Painting my boat?

[Marvin willis]

I'm curious if anybody has painted their boat. I have to wax my boat every month to keep it looking good. And that's best case senerio. I've painted cars and motorcycles in the past with awesome results and I'm considering this a project for next spring or fall. I know paint is easier to scratch but I know I can fix anything that happens. But I have to say I've had my boat for 5 years now and so far I haven't put a scratch on it. Thanks for the input

 

[Murf'n'surf]

For sure paint is the way to go for great gloss and range of color and even metallic flake. Go with an Imron or AwlGrip. But personally our small boats wouldn't be worth the cost unless you are an accomplished DIY'r.

 

[Marvin willis]

I think I can do the job under 300 and less than a day of labor.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

I think I can do the job under 300 and less than a day of labor.

Are you talking from the rub rail down only?

 

[Marvin willis]

Black only

 

[Seadeals]

I used Awlgrip and rolled and tipped my last boat. With mohair brushes, respirator (nasty stuff) gloves , mixing supplies, rollers, masking tape, and other miscellaneous supplies, it will add up to more than $300. Probably $500. Only professionals should spray it in a fresh air suit as this stuff will kill your lungs and cost you way more than $300 in med bills and shortened life span. For Roll and tip technique, I was surprised at how nice it looked but it was a lot of coats and sanding in between. Awlgrip is technically a topside paint though they say it can stay in water up to 72 hours without risk of blistering. The tricky part was blending the areas covered by the saw horses on which it was supported. I had to paint around, move them to a different area and then paint the void. At least it was on the bottom. You definitely learn technique. It was thinner than water when you first start rolling then thickens up over the 30 minutes or so of pot life for application. That varies of course based on your mix and ambient temperature, so you get a bit of a chemistry lesson in the process.

 

[Marvin willis]

I was gonna spray it. I have friends that have done both and both look good from a distance but up close spray looks a lot better. At least from what I've seen.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Black only

Go for it! That's not much area and should be quite easy to spray.

 

[Seadeals]

Spray will definitely look better and take less/minimal sanding. Just be sure to take precautions to not take any in. The MSDS and fumes are no joke.