Temporary Paint?

I am looking for help with a unique situation we have.

We have a boat (an expensive boat) that was just built. It's currently got an epoxy surface that is ready to accept a paint system. Alexseal is most likely candidate.

However, we have to move this boat outside for a year while we finish the interior to free up shop space.

This means we need to protect the boat from UVs.

It's not time for the final paint job to go on. We have a lot of work to do yet and it will get messed up. We also cannot put up tents and tarps and whatnot.

We need to paint the boat, temporarily and cheaply, then sand the sacrificial paint back off to expose epoxy, which will be ready to accept Alexseal primer and topcoat.

Any ideas on what paint would last 1-2 years outside, would protect epoxy from UVs, would be cheap and hopefully would not require a primer to stay on for 1-2 years?

Obviously, looks/gloss and appearance do not matter. This is just a temporary coating to keep the UVs off the epoxy.

Thanks!

 

I would just go with the epoxy primer for the topcoat i would be using. Ive used 545 primer on a repaired transom for a couple of years and it held up fine.

Steve.

 

Thank you, Steve.

I know the 545 and all the other primers are epoxy based. Do you think they have the ability to protect the deck for a couple years? What about their protection ability as time goes on and they deteriorate?

The main priority is to keep the UVs off the epoxy hull. Do you think your 545 kept the UVs in check under the primer?

 

We have since painted the boat and there was certainly no visible deterioration so i would guess it protected the resin,althought it was acrylic modified epoxy, not 100% solids epoxy and a hull gets less uv than, say, a deck. I did read on another forum that the grey primer protects the epoxy better than the white but it would get hotter in the sun, but that may not be a bad thing as it would post cure the laminate nicely before prepping for the topcoat.

Steve.

 

I will go for a cheap water based house paint white color.
Easy to get rid off, perfect for UV, and easy to apply.

 

House paint...why not ? Cheap and cheerful.

Epoxy primer would be a good choice for a month or two but long term the UV would certainly burn it up. Be kinda like burning up handfulls of one dollar notes.

 

Epoxy primer wouldn't be my choice either. I'd something that could be chemically removed easily, that will offer UV resistance. Primers usually don't. Acrylics might work, though they're not as easy to remove (chemically) as the lacquers, which would be my choice. A lacquer will come off with just a simple solvent wipe, but acrylics (house paint) will need a toluene stripper or lots of sand paper. The same would be true of an alkyd house paint. I think a tarp would be the cheapest way to go frankly.

 

I would use latex house paint too. cheap, effective and not too bad to remove later.

Have you considered using that heavy white plastic shrink wrap that they put on new boats when they get delivered? It is a very tough plastic film that will bond to itself when heated. It is designed to protect the boat from weather and sun. You wrap the hull, heat it with a heat gun and when it cools it shrinks down tight, and bonds to itself. It holds up for years (about 4), and you just cut it and peel it back to remove it. I would consider using that, it would save a lot of labor and not risk having the final paint contaminated with something that may not allow it to bond properly.

 

Good advice. I read up on it last night a bit. Acrylic latex paint seems like it will last as long as we want it to. Thanks.

PAR. The lacquer is a good idea too. A solvent wipe would make things a whole lot easier than taking the sandpaper to it. I'll have to see if the lacquer would leave any residue that might make us have to sand anyway. Thoughts on that?

 

There are water based spray on liquids that turn into a film to protect against overspray. Made by 3M and other brands.
Check for UV resistance.

May be more expensive to start but you won't need to spend days cleaning it either....it just peels off.

Other than that I'd say wrap it-more expensive at the beginning but at the end all you need is a knife and 5 minutes and you are done.

 

Like i said, i have actually used white 545 primer on a transom for a couple of years, with no problem whatsoever, you realise its not just clear epoxy resin, it has pigment which i guess protects it from the uv, best of all we didnt need to remove anything that could have affected the bond of subsequent coatings, im sure its not recomended by the makers but it worked well for me. A lot of extra work applying and then removing any other non compatable coatings imho. I definatly would steer clear of latex, ive had to remove latex that some boatowner had applied on gelcoat and it was a *****. I like WestVanHans suggestion if it would work,remove it with a blow gun.

Steve.

 

Ive never heard of anyone with this problem before . There is something wrong with your build procedure..

Household emulsion water based but not water soluble can be a Vinyl .

Look at Jotun specs I think its Jotomat. I just did the house with it.

The epoxy paint you have on now may suffer a colour degradation but will it be able to take another paint system on top of it when your ready would be my question.

If you are going to try to paint over masked areas it will be almost impossible to remove every bit and your expensive top coat will be in jeopardy and break away in those tiny areas.

Paint manufacturers go to a lot of trouble to make paint that stays on, you are wanting the opposite. If you insist on this route only a paint manufacturer would now best on its weakest paint.

To protect painted surfaces most would use a tarp or mask with something. When you remove this emulsion paint say 20 gallons ( I don't know how big this boat is) you will turn the marina or port white, the pollution will need special equipment.

 

I would definately use something like this:

http://www.protectapeel.co.uk/

A peelable coating which is easy to apply, and easy to remove without sanding.

These types of coating should also be used when parking a mould outside, to protect it from whatever happens outside.

 

That peel coat is fantastic when the yacht is in the shipyard. Does a perfect job protecting the surfaces from Sikaflex blobs , workboots power cord skid marks....but Ive been told...TAKE IT OFF once the boat is outside in the weather. The film may trap moisture and this moisture may get burnt, steamed, into the awl grip or other finish.

Be careful.

 

Cosmoline is an option, if messy and a pain in the butt, though not difficult (xylene, followed by benzene) to remove. The fast way to go is a PET film wrap, though not cheap. I'm not sure of how big you boat is, but I can get tarps to 100' pretty easily and they can serve as a temporary shelter too.