How to paint a boat

[JohnZ]

I used a special paint remover found at a hobby shop that specializes in model trains. It safely removed the paint without disturbing an ABS hull so depending on what kind of paint you used it may or may not work. I can't remember the name of the paint remover, but any hobby shop that sells or specializes in trains should have it.
good luck.

[Old Sloppy]

is it called "DOT 4" brake fluid ?

that is what you use on a lexan car body to remove the paint you use on the inside with out any damage to the lexan.

Harry

[dana]

He's removing paint on top of gel coat guys.

[Basstronics]

Ive used Citri Strip and I love that stuff. I keep it on hand to take care of my painting mishaps... lol

[JohnZ]

No. It had a label on the front specifically for trains and the paints used.
But, it could be very similar.
However the plastic used for model trains is not lexan so DOT 4 brake fluid might damage the plastic.
Don't remember too much about it as it was years ago when I used it on a MRP Fountain.

[SweetAccord]

So I'm ready to apply the clear coat but I've run into a problem. All my clear paint cans got mixed up and I'm not sure which to use. The hull was painted with Krylon Indoor/Outdoor flat white. I have 4 clear coat cans;

1. Rust-Oleum Automotive Enamel
2. Rust-Oleum Crystal Clear Enamel
3. Krylon Acrylic Crystal Clear Indoor/Outdoor Protective, Non Yellowing clear finish
4. Krylon Fusion for plastic (metal-wood) clear UV protection for Indoor/Outdoor. <Don't think it's this one.


Which is the right one to use again?

[Basstronics]

I tried #3 and it sucked! Actually the whole Krylon experience for me was horrible and it will never happen again. Boat looked like hell and weighed like 20 lbs for a 15" hydro...

[SweetAccord]

I tried #3 and it sucked! Actually the whole Krylon experience for me was horrible and it will never happen again. Boat looked like hell and weighed like 20 lbs for a 15" hydro...

So what do you use for a clear coat?

[BLboat]

On my boat there is only a specific area where the paint is chipping. Can i just treat that small area instead of redoing a large portion of the boat?

[JohnZ]

Hmmm, definitely sounds like a paint mis- match. I have used Krylon Fusion for Plastic and the matching clear with great success. The indoor -outdoor paint and matching clear should have worked. Another thing I did was to let the paint dry for a week before prepping it for clear coating. Used 3 very light coats and two medium heavy, sanding with 400 grit between coats. I let that dry for a week before final level sanding and clear coat polish. Came out almost like an automotive paint job. I was very surprised at the outcome of finish using just Krylon.
Can you describe what happened and what it looks like?

[BLboat]

Hmmm, definitely sounds like a paint mis- match. I have used Krylon Fusion for Plastic and the matching clear with great success. The indoor -outdoor paint and matching clear should have worked. Another thing I did was to let the paint dry for a week before prepping it for clear coating. Used 3 very light coats and two medium heavy, sanding with 400 grit between coats. I let that dry for a week before final level sanding and clear coat polish. Came out almost like an automotive paint job. I was very surprised at the outcome of finish using just Krylon.
Can you describe what happened and what it looks like?

Well it is completely white where the paint has chipped and it peels up when i take tape off. ill try and post a picture.
SO do you think i could just repaint the one area though?

[BLboat]

116_0175.jpg

here it is

[JohnZ]

That looks to me like two different paint formulas and the base coat reacted. I guess at this point you can sand it back and repaint. Before applying the clear try it on a sample of the paint you used. Just paint a piece of plastic or wood or whatever you have handy and try clear coating over that. Remember to let the paint dry thoroughly before clear coating. I know some companies tell you that clear coating can be done after the minimum drying time but I've had the best results allowing the paint to dry for a day or two.
If you used the acrylic crystal clear, that may be the problem. It is a water based formula and may have caused the reaction. However to get a better idea of the problem you can call the people at Krylon and talk to them about it. I've called them in the past and they were very helpful.
Now Krylon makes several clear coats: one for their standard paint , another for the Fusion (for plastics) and another as you mention as an acrylic. IF you used the indoor- out door paint I would use the standard clear for that paint. That you used the flat white shouldn't have any bearing on the situation but you never know.
I know I'm being long winded but because of your situation at this point I would definitely call Krylon.
As I mentioned before I used the Fusion for my ABS hull BBY O.M. 26 along with the matching Fusion clear and had no problem.
Good luck.

