Painting/Priming

Phillster

Member
I prime absolutely everything I paint that's not using a paint/primer in one. That said, i never see a reference to priming on this boats. How essential or unnecessary is priming on a Sunfish???
 
The reason most Sunfish owners don't prime Sunfish is that, generally speaking, we don't paint Sunfish, period. If the big guy meant for Sunfish to be painted, we'd see them that way from the factory. If I got hold of a Sunfish with paint on it, which is hard for me to envision, but you never know, first thing I'd do on taking possession would be to sand any paint off, then wet-sand nicely, and maybe McLube. My long-running suspicion is that the only reason someone would paint a Sunfish would be to hide something, like a problem. 'Naked is better' is a good motto here.

That said, I will confess to spray painting a Sunfish deck once, sort of (never a hull, though). I tried out some wicked potent paint remover of some sort that not not only removed the prior owner's ill-conceived paint job but etched the deck gelcoat here and there. It was pretty bad, so after I cleaned the gunk off I sprayed on some of that metallic 'hammered metal' rustoleum spray paint over and around the etched areas, then sanded the deck - so the raised areas were original gel coat but the etched out 'exposed core' looked hammered metallic. An Early Mel Gibson Sunfish look. Really striking. Wish I had pictures.

But that's the exception, and only something you do after a six-pack or three. If I ever got the urge to intentionally paint a Sunfish, I 'd expect to be committed. Now, custom-colored, thinned-and-sprayed gel coat on the other hand...
 
Well, I appreciate that. I've been around Sunfish for 40 years and this is the first time I've considered painting one.
 
Only time I tried primer, brushed on, I had to sand it off, it was way too thick and uneven. Could be I applied it wrong. The boats we painted were strictly recreational boats, and severely needed it for cosmetic purposes. I usually used two coats of paint, treating the first s the primer.
I am not an accomplished sailor and do not notice the difference between our painted boat and our unpainted boats. The people who bought them, previous Sunfish owners, were happy with the finish. We also let them know what repairs we had done along the way.
 
I prime absolutely everything I paint that's not using a paint/primer in one. That said, i never see a reference to priming on this boats. How essential or unnecessary is priming on a Sunfish???

If you are going to paint it, try Interlux Perfection a 2 part expoy paint. Gel coat is diffenitly better, but if you are going for looks Interlux gives a beautiful finish. Here is how mine turned out, and is very competive in races, with a NS racing sail. Use thinner and check outside temp and humidty before you paint. Jamestown Distributers has best prices and sometimes free shipping, West Marine will price match.
 

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Sometimes, between teenagers testing the limits and gravity, the repairs add up to the point where a a paint job is a serious option... Epoxy can be a reasonable compromise in terms of effort & cost on an older boat. My 5229 has had some serious issues at the stern, being rebuilt twice with West's fine range of products plus my own concoctions using Devoe industrial caoatings...

It now has a uniform coat of Devoe 4508 white on the hull, not a mirror smooth gel-coat by any means, but a white, smooth & tough finish that , yes, hides a multitude of sins.... but this one will be in the family til the end, so no surprises for the unwary buyer. (my Chrysler Man-O-War is a different story, same issues but looking for a new home since my youngest has fallen in love with the neighbour's Laser !)
 
I prime absolutely everything I paint that's not using a paint/primer in one. That said, i never see a reference to priming on this boats. How essential or unnecessary is priming on a Sunfish???
To use or not to use a primer depends entirely on what paint you are using and the surface you are putting it over. If you have existing paint on the Sunfish the biggest issue you have is determining what the old paint is. You need to know this because any new paint you apply might lift the old paint or not stick properly. (You can either sand it all off or do a 'test patch' with the new paint to see what happens) If you are thinking of painting the existing gel coat then it is a bit easier. Gel coat that is clean and properly sanded can be directly painted with epoxy or polyurethane paint. (Or, of course, a refresher coat of gel coat) The paint manufacturer will advise the proper steps for preparing the surface and whether or not their paint needs a primer as many newer paints are self priming.
I have successfully painted the bottoms of a couple of older Sunfish hulls directly with an industrial grade polyurethane paint and have had good luck. The key to the job was in the cleaning and sanding of the old gel coat. Sure makes the boat look a lot better. Fortunately the decks revived with compounding and waxing which I would always recommend in lieu of painting if possible.
 

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