Oh, I guess they added glass in '59, the "Early '50s" line in the thread title threw me, pfffffffft. So, was that cr@ppy-looking blue "glass" actually manufactured by the builder? Damn, they did $H!TTY WORK in those days, AYE??? CHEER-I-OH!!!
Good advice there, as usual... epoxy is good, but I always favored LP or linear polyurethane for small craft with hulls that flex or "work" in a seaway, the paint takes the abuse and holds up pretty well. Lasts awhile too before it has to be repainted... I once painted my Laser with purple LP paint on the hull, gleaming white deck above, and that boat used to get heaps of compliments from folks on shore and on the water. The glare off the gleaming white deck was fierce for those without decent shades, you can tone that down by choosing a colored deck if you want... some colored hull & deck combos look very nice. I always enjoyed that part of refurbishing a boat: selecting paint colors. I'd also mix it up over time, changing the color scheme or combo every so often. Black spars look good too and go with many paint schemes on hull & deck. Cheers!!!
I like that boat!Yes, you can use pretty much any paint as long as the fiberglass is lightly sanded, to give it tooth for a primer to attach to. The key is to use the same family of primer, fairing compound, thinner and paint. No mixing and matching. Also read the instructions for prep, most can be found on line. We get the surface mostly smooth and then put on a coat of primer, it is easier for us to see hills and valleys when the surface is all one color. Fair as desired. Light sand. Another coat of primer. Sand. Paint. Sand. Paint. Sand. Paint.
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beautifulAny coating has UV issues when in the sun a lot. Marine coatings are more expensive because of the UV inhibitors. The top of our runabout looks great because it is covered with a cover and sits under a cover. The side of the boat, especially the west facing side, is taking a beating from the Florida sun and that coat of Rustoleum Marine Topside needs a recoat ofter 5 years. Maybe I should turn her each year like they do Old Ironsides. Look what the sun did to the annual registration sticker, it used to be red.
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Meanwhile WAVE's topcoat of Interlux Brightside looks great after 9 years, because she doesn't get direct sun. Here's Capn Jack with WAVE, he taught us a lot about small boats. WAVE is a 1965, Jack decided that she needed 1968 stripes and he tracked down the 1984 Riviera sail.
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I thought poly had UV issues when in the sun a lot.
Try some Interlux Awlcraft 2000....the relative to Awlgrip...and boatyard favorite. It's expensive, but has incredible durability. The 2000 can be final sanded and buffed and also applied during non favorable weather, unlike Awlgrip (where the clear coat rises to the top when curing), but will not fade, and depending....can be a 20 year paint. Horizontal surfaces level out like a champ while surface prep dictates final results. I've even used it with disposable Preval sprayers or carefully brushed. In comparison, the paint is thin ..or should be reduced to....and can "run" very easily. A professional when spraying, can get "car finish" like results.
The reason I'm hesitant with poly is simply, in the upstate NY climate, when I used poly on my deck and a picnic table, it peeled within one year. I used primer sealer, sanded between coats and it was 70 degrees. I'm a little gun shy. This happened several times. I think it mau be due to the temperature swings 95 to -15 over the year. Spar varnish holds up well. I have never tried epoxy paint on wood. Still undecided.
Hmm, that was on wood, yeah? And mine was on fiberglass... also, I was on the beach in Coronado, where the range of temperature was nowhere near as great, the weather actually quite mild. Maybe that last suggestion would be best for your boat, Interlux is a good brand... it's just that the LP always worked best for me, and I refurbished my boat often enough for the paint to look good. I DID have a bad habit of showing off at times by sailing Polynesian style right up onto the beach, usually when good-looking women were in the vicinity, LOL, and of course rocks or gravel will tear up any paint, no matter how good it is. Gelcoat as well, for that matter, but I always found it easier to fill scratches & repaint than gelcoat the entire hull... with the painting option, the hull & deck always looked awesome afterward, and the price was reasonable. Remember, I'm a notoriously cheap b@stard, though I'll bag the best LP money can buy, LOL.
