steel boat paint

[putinbay bob]

hi there. what kind of paint and/or primer should i use for old steel fishing boats? i am not initially planning on taking the surface all the way to bare metal, just scraping pretty well and hoping for the best. thank you.

[MikeJohns]

Bob
It depends on what is there already, epoxy is always the best paint system you are best advised to contact a local paint rep and let him look at the job.

[putinbay bob]

i appreciate that, mike. i know just the guy.

bob g

[Crag Cay]

If you are on fresh water, then you can get away with a slightly less perfect steel preparation. However it will never be as good as blasting.

If you have a Devoe Coatings (ICI) rep near you, I've had excellent results with their 'Bar Rust 235 epoxy coating'. They'll let you know if the level of prep you can achieve would be okay with this.

[putinbay bob]

thank you crag cay. i will look into 'Bar Rust 235 epoxy coating'.

[safewalrus]

chlorinated rubber based paint, one pot stuff, easy to apply, no special weather conditions (unlike epoxy which is BETTER but the conditions have to be PERFECT) means you can apply between trips when its too rough to go out but you may want to sail later when it eases! Only trouble is it's manufacture gives of nasty fumes which are not good for the environment so it's a bit awkward to get hold of but it's bloody magic stuff believe me!

[SmithCraft64]

How about a DTM alkyd? No primer necessary two coat application. It's inexpensive, durable and it has a really nice gloss finish. $30.00 per gallon.

[putinbay bob]

thank you everyone. i have plenty to go shopping. inexpensive and easy are two of my favorite words. we just need to get some of these old fishing boats fixed up and rented to see if there is a market for it on our island.

[Wynand N]

good old coal tar epoxy, if you can find some. Nowadays illegal in many countries