base coat clear coat or imron

getrdunn · 09-19-2009, 12:36 AM

hello,
this fall or winter i plan to not only reconstruct the deck of my 32 spectra however i was wondering what would be the ideal paint or imron to use. the boat is rarely in the water for more that a week or two at the most. years ago i painted the sides of a 24 challenger with a base coat clear coat with sherman williams and it held up extremely well. however i sold the boat about 2 years after i did this. i use to work at a body shop years ago and still enjoy painting cars and what not to this day. i know the products have improved and changed a bunch over the years and really need some advice on what to do here. to be honest i have never sprayed imron and it scares me a bit just because of not ever using it but i am not affraid to do so as long as i know what nozzles, etc.. (devilbiss spray guns) the other thing i was wondering if i do use imron is it best to clear it also. i have a shop to paint the boat in however not with very good ventalation. i even considered to paint it outside the shop on a nice calm morning when the temps would allow. if i am advised not to use clear with the imron i was wondering if it can be wet sanded and buffed like other paints with clear coats. if so what grit would be advised? 1200 - 1500??? also i would assume the imron is a much more sracth resistant and durable than that of reg. base coat clear coat. with that said is it real tough to sand? if so is it possible to start with a lower grit wet paper and then work your way up to the micro fine papers? the boat is not going to be a show piece by any means however i am a little particular and would like a nice finish. this is going to be a bit of a budget deal as i have went way over with the engines this year. i do know howerver all the paint products are very expensive regardless of what way i go. it seems like the materials know a days are as much as what the entire job with labor use to be.

i plan to paint the sides and deck of the boat. more than likely the back also. thanks for your help and i appoligize as i didn't do much of a search here as i probably should have.

thanks a lot guys. any help would be appreciated.

jdub · 09-19-2009, 07:36 AM

Good looking boat...whats your plans with the deck? Cutting it down?

I'm sure the experts will chime in shortly but if your looking for some real life comparison between base/clear and single stage here is my feelings after painting 4 boats.

If your going to paint it yourself I think it depends on how comfortable you are with a product and how much you want to spend. I've personally never painted a entire boat with base/clear. But I had my Saber's dash and transom done in base/clear this winter. Turned out great. Little expensive (mostly the clear). Diamont was the paint used. On two other boat bottoms and one entire boat I've used Imron. The industrial coatings line. About $120 a gallon with hardener. Turned out great. Shines great with no buffing. But colors are limited with this line of Imron. I went with plain white and black. On another entire boat I used PPG Concept. A single stage like Imron. Again turned out great with no buffing (unless you get some dirt/bugs that fall on the deck). But buffs easily. With the single stage paint you can clear over if you want but it's not necessary.

So basically the painter I used for the Saber wanted to use base/clear for the transom and dash because that's what he was comfortable spraying. I wanted to use Imron for the bottom because I knew it was tough and would look good and save money. The base/clear does look deeper (more clear and black) then the Imron. But cost twice as much for three times less paint. The single stage PPG Concept I used on the Excalibur and Corsa boats is also nice and tough. You can get alot of colors and doesn't require clear. Not cheap but not as expensive as the base/clear.

So if I were to do it again (which I'm sure I will) this is how I would go about it. Painting an entire boat one solid color I would use single stage Imron/PPG/Awlgrip or comparable. If I were painting graphics or stripes (focal points) I would use base/clear. I think this would yield the most cost effective yet good looking job.

getrdunn · 09-20-2009, 08:34 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdub

Good looking boat...whats your plans with the deck? Cutting it down?

I'm sure the experts will chime in shortly but if your looking for some real life comparison between base/clear and single stage here is my feelings after painting 4 boats.

If your going to paint it yourself I think it depends on how comfortable you are with a product and how much you want to spend. I've personally never painted a entire boat with base/clear. But I had my Saber's dash and transom done in base/clear this winter. Turned out great. Little expensive (mostly the clear). Diamont was the paint used. On two other boat bottoms and one entire boat I've used Imron. The industrial coatings line. About $120 a gallon with hardener. Turned out great. Shines great with no buffing. But colors are limited with this line of Imron. I went with plain white and black. On another entire boat I used PPG Concept. A single stage like Imron. Again turned out great with no buffing (unless you get some dirt/bugs that fall on the deck). But buffs easily. With the single stage paint you can clear over if you want but it's not necessary.

So basically the painter I used for the Saber wanted to use base/clear for the transom and dash because that's what he was comfortable spraying. I wanted to use Imron for the bottom because I knew it was tough and would look good and save money. The base/clear does look deeper (more clear and black) then the Imron. But cost twice as much for three times less paint. The single stage PPG Concept I used on the Excalibur and Corsa boats is also nice and tough. You can get alot of colors and doesn't require clear. Not cheap but not as expensive as the base/clear.

So if I were to do it again (which I'm sure I will) this is how I would go about it. Painting an entire boat one solid color I would use single stage Imron/PPG/Awlgrip or comparable. If I were painting graphics or stripes (focal points) I would use base/clear. I think this would yield the most cost effective yet good looking job.

thanks for your help here. i know what your saying about other opinions but that's OK. there are probably several ways you could go about. you anwered my question and i appreciate you taking the time to share your experiences with me. my plans are to chop the deck and basically pull the windscreen area back toward the stern. just looking for a more traditional offshore boat. i found some pics from someone on the board that was kind enough to send me in the right direction and actually had done the same thing that i am going to attempt.

let me know your thoughts of the deck mods. i think it looks pretty cool. with some patients and not a huge amount of money the out come would be superior to the original.

thanks again for your opinion and i look forward to your thoughts on my project. beleive it or not this is the same year and make boat.

john

getrdunn · 09-20-2009, 08:42 PM

here is a little different angle of the original. you can certainly see the improvement of the one above. at least i think anyway.

getrdunn · 09-20-2009, 08:44 PM

pretty cool....

jdub · 09-21-2009, 06:53 AM

Looks alot better. That will be a fun project. Well worth it when its all said and done. I took the wind shield off my old 27 Excalibur and glassed in a fairing. Made a huge difference in the look of the boat

Strip Poker 388 · 09-21-2009, 11:27 PM

I like the fairing,they have sleek looking lines.

Rob

88scarab · 09-22-2009, 09:59 AM

the fairing looks good is that the same saber that is at d&r in seaside

jdub · 09-22-2009, 04:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 88scarab

the fairing looks good is that the same saber that is at d&r in seaside

You talking about my Saber? The white boat in the pics above is a 27 Excalibur.....I don't know of any other Saber in NJ.

getrdunn · 09-23-2009, 10:11 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jdub

You talking about my Saber? The white boat in the pics above is a 27 Excalibur.....I don't know of any other Saber in NJ.

that's funny. it does have the looks of a saber though. that is a compliment. regardless that looks awesome. you did a very nice job.

if you wouldn't mind taking the time please share with me as to how you laid this up. just wondering if i am going about it right.

thanks for your time and help in advance.

john