[detox]

Nothing worse than your paint being peeled off while removing hatch tape. The hockey tape OSE sells is some strong hatch tape and will remove paint if your paint job is not done correctly. You can test bonding strength of paint on small area of hull before painting entire hull.

[BLboat]

That looks to me like two different paint formulas and the base coat reacted. I guess at this point you can sand it back and repaint. Before applying the clear try it on a sample of the paint you used. Just paint a piece of plastic or wood or whatever you have handy and try clear coating over that. Remember to let the paint dry thoroughly before clear coating. I know some companies tell you that clear coating can be done after the minimum drying time but I've had the best results allowing the paint to dry for a day or two.
If you used the acrylic crystal clear, that may be the problem. It is a water based formula and may have caused the reaction. However to get a better idea of the problem you can call the people at Krylon and talk to them about it. I've called them in the past and they were very helpful.
Now Krylon makes several clear coats: one for their standard paint , another for the Fusion (for plastics) and another as you mention as an acrylic. IF you used the indoor- out door paint I would use the standard clear for that paint. That you used the flat white shouldn't have any bearing on the situation but you never know.
I know I'm being long winded but because of your situation at this point I would definitely call Krylon.
As I mentioned before I used the Fusion for my ABS hull BBY O.M. 26 along with the matching Fusion clear and had no problem.
Good luck.

well i didnt do the paint job myself. The boat is a revolt 30 and thats the factory paint job. Now i have the issue of trying to match the factory paint and figuring out the best way to go about applying it. The only thing ive ever painted are RC car lexan bodies. Nothing like fibergalss.

[JohnZ]

well i didnt do the paint job myself. The boat is a revolt 30 and thats the factory paint job. Now i have the issue of trying to match the factory paint and figuring out the best way to go about applying it. The only thing ive ever painted are RC car lexan bodies. Nothing like fibergalss.

Matching the factory paint is not going to be easy unless you can contact the company behind the boat and find out what they used for paint and what color. There are so many paint companies out there and so many different formulas I wouldn't even hazard a guess what they used. My advice, if you can contact that company and find out what they used it would be to your advantage. Then knowing what type of paint they used, you might be able to find the matching color or at least get a recommendation from them as to repainting the hull. Generally a scuff of the original painted surface is enough to get the paint to stick. However if the paint formulas are radically different there may be a problem. IF you are unable to contact the company, then I might take it to a good auto paint shop and ask them if they might be able to identify the paint.
Other than that a complete removal of the original paint , reprime and repaint with matching formulas ie; automotive type paints such as Dupont, Dupli-color or Plasti-Cote. There are some epoxy based paints available such as Klass Kote which should work fine as well.
I would start over. I know it sounds like a lot of work but sometimes that's what needs to be done. I've had to do it myself a few times and it's no fun, but no big deal either.

[BLboat]

Matching the factory paint is not going to be easy unless you can contact the company behind the boat and find out what they used for paint and what color. There are so many paint companies out there and so many different formulas I wouldn't even hazard a guess what they used. My advice, if you can contact that company and find out what they used it would be to your advantage. Then knowing what type of paint they used, you might be able to find the matching color or at least get a recommendation from them as to repainting the hull. Generally a scuff of the original painted surface is enough to get the paint to stick. However if the paint formulas are radically different there may be a problem. IF you are unable to contact the company, then I might take it to a good auto paint shop and ask them if they might be able to identify the paint.
Other than that a complete removal of the original paint , reprime and repaint with matching formulas ie; automotive type paints such as Dupont, Dupli-color or Plasti-Cote. There are some epoxy based paints available such as Klass Kote which should work fine as well.
I would start over. I know it sounds like a lot of work but sometimes that's what needs to be done. I've had to do it myself a few times and it's no fun, but no big deal either.

