applying paint

hello everyone. i am going to repaint the topsides on my boat. i have 2 questions. q1. can someone describe the roll and tip method to me. q2. is international toplac a good paint and will it work with roll and tip method. i normally use the spray gun but it is not allowed at our club.

 

also, is there much difference if i just use the roller or brush on its own.

 

That is a one-pack enamel ? Roll and tip, which means rolling on the paint and then lightly drawing just the tip of a brush over it, should be OK. Watch your brush doesn't shed bristles ! Follow the instructions on the tin as regards thinning for brushing. A two-pack polyurethane system would be a better choice for durability, and can quite successfully be brushed with the appropriate brushing thinner.

 

I've painted several boats plus two of my guitars with the two part polyurethane system and got excellent results, as good as spray on the guitars. Purchase the best brushes you can find and be well prepared prior to starting.

A yacht is not defined by the vessel but by the care and love of her owner

 

Roll and tip is a simple method to describe, but like most things it takes some practice to do it well.

All the usual painter's tips and tricks need to be applied, such as maintaining a wet edge and working in manageable size areas, etc.

The reason you use a roller, instead of just brushing is a roller will apply an even film of paint. A brush doesn't does this nearly as well. Plus a roller can cover a much larger area faster.

Rolling out paint even and not "stretching" it takes practice. The most common thing I see from novices is they attempt to stretch the paint, which is trying to spread the roller full of paint into too large an area, thinking they're getting good coverage. Your not. A roller full is best applied in a "N" or "W" shape initially. This deposits the bulk of the paint onto the surface. Then you move this N or W shape a little, maybe a half a roller width in each direction as you smooth it out and fill in the bare patches. That's it, no more will serve no good. As a last step I always go back over the freshly rolled area and pull the roller through in the same direction with a very slight overlap. This makes the coating uniform and eliminates lap marks. Once this is done, immediately "tip it off" which is to use a relatively dry brush, held nearly perpendicular to the surface and lightly drag it over the work, all the while maintaining the wet edge. I usually start at one end of the area and drag the brush (lightly) through the paint, in a step and repeat pattern. Don't over brush it, just a single pass is typically all it needs. Finally, I use foam brushes. They're far superior to any other type of brush (for tipping) and they're cheap too. They don't hold as much paint as a good bristle brush, but they lay down a much better finish and no hairs. They can be prone to splatter, so work carefully and this isn't a problem.

That's the roll and tip method. Single part polyurethanes such as Brightside are nearly as good as the two part LPU paints with a much more tolerable price too.

Last week as a test, I used a squeegee to apply a single part polyurethane. I tipped off the lap marks left by it's edge, but the 12" wide blade produced a smooth, nearly flawless finish without tipping the bulk of the area. It was fast, but applying paint was troublesome as I played with different techniques to slap paint on with a squeegee. It was promising enough to consider trying again on something. Naturally, it'll only work on relatively flat areas, but even at that . . .

 

thanks for the replys, i didn't realise you could roll 2 pac but as par stated the single part is quite a bit cheaper . i am after a nice finish for everyday use rather than a show finish. i have tried buffing the gelcoat but i think it is just to old , it doesn't polish very well. is there a book or video available on roll and tip that i can get or should i just practice on scrap with some left over enamel i have .

 

Your preferred paint will 'self-level' about as good as any paint can, and if you paint out of direct sun or extreme hot weather, maintaining the 'wet edge' shouldn't be too difficult. Experiment by all means on an old beer fridge or similar, but follow the instructions on the tin as regards undercoats etc.

 

The Savage Lancer is a good boat, well made and quite solid. Before you paint it, try some 800 wet and dry paper, using a spray bottle on the job to keep it all wet, using a figure 8 pattern if you can, but many do not get that well, so circular patterns if you can't do it. Only do about a 500mm area at a time and overlap as you go. Next try a cutting compound applied with one of those Maguires cheeseburgers, slap it on to the area proposed, then buff off with a lambswool pad at about 1700rpm. Finally using another cheeseburger, apply a nice carnarbu wax finish, I am sure that the savage will allow this work easily.