Paint suggestions?

[prosmanusfamilynet]

I am completely redoing a 1964 41' DCMY right to the gel coat base and am wondering about peoples suggestions (specific product or paint) for bottom paints (fresh water use) and sides and deck etc paint choices. Also suggestions for non skid treatment. Have ability to spray or roll and tip. Thanks. Ken

 

[jim rosenthal]

paints,. bottom and top

I have had good luck with the following bottom paints, in no particular order: Awlstar Gold, Pettit Ultima SR, and Seahawk CuKote. All of them worked great except on the running gear and metal parts, where nothing seems to work or stay on.
If you are going to paint the whole topsides of the boat yourself, and you are planning to roll and tip the paint, you could use Awlgrip. I would plan on doing a lot of test panels, and perfecting your technique as the stuff costs a lot and is hard to sand off if you screw up. They do have brushing converters and thinners so it is made to be used that way.
Since 90% of the paint job is the prep work, you might consider doing all the prep work, and hiring a pro painter to shoot the boat with sprayed Awlgrip. Good luck.

 

[jim rosenthal]

paints

I forgot to mention, US Paint also make another paint called Awlcraft, which is a catalyzed acrylic urethane that can be buffed and spotted in. It is like Imron. Come to that, Imron is very good too, it has just been eclipsed by newer finishes. But I have heard of twenty year old Imron finishes that were buffed out and looked great.

 

[prosmanusfamilynet]

paints

Jim, Thanks again for your thoughts and suggestions. Do you know where the Interlux products fit in terms of quality? Ken

 

[jim rosenthal]

paints

A few years ago I tried some Interthane Plus, which is their 2 part paint for amateurs ( I am certainly an amateur). It was okay but not great. Texture was only fair, it held up well. I don't know any yards that are using their professional paint, which is Interspray 800, I think.
Painters tend to stay with what they are familiar with, I guess you can't blame them given the cost to them of redoing a job that comes out poorly. Most yards like to spray Awlgrip or Awlcraft because they have done it and they know what it acts like. There is probably more expertise out there on Awlgrip than anything else. You might look into using a low pressure turbine-fed gun (HVLP) like Tip Inc sells, look in Hemmings' Motor News. You can economize on paint with that setup, it scatters less paint than standard gun systems.
If you can spray the paint yourself, then maybe the most important thing is what company's rep is best in your area, and how much help they will give you. All of these paints are expensive, but that doesn't mean you can't get deals. It is important to stay inside one system- for example, don't use Sterling's primer with Awlgrip's topcoats. Mixing systems is asking for trouble.
All other things being equal, which of course they seldom are, I would probably use Awlcraft or Imron. They have the advantage that you can spot them in, and I think it is easier to redo a panel or area you don't like. I think they may set up faster, which if you are a do-it-yourself guy and have to work outdoors without a booth or shed will make your life easier.
There are some finishers who will lay on extra coats and plan on wet-sanding and buffing the whole boat. This gives great results. It also takes forever. But with polyurethane paints like Imron, at least you have the option of doing that on a panel which hasn't turned out to your liking.
One more thing- DON'T breathe any of these paints. They are seriously not good for you. Read the safety section first.

 

[double eagle]

paint

:rolleyes :rollin
FYI..........
I recently used an imron equal made by napa stores...
for those of you who need a blended color [one not off the self] My boat was painted with imron then [in the fla keys ] no one was handling anymore or making blended colorss......as for not mixing one brand with another...the guys I had liked awlgrip primer and imron top coat......however since no one has it in the keys anymore I tried the napa stuff and it works real well and is easy to use ...the key is to thin enough to give you the right working time with it .....I rolled with 1inch foam rollers andf tipped off with foam brushes [buy good ones]

double eagle

 

[JeepGC28]

Painting

We have been repainting the entire outside of our 41'TC 1966 over the last four years. (Different Sections at a time) The boot stripes were professionally sprayed w/imron but the prep wasn't that great so that isn't really holding up the well. The aft deck, section above the boot stripe (but no the whole topside) and transom where strayed w/awlgrip. Although it came out nice, I wouldn't recommend spraying it unless you have experience and "perfect conditions" (ie. complete cover and ideal temp/humidity). The decks (after being completely redone, they were soft), cabin trunk, hardtop, helm, bow, and so far half the hull were rolled and tipped off with awlgrip, and this is what I recommend doing. Like Jim said, paint is only the last step, prep counts for everything. You can't rush the job, it won't come out right. We went with straight awlgrip, not awlcraft- although awlcraft is more forgiving since you can buff out imperfections, some say once you buff it, you have to continue to wax it while awlgrip is just about maintance free- but check with awlgrip on that. Good luck with the project, it's alot of work. If you have any more questions e-mail me at JeepGC28@hotmail.com.