Haha, that's funny... almost like a scene from "The Three Stooges" where they go boating, aye? Probably wasn't funny to you at the time, but in retrospect it's downright hilarious. You'd think some of those women would show some sympathy to you... er... mariners errant (like knights errant, only at sea, lol). Anyway, I'm enjoying the start of a wonderful 3-day holiday weekend (paid holiday, of course), it was a good week at work but also a long one, 10-4? Good news is that I'll soon be taking paid vacay in Dago, only two months away, and I'll be taking a second paid vacay in the fall, so I can get some ocean sailing in as I visit friends & family who still live in Coronado & San Diego. Damn, this stiff Margarita is doing the job, I drank two beers after I got home but now I'm graduating to hard liquor, lol... could've had a rum drink, there's a full bottle on my bar, but I'll have that later, maybe during the Daytona 500. Tonight it's Blue Agave City, I like the tequila blanco, lol... or is that tequila blanca? Who knows, and who cares? Cr@p tastes pretty good no matter whatcha call it, lol...
I'M OFF TO POST SOME PRIMO PICS IN ANOTHER THREAD... KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK, YOU DA NAUTICAL MAN!!! CHEERS!!!
Edit: Oh, yeah, I recall at least one time when I misjudged my Polynesian-style landing on the beach at Shelter Island and did a John Wayne Combat Roll in the sand, looking like an absolute fooliot, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! So you're not the 'King of Goofy Marine Stunts' after all, lol... I should've been wearing a Marine uniform when I pulled the John Wayne Combat Roll, would've added some "Hollywood Cred" to the maneuver (if there IS such a thing as "Hollywood Cred").
Moving slowly on this glorious 3-day weekend... paid holiday Monday, of course, lol. Man, oh man, those margaritas were good last night, but I'm payin' the price now, I'm a little shaky, BWAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!
Meh, I'll get over it... waiting on some friends to arrive so we can all eat a late breakfast of sausage, eggs, country gravy, flapjacks with real butter & real maple syrup, tall glasses of whole milk to wash it all down, etc. Health food, don'tcha know? Lol...
Been contemplating a cold beer as a hair of the dog that mauled me last night, but so far it has sat unopened on the table in front of me... it's in a cooler cup, so no worries. Maybe I'll man up in a few moments and crack it... it's a bit scary at present, lol.
AWESOME WEATHER, MY MILLION-DOLLAR VIEW OF COCHISE STRONGHOLD IS GOOD AS EVER... CHEERS!!!
Nice work, BB, those boats look darned good! I used to brush mine too, couldn't be bothered with a sprayer, lol... but as long as the prep work is thorough and the painting is done under favorable conditions, the effort will lead to excellent results. My bar was to see reflections in the gloss paint, didn't have to be mirror reflections, just fairly smooth reflections, lol. And of course the boat would look good from ANY distance on the water, no doubt about it... Cheers!!!
Still don't understand what you mean "by going an inch or so up the side? After repairs?"
From what I see I'd inject thickened epoxy (THIXO or FLEXPOXY) along the seam and fair the rest with epoxy based fairing compound (TotalFair or EZ Fair). Decide what paint you will be using and go with a fairing compound that is in the same line or compatible. TotalBoat has one part polyurethane paint and Pettit has one part epoxy based paints. We have used both and are happy with both, your choice will most likely come down to who has the color that you want to use.
That's exactly What I meant! Awesome! Thank you again! BTW She is beautiful!Okay. As long as the seam is checked with an air leak test or some other method you are good to apply whatever coating wherever you want to apply it. What we did on ZIP was 2 coats of West System 105 Resin/207 Special Clear Hardener down to the hard turn on the chine, and 2 coats of Interlux Brightside Fire Red on the bottom. We taped right above the seam.
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If we ever get her up on her chine you'll get a nice flash of her red bottom.
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