Yeah i called Aquacraft and they were no help saying that they didnt know what paint there own factory uses. I then called sherwin williams marine department and they said that i had to have a fishing license in order to buy from them for whatever reason. So back to the drawing board. I dont have it in me to repaint my boat i like the paintjob too much and id be afraid to mess it up. I think im gonna go to my LHS and test a few paint colors on the inside of the hatch cover where it is unpainted fiberglass. Then once i have found a good match ill try and apply it and if that doesnt work out i guess i will have to try and repaint the entire hull whether i like it or not. Either way thanks for your help!

[Alfa Spirit]

Hello guys

I didn' t sand the gelcoat before placing the stickers but now I want to protect the boat and stickers. I thought to clean and degrease the hull with just SOAP and water to not destroy the stickers. With a clean surface and defalled is clear coat has a chance to hang? The varnish is the U - POL clear coat,

Thanks

[siberianhusky]

If you go to an auto paint supply place like NAPA etc, they have a scanner thing they run over the paint then a computer tells them the mix for as close a match as possible. They can even put it in a spray can for you. You'd have to find out what kinds they use and do a compatability test.
Got some blue touch up paint done for an '86 Ninja, the colour match was darn close.

[JohnZ]

Aquacraft, yeah well that explains it. The boat hull, is probably made in China and who knows what kind of paint they used??!! You may want to use a respirator if any further sanding is done. just in case
I would give the auto store a try.
Good luck.

[BLboat]

Thanks im gonna take it to the suggested paint shop and if that doesnt work i guess ill be doing some color matching myself

[Alfa Spirit]

Hello guys

I didn' t sand the gelcoat before placing the stickers but now I want to protect the boat and stickers. I thought to clean and degrease the hull with just SOAP and water to not destroy the stickers. With a clean surface and defalled is clear coat has a chance to hang? The varnish is the U - POL clear coat,

Thanks

There are two U-Pol clear primer products
http://www.u-pol.com/product-cat/120...n-promoter.htm
http://www.u-pol.com/product-cat/127...n-promoter.htm

What do you think?

[dana]

There are two U-Pol clear primer products
http://www.u-pol.com/product-cat/120...n-promoter.htm
http://www.u-pol.com/product-cat/127...n-promoter.htm

What do you think?

Nobody cares. That's why nobody repsonds. Take a dump on it

[catmangrrrrr]

I would forget the Krylon or any other rattle can.Talk to a local body shop and usually they have all kinds of pints or half pints left over from previous jobs. I started doing that when I found out they were throwing most of it away.You can get a small sprayer for next to nothing that almost any compressor will operate. Also by doing that the mixture codes are usually on the can so you can always match later if needed. May talk to them also about clear coats..many have told me to catch them when they are shooting clear and they would do it for lil of nothing,if anything, since clear was already mixed and being used. Plus those small amounts go a long way with an airbrush.

[JohnZ]

That's a good way to do it if you have a body shop nearby and know the people. Chances are they might have a color you like even if it isn't what you were considering.
Keep in mind you still have to go through the process of leveling the paint before clear coating. After all, it's process involved when they repaint your car after you've had a chance meeting with a 150 pound furry animal with antlers.
As I stated before I had very good luck with the Krylon Fusion on an ABS hull. It turned out better than expected and while it isn't a pro shop paint job, I'm happy with the results. Would I do it again...probably as I like to do the work myself.
Good luck .
Cheers.

