[hotponyshoes]

Hi all,
We have just aquired a 19' fibreglass boat, used to be a ski boat but we are hoping to use it for a bit of bass fishing and some inshore bait fishing.

Now, the thing was originally a white gell coat and has been painted red, then yellow over the top of that and is currently painted white which has been done by brush..

We have to do a bit of repair work in some areas so we plan to sand the whole thing back to bare and re-spray her.

Any ideas on what paint is best?
The boat will live out of the water (on it's trailer) most of the year so we are trying to avoid the expensive paints and just use the cheap car stuff. we have spray guns and a compressor.

We would like to do the bulk of the hull in white with the top 8" in blue and maybe the deck in blue also.

First thoughts are spray the whole thing in primer, spray the whole thing again in a white synthetic (van paint) then mask up and spray the blue in a car celluose.

So, the questions - what is the best primer to stick well on fibreglass?
Some of the hull will be back to gel coat and the bits we repair will be plain glass/resin.

Does this look like a good idea or are there better ways of getting a good finish on the cheap!
Thanks!!

 

[AL_Carpman]

Hi all,
We have just aquired a 19' fibreglass boat, used to be a ski boat but we are hoping to use it for a bit of bass fishing and some inshore bait fishing.

Now, the thing was originally a white gell coat and has been painted red, then yellow over the top of that and is currently painted white which has been done by brush..

We have to do a bit of repair work in some areas so we plan to sand the whole thing back to bare and re-spray her.

Any ideas on what paint is best?
The boat will live out of the water (on it's trailer) most of the year so we are trying to avoid the expensive paints and just use the cheap car stuff. we have spray guns and a compressor.

We would like to do the bulk of the hull in white with the top 8" in blue and maybe the deck in blue also.

First thoughts are spray the whole thing in primer, spray the whole thing again in a white synthetic (van paint) then mask up and spray the blue in a car celluose.

So, the questions - what is the best primer to stick well on fibreglass?
Some of the hull will be back to gel coat and the bits we repair will be plain glass/resin.

Does this look like a good idea or are there better ways of getting a good finish on the cheap!
Thanks!!

If you paint it in Synthetic then try to paint over it with Cellulose, the synthetic will blister, similar to the effect of painting it with paint stripper, you CANNOT overpaint Synthetic with cellulose....
If you're going to use synthetic, use a synthetic primer, then synthetic topcoats.

AL ..

 

[scottonjayne]

or you could use 2 pack,but there are strict rules and regs for its use,or even re jell-coat(as i have done with mine)expensive but its back to original now,if you are going to paint it your best bet is to use POLYESTER primer its a bit more expensive than standard primer BUT the filler/primer qualities of the stuff save a lot of work so save money in the long run,

 

[alana]

just a thought. dont ski boats have very low freeboard like speedboats. if they do i would not have thought they make good fishing platforms, especially at sea

 

[hotponyshoes]

I think the synthetic with primer may be the best way to go then..

This should be a lot tougher than cellulose and save the expense and breathing danger of two-pack.

I am not planning to paing over the top with cellulose, I would do the whole thing in syn primer then the white and blue both in syn on top.

The baot is a 19' speedboat style and has what they call a 'deep v' hull so I dont think it will be very good for fishing but we will try it drifting for bass down the race where you spend more time chugging back up against the tide on a charter boat than you do fishing!!

We wanted a fishing boat but we told a few people we were looking and got given this one.
After a complete strip back to the bare hull and the time it has taken to fit all new everything (like deck and electrics) it would be a shame not to use it!

 

[Nos4r2]

but we will try it drifting for bass down the race where you spend more time chugging back up against the tide on a charter boat than you do fishing!!

I hope I've got the wrong idea here but:-
Don't even think about taking something like that out in a tide race. You'll die and risk the lives of RNLI crews looking for you.

 

[TomBettle]

...If it's Portland race, it's not a good idea in a ski boat.
It simply is built for flat lake water or small chop.

Do you have a picture of the boat you can post?

A deep Vee bow is a good thing, but it kind of depends on how the rest of the boat is put together.

Tom

 

[AL_Carpman]

or you could use 2 pack,but there are strict rules and regs for its use,or even re jell-coat(as i have done with mine)expensive but its back to original now,if you are going to paint it your best bet is to use POLYESTER primer its a bit more expensive than standard primer BUT the filler/primer qualities of the stuff save a lot of work so save money in the long run,

There are no strict rules and regulations for using 2 pack when you're using at a personal level, these only apply to businesses, even then, they're not as strict as you might imagine.

There are health implications though using 2 pack, when it is sprayed. The use of air fed masks is essential, as the hardener used contains Isocyanites (small amounts of Cyanide), to use the right equipment, spray guns, air fed masks, you'd need a reasonable size air compressor, if all the equipment isn't already owned, then it would be a pretty expensive affair to go out and buy it.

AL ..

 

[AL_Carpman]

I think the synthetic with primer may be the best way to go then..

This should be a lot tougher than cellulose and save the expense and breathing danger of two-pack.

I am not planning to paing over the top with cellulose, I would do the whole thing in syn primer then the white and blue both in syn on top.

The baot is a 19' speedboat style and has what they call a 'deep v' hull so I dont think it will be very good for fishing but we will try it drifting for bass down the race where you spend more time chugging back up against the tide on a charter boat than you do fishing!!

We wanted a fishing boat but we told a few people we were looking and got given this one.
After a complete strip back to the bare hull and the time it has taken to fit all new everything (like deck and electrics) it would be a shame not to use it!

You don't HAVE TO prime when using Synthetic paints, unless going onto bare metal really. The thing is with Synthetic type paints, they don't adhere by Solvent Attack, they adhere more by a Gluing type effect, i.e. they stick to the surface, roughing up the surface a bit helps, as it gives more surface area for the paint to "Stick" to, but it isn't actually essential, years ago when we used to do Commercial Vehicles with synthetics, they would be steam cleaned, masked up and painted, it doesn't get done much these days, because most vehicles get re-painted with different systems, i.e. 2k acrylic or water based.

AL ..

 

[David N]

Your right about the 2 pack out in the fresh air there would be no problems using that stuff. Confined spaces and spraying, without adequate ventilation and mask etc would be hazardeous.

If I was painting a hull with any kind of paint. I would always suggest keying the surface by sanding. Painting direct onto a gloss smooth surface is just asking it to lift and peel over time if chipped or damaged I feel.
I use 2 pack on my rods and always flat down between coats. If I don't the constant flexing and abrasion through use, causes the surface coat to lift if not keyed to the base coat.

Dave.

 

[hotponyshoes]

We have the breathing gear and all the kit so thats not an issue..

I will post some photos of the boat once the sun comes out and I can turn it the right way up again!
Thanks for the advice so far!