 

[prosmanusfamilynet]

Awlgrip paints, colors used or suggestions

Jim, JeepGC, and everybody,....Thanks for the postings about your painting experiences. I have decided to go with Awlgrip, professionally sprayed. The boat again is a 64' 41' DCMY. Do you guys remember what color you used for the White? Bootstripe (red)? Trim (blue) above the rub rail There are several whites to choose from in the Awlgrip color chart, etc. If you can recall your choices and how you liked the result I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks. Ken

 

[jim rosenthal]

Awlgrip colors

Ken, here is what I used: we used Oyster White for the white sections, Claret (a dark red) for the boot stripe, and a dark blue they make for the flybridge stripe. I decided to use standard Awlgrip colors because I may have to match them in the future and was wary of custom mixes for that reason. Also, Oyster White is pretty close to a lot of other companies' colors- for example I bought a deck box from Beachcomber Fiberglass in Ft Lauderdale which is Oyster gelcoat, and matches very well indeed.
I wish the Claret were a little lighter, or redder, but it's okay. I can't recall the name of the dark blue but if you want I will email it to you; it's on Awlgrip's basic color chart.
One other suggestion, if you can do it: we buffed the aluminum window frames and all the other aluminum parts down to bare metal, prepped them with Alodine, which is an Awlgrip product, and sprayed them with aluminum color metallic paint, then clear-coated them. They no longer need polishing, at least so far, and look good.
Good luck with all this. It is an expensive ordeal, but if you love your boat, you will be happy with the way it looks. The reassembly of all the parts taken off for the paint job is incredibly time-consuming. Make sure everything is labeled, and don't rush the reassembly- it will take a few weeks, there is so much stuff to go back on. If you need anything rechromed, this will be the time to do it. Tom Slane has a plating shop in Texas, I think, he likes. Marine plating is not the same as motorcycle plating, I suspect. Your local plating shop may not be good enough.

 

[prosmanusfamilynet]

Awlgrip paints

Jim, Thanks again for the good information in you post. We are going down the same path you did and your advice about going slowly, carefully and labeling is extremely important in doing a true restoration. I also walked around and still do on occasion with a video cam and use the audio for the description of details. Also a still camera; either digital or film; makes a great detail log. Other absolute necessities are a couple of good power screwdrivers with high quality bits in the correct sizes. As you know there are literally buckets of fasteners to be removed and replaced in a full restoration.
When you rehabed your windows what was your source for the plastic seals, fuzzies etc? I haven't checked with Hatteras, Sam's or Tom Slane yet, but would like to redo the whole works. We have all the windows out and the aluminum finish is almost like new as this boat has never seen salt. Unfortunatly the seals are hardened and should be replaced if I can find the right dodads. Thanks again for your helpful suggestions. Ken

 

[jim rosenthal]

rebuilding the window frames

Ken:
You are fortunate indeed if the window frames are not corroded; mine were but not too badly and were salvageable. Just.
The original nylon-backed fuzz strip and the delrin glide strips are available from Sam's. They are not very expensive and you should buy them from Sam's. The expense of buying those items is the smallest part by far of the whole ordeal.
I had to pick the old material out in pieces using a variety of dental picks, hemostats, forceps, awls, etc. It is a serious pain in the hindparts, because the nylon part gets very brittle and breaks up easily. So you end up taking it out an inch or two at a time, and there are MANY rows of this stuff- my boat has two sliding windows, plus the sliding screen. What I did was try to get all the old stuff picked out over a weekend, which is about how long it took. Per each side of the boat.
Then I cleaned the channels up with toothbrush and soap and water, then metal polish, and then used silicone spray to work the new stripping in along the channels. The delrin glide strips tap in with a plastic mallet and a little piece of wood as a drift. Putting the new stuff in was not as bad as getting the old out. I did one side of the boat, and then several months later did the other. After I'd recovered from the first.
My reason for doing the whole refit of the strips and glides was that the windows rattled and leaked. They don't now, but they don't glide all that well either because the fit is very tight. Possibly pre-lubricating the bottom of the pane with silicone grease or a little Teflon might have helped. This year I am having new glass cut for the side windows and will do that.
I would rate this as the most difficult, time-consuming job I have done on my boat. Drilling out all the corroded bronze bolts which held the deck stanchion bases down was easy by comparison. However, there is a cheerful side to this- after you replace the strips and glides, the windows don't rattle and the boat is much tighter and quieter, AND, when you think of all the hours you spent and what a boatyard would have charged you to do it, you will be elated at the money you've saved.

 

[jim rosenthal]

paint job

BTW I forgot to add this; I replaced all the screws that we took out. They are all available from Sam's and he even has some in the original Monel, which are unbelievably durable. It is not worth putting the old ones back in a new paint job.

 

[Banshee36]

windows

I went the route you all went , replacing the fuzzy strips in the window frames, the still leaked and still rattled. When I refurbished my rig I then had one piece tempered glass made in one piece for the both windows. It looks great and stopped the leaks for a while. Now everything leaks Like a sieve. I am wainting for my custom made, American Marine,windows, tinted and painted to match the house, to arrive. had them made a little bigger to cover the old holes, with less screws. Should be the bees knees .
One tip for those who paint their window frames, stainless or monel will cause the paint to bubble due to electrolysis, you either need to get nylon washers, availabe from Tiara yachts or tef-gel.
JW