[dana]

That's a good way to do it if you have a body shop nearby and know the people. Chances are they might have a color you like even if it isn't what you were considering.
Keep in mind you still have to go through the process of leveling the paint before clear coating. After all, it's process involved when they repaint your car after you've had a chance meeting with a 150 pound furry animal with antlers.
As I stated before I had very good luck with the Krylon Fusion on an ABS hull. It turned out better than expected and while it isn't a pro shop paint job, I'm happy with the results. Would I do it again...probably as I like to do the work myself.
Good luck .
Cheers.

Actually, collision shops do not level paint before clearcoat. The worst thing to do is to sand color coats, especially if it's metallic. When painting a car you get it level and clean first. Once you start painting it's best to avoid touching any of the coats. Usually first it's sealer, then color coats, then clear. Sealer is not always nessecary. The final leveling comes in the sanding of the clear, but usually it's a bad idea to do that because from the factory cars have orange peel, so sanding the final clear will make it too flat. Now if it's a show car or such, and the customer wants it flat like glass it's another story. But regardless sanding color is a no no

[catmangrrrrr]

That's a good way to do it if you have a body shop nearby and know the people. Chances are they might have a color you like even if it isn't what you were considering.
Keep in mind you still have to go through the process of leveling the paint before clear coating. After all, it's process involved when they repaint your car after you've had a chance meeting with a 150 pound furry animal with antlers.
As I stated before I had very good luck with the Krylon Fusion on an ABS hull. It turned out better than expected and while it isn't a pro shop paint job, I'm happy with the results. Would I do it again...probably as I like to do the work myself.
Good luck .
Cheers.

All I'm saying is if you get the opportunity to check..it never hurts. I found that they toss out thousands of dollars worth of paint every year because most of the colors were a one time thing and they pile up faster than you think. It's just a good opportunity to get good quality paint and with myself wanting to learn airbrushing it gives me lots of practice paint saving me a lot of money. Also makes me a few bucks if someone want a car shell or boat shot with just a solid color. I've done Krylon before and had good results too.....but don't want to settle for just good. Good luck and have a blast boating!!

Here's a few pics of couple quick ones I did tryn to figure out an airbrush that you can't do with a rattle can(at least not very easily)..I am no artist by any means and will always look like a grade schooler's art class wishing I had the god given talent that Pro Painter has.

IMG_0596.jpgIMG_0522.jpgIMG_0520.jpgIMG_0521.jpg

[JohnZ]

Actually, collision shops do not level paint before clearcoat. The worst thing to do is to sand color coats, especially if it's metallic. When painting a car you get it level and clean first. Once you start painting it's best to avoid touching any of the coats. Usually first it's sealer, then color coats, then clear. Sealer is not always nessecary. The final leveling comes in the sanding of the clear, but usually it's a bad idea to do that because from the factory cars have orange peel, so sanding the final clear will make it too flat. Now if it's a show car or such, and the customer wants it flat like glass it's another story. But regardless sanding color is a no no

I stand corrected. I have seen this done in the past but it maybe such the older paints needed it done. Obviously the new paint formulations produce a surface that needs no sanding.
Using the Krylon Fusion was easy but I felt leveling the paint would produce a finer finish. I also leveled the clear coat and finished up with clear coat polish
and buffing.
Hmmmm, next time I may check out the local body shops and see what I can find. There may be a few guys who wouldn't mind shooting a boat.
BTW I have tried rattle can auto paints such as Duplicolor with less than satisfactory results.
I have a JAE 21 in the box yet waiting its turn on the building board. When the time comes I'm going to consider going that route.
cheers.

[CodeRed225]

With krylon fusion how long should wait to wet sand?

[JohnZ]

Code, I waited a week before wet sanding. That way the paint had enough time to cure enough for sanding. Paints like these cure very quickly but I wanted to make sure as the humidity was typical Michigan summer variety. It worked out very well. The Fusion covered quite well but there was the usual "orange peel" finish which required wet sanding. Others may get different results. I also waited a week before wet sanding and polishing the clear coat. The results came out more than I hoped for.
cheers