Saturday, March 16, 2013

Hull Paint - Spray Rustoleum

Time for more work on Rose"Bud" she needs some areas of exposed fiberglass repaired with epoxy,I use Marine Tex for this type of repair, it seals, does not run and has a structural quality. The white is a pretty good color match also,but this boat needs to be painted as there is a lot of sun damage to the gel coat.

Something rubbed off gelcoat

From Sunfish Sailboat

Marine tex applied with putty knife, dried and sanded

From Sunfish Sailboat

Gel coat has chipped off here

From Sunfish Sailboat

Epoxy putty applied and smoothed

From Sunfish Sailboat

For a recreational restoration I like to use Rust-oleum spray paint on the hull. It is easy to apply, dries to a smooth finish and can be easily touched up. Painting with a brush or roller tends to leave marks in the paint. Here is what I was able to cover with one can of gloss white. And please note the blue masking tape covering the aluminum trim. That protects it from overspray, the trim looks much better in its natural state vs being painted over.

From Sunfish Sailboat

Plan on 6 cans for the hull, 4 for the base coat and 2 for the second cover coat

From Sunfish Sailboat

You might get a runner two if you put too much on at once. Let it dry, sand (which you need to do before second coat anyway) and spray second coat. Tip: A light sanding with 220 or finer scuffs the surface so that you can see where the new smooth shiny coat is going on, and ensure full coverage.

From Sunfish Sailboat

And as our friend Webb Chiles commented, now the "fiberglass won't rust."


3 comments:

  1. So this isnt osme special marine paint? I was looking on Rustoleums site and didnt see mention of marine grade.

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    1. Nope, no special marine paint for the bottom of this "beach banger" boat. It is regular spray Rustoleum and the entire bottom cost about $20. If it gets banged up on the beach, sand it down in the off season and spend another 4 bucks a can on touch up. Or splurge and repaint the entire bottom. Other alternatives are the 50 dollars a quart one part epoxy paints or even more expensive two part paints, you'll probably need just over a quart. They look good and last longer. Or find a gelcoat expert and bring the boat back to a factory original look. Just depends on what you plan to do with the boat.
      Rustoleum does have a Marine Coatings line, that is how their company started out, selling oil based coatings. The line is called Topside and the paint is an oil based alkyd enamel that is brushed on or sprayed if you have the spray equipment, we have begun using it and like it. It is around $22 USD a quart. It is meant for topsides and not intended for year round immersion. They also sell bottom paint and spar varnish. We used Topside Oyster White on our Sorg Runabout lapstrake and the interior of our Penobscot 14. http://www.rustoleum.com/product-catalog/consumer-brands/marine-coatings/topside-paint

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    2. PS our local Lowes sells Rustoleum Topside.

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