worst of the weed, normally it goes back to the red primer. So again I have slapped on a couple of coats of this Bitumin paint with minimal prep.

http://www.wilko.com/roofing/ikopro-bitumen-paint-black-5l/invt/0135502

Also available at Homebase, Wickes, Travis Perkins...

It is quite a thin product and seems to soak into the green dried growth left on there and appears to be stuck a year later - I do this every year which is not a option for many.

I can see the merits of the full back to bare metal options out there - I also know the cost of those options and it doesn't square with me - this suits me very well and so I shall carry on.