Paint colors A25...Ideas??

[nebulatech]

Dieselram94, are you going to be the one spaying the paint? I"ve used the textured stuff only twice, with mixed results. Once was sprayed on, which worked OK, and once was last weekend, brushed on my new cockpit floors. That was NOT very satisfactory. The stuff I sprayed on was much better quality, I can't remember the brand, but it was made for boats. The nonskid I used last weekend was made for porches. It came out very uneven using a brush. It just didn't stay in suspension very well and the particulate was very coarse. My advice if you're doing the spraying is to try it on a mockup sample, like a thin piece of primed plexiglass.

Regarding the products I mentioned above, I didn't see my friend yesterday. A sick child put me MIA. He's on the mend now. I will post back after I see him, likely next week.

Since you said you were sparing no expense, I would go with the Alexseal. It is good stuff. A friend of mine does yacht maintenance. One thing he does is patch hull damage when the big sportfishers ram the docks (or other boats) and Alexseal is his choice because it is easy to blend in and bonds well to existing surfaces.

[nebulatech]

I don't know how available it is in SC, but up here in the Northeast, a lot of us use "woodchuck teak" -- black locust. Harder than hell, and so rot-resistant the old timers used to say that it will last "two years longer than stone".

Thank you for the tip, I'll look into it.

[Bob Noodat]

It’s a non skid paint additive. I’ve heard excellent things about it. Not sure it’s needed though as the factory texture probably will probably print through the paint pretty good though. http://www.softsandrubber.com/

Thanks for clearing that up, my misunderstanding.

[Dieselram94]

Dieselram94, are you going to be the one spaying the paint? I"ve used the textured stuff only twice, with mixed results. Once was sprayed on, which worked OK, and once was last weekend, brushed on my new cockpit floors. That was NOT very satisfactory. The stuff I sprayed on was much better quality, I can't remember the brand, but it was made for boats. The nonskid I used last weekend was made for porches. It came out very uneven using a brush. It just didn't stay in suspension very well and the particulate was very coarse. My advice if you're doing the spraying is to try it on a mockup sample, like a thin piece of primed plexiglass.

Regarding the products I mentioned above, I didn't see my friend yesterday. A sick child put me MIA. He's on the mend now. I will post back after I see him, likely next week.

Since you said you were sparing no expense, I would go with the Alexseal. It is good stuff. A friend of mine does yacht maintenance. One thing he does is patch hull damage when the big sportfishers ram the docks (or other boats) and Alexseal is his choice because it is easy to blend in and bonds well to existing surfaces.

I’m debating between spraying and brushing. My understanding is the alexseal when brushed levels and looks almost sprayed. I’m hoping to get it painted this summer, starting with the top decks as their in the worst condition and easiest to prep. Lol
The hull will need to be stripped, I may try this myself with walnut shells? Chemically strip? Maybe? Anyways, I have sprayed a few cars in the past with good results so I should be able to pull it off ok...lol
I’m definitely looking forward to hear about the other paint though as well. I’m definitely in love with the Hinckley color scheme!

[nebulatech]

My thinking is the topsides are the easiest because its all flat surface with just a thru-hull or two to tape off. If you have state registration decals, this rubber wheel may be helpful: https://www.amazon.com/TCP-Global-Rubbe ... 07L1BVGMQ/. Regarding paint stripping, 220 grit paper would probably be better than blasting. For a chemical stripper, this is what I have been using on the interior accommodation to remove the nasty adhesive of the hull liner. It is fiberglass-safe, I've left it on overnight:
https://www.truevalue.com/ready-strip-p ... r-1-gallon


Spraying paint certainly generates a lot of wasted paint. If brushing is feasible, I wouldn't be opposed to it. The hardest thing about spraying a boat is trying to keep the paint wet to prevent dry spray/overspray. A good compound should be able to buff out overspray. I'm a fan of Farécla G3. As long as you mist the surface with enough water, it works wonders. It really needs the water though. I was frustrated until advised to keep a spray bottle at my side.

I was thinking yesterday about the difficulty of removing the doghouse. Has anyone removed it before? Sure would be easier to paint both the doghouse and the deck if you could separate them. I didn't do any investigating, but it looks like there's not a way to attach nuts to the fasteners under the windshield, so I would assume the doghouse is mounted with screws and bedding compound.

[Dieselram94]

No idea on the doghouse, I’ll gave to look at mine. I think brushing it will be, ordering that rubber wheel now!
Looking forward to seeing how your rub rail project comes out. Please post pics!

[nebulatech]

Will do, but it won't be until probably midsummer. The good news is I will have a template/measurements and a process for anyone who wants to follow along.

[DesertAlbin736]

If brushing is feasible, I wouldn't be opposed to it.

FWIW I would go with roll & tip. With the help of the local Lake Pleasant sailboat shop guy we did my topsides last spring. They had been previously brush painted by PO some unknown years past, & was a sloppy job with lots of brush marks & paint chalking up. We sanded down with pneumatic disc sander using 150 & 220 grit & primed it using foam rollers. Foam rollers were a bit of mistake, & had to do some extra sanding on the prime coat. Rolling with what if I recall correctly were 3/8th" nap rollers worked out much better. Also replaced the fore and aft plexi cabin windows while at it. This time of year is absolutely perfect weather for outside jobs like this. Mostly sunny every day, temps staying warm but not too hot, low humidity. These photos taken 3rd week of April last year.

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Currently in the middle of trying to repair a small pesky leak in the fresh water tank using Flex Seal (TM). Got an estimate on replacing with a custom fit new plastic tank, $2,000, ouch! Will fix the old one come hell or high water (no pun intended), thank you very much! Major PITA to get at this thing. Always some damn thing.

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[Dieselram94]

$2000 for the water tank??? Talk about sticker shock!!! Could have a stainless one custom built for less. Have you tried plastic welding the tank?
Thank you for the pictures, your gel coat is in amazing condition! I wish mine was!

[nebulatech]

Nice job, DA! By not spraying, you have much less prep work too! I wish I had more experience doing roll and tip. Less prep, less paint waste. Looks like I've got a skill to pick up.

As Dieselram says, those topsides are shiny too!

[motthediesel]

Re: Plastic tank repair —
You might want to check out the West System Epoxy website. They make a resin specifically designed for repairs to polyethylene boats — canoes, kayaks, etc. Your water tank is probably rotomolded from the same kind of material.