Hull Painting

[Cliff Ruckstuhl]

My son is wanting me to paint our creme colored hull on our J 29 to a black hull. I have allot of racing pumps to take care of and an area on the bow about the size of a softball and a few other spot's that are smaller. Along the toe rail ther are allot of small chunks missing. What one would expect from a "Raced hard put away wet" boat. I am pretty sure I will not be able to match the gel-coat to the same color so that the repairs will not be seen. If I could get close I would then take the boat and have it buffed out and waxed. I would spend more on the buffing and waxing and then throw in $3/gallon gas and the place I need to take it is a 100 miles from home. I will spend less on the paint.

I am giving the J 29 a total refit with new paint on the deck and the interior so I am thinking I might as well do the hull and have a boat that looks really sharp in the spring. I have been using the Interlux Brightside paint on the cabin and will be using the Durabak non skid grey on the deck. I will then use some of the Interlux paint on the hull as well but a different paint then the Brightside. Will the black cover the creme white and be really nice and will I have what I see in my head when I am done??

Cliff

[gonzo]

It depends on your skills and knowledge. Why can't you match the gelcoat color?

[PAR]

A black hull will make for a hot hull, in warm areas. Black is one of the more difficult colors to apply, but it can cover your buff hull. Toplac would be my choice if sticking with Interlux products for the hull. They also have Perfection, a two part polyurethane, but is more difficult to apply in the driveway.

[Cliff Ruckstuhl]

We sail on Lake Erie and I just don't think I have the talent to match the Gelcoat to make a perfect match. My son want's a black hull but I would prefer to stay close to the orginal color but have seen some boats with a dark blue that has caight my eye.

Cliff

[mastcolin]

Side issue;-

I presume you race? Most yachts in fleet will be shade of white. If you are one of few coloured, watch your starts. They'll see your bow a mile off. Get practicing your 360's or starts!

My friend had Mumm 30 with blue hull. He put white fade on her bow.

[Cliff Ruckstuhl]

I had given the fade to another color some thought and stoped by a Truck dealer today and talked to them about spraying the hull. I need to get them some pictures of the boat to get a price from them. They use Emron paint and I would just have them use that to paint the boat. Any thoughts on having them paint the hull with Emron?

Cliff

[yokebutt]

Sure, Imron (for aircraft, if memory serves) was fairly common on custom racing boats years ago, before the dedicated marine polyurethanes.

You might want to have a look at the Awlcraft 2000 product from US Paint, much easier to repair, and a good painter shouldn't have any trouble shooting it.

Yoke.

[SamSam]

My son is wanting me to paint our creme colored hull on our J 29 to a black hull. I have allot of racing pumps (bumps?) to take care of and an area on the bow about the size of a softball and a few other spot's that are smaller. Along the toe rail ther are allot of small chunks missing. Will the black cover the creme white and be really nice and will I have what I see in my head when I am done??

Cliff

Gloss black will show any unfairness of repairs or uneven sanding more than any other color. It will also highlight all the wavy undulations built into the boat or acquired over the years from aging. Scratches will be visible to blind people from miles away. The plus side is you can cook hamburgers on it in the summer sun. Sam

[Cliff Ruckstuhl]

I think I will stick with the white paint on the Hull. Cooking burger's or me is not on the list of things to do.

Cliff

[michael-compwes]

Gloss black will show any unfairness of repairs or uneven sanding more than any other color. It will also highlight all the wavy undulations built into the boat or acquired over the years from aging. Scratches will be visible to blind people from miles away. The plus side is you can cook hamburgers on it in the summer sun. Sam

.....I'd agree-dark colors have heat problems,,and are also best left for skilled refinishers to 'showcase' their skills.Also if you tend to scratch up your paint job,it's best to stay pretty close to your base color,otherwise your scratches will be what's highlighted :(