HELP! repainting old cedar row boat

[Julie]

I am ready to paint an old cedar row boat. I have stripped it & am wondering about how to best prep the surface and what kind of paint is best. An old 2006 tread mentioned Rustoleum paint........is that too good to be true?
Julie

[alan white]

Prime the hull first, using an oil based primer---- Behr makes a good primer. I prime twice and sand twice, and apply two finish or top coats.
For the finish color, if you can find a Benjamin Moore oil/polyurethane deck enamal in a color you like, that's the inexpensive way to go. The stuff holds up. Otherwise, try a marine supply for Petit or Interlux marine enamals at $25 a quart or more.
Rustoleum... I've found is like painting with colored glue. It is best to reserve that kind of paint for metal.

alan

[Julie]

I am painting the inside of the row boat also - so, prime 2 coats, sanding in between coats, correct? How do you wipe away the sanding dust & what grade of sand paper? Can you tell I've never done this before? Thanks for any other details.
Julie

[alan white]

Use 220 grit to sand between coats. I said I prime with two coats, but that's my method. I do it because it ensures a good base, fills grain better, protects better. When you sand the first coat, you remove unevenly. If you work clean, the second coat should barely require any sanding.
Vacuum first, after sanding. Then use a tack cloth (sticky cheescloth available in any paint department). Open the cloth completely and form into a loose ball. Drag it without pressing over all the surfaces. It will pick up dust you can't even see.
The two top coats--- sand again with 220, tack, and use a china bristle brush or a faom brush to lay the paint on. Stay with sectioned areas and work quickly enough to keep the brush from dragging on drying paint. Paint in the shade, or at least not in direct sunlight, and not when it's too hot.
Let us know how it went?

Akan

[Julie]

Thanks! I'm off the the piant store today! I am also thinking of fiberglassing the nose of the boat (since that needed compete replacing) What do you think of that idea?
Julie

[alan white]

If by "nose" you mean the stem, where the planks land, that depends on the damage. Usually, that point gets smashed and chewed when trailering or ramming docks. Everything beyond the planking forward is "deadwood" in the sense that it splits the water, but if it fell off completely, the boat would be just about as strong as before. I would not recommend fiberglassing it if it's a deep gouge like an inch, which ought to be repaired by planing a flat that is as deep as the damage 9this might be a long flat unless the bow id spoon-shaped), screwing and epoxying a piece of white oak or mahogany on that's thick enough to bring the original shape back (mahogany doesn't have to be screwed if the original stem is mahogany).
It's very easy to do. If the damage is light, like less than 3/4" deep, use epoxy to repair it. No fiberglass is required. Roughen up the area with very coarse sandpaper, expose fresh wood (epoxy likes irregular surfaces that are clean), and mix microballons into the epoxy until exactly like cake icing (no sagging when made into a pile). Tape around the area not gouged. Butter the icing onto the wound, and then have some thick clear polyethelene ready (like 6 mil poly). Cover the epoxy putty and shape it with a 6" drywall knife or similar. Squeeze the exta out to the sides. You can play with it for a while, getting it perfect. When it's cured, the palstic will peel off. Then you can sand with 60 grit to perfection and prime/paint.
Get West System 105 epoxy and 206 hardener. They are available at some hardware stores near water, and at most marine supplys. Microballoons should be found at the West display at the marine supply. Get rubber gloves too.

A.