Well, I have decided to paint my boat this winter after much debate.
I have read lots of threads here about basics, prep, materials etc... My painter has won awards for his bikes and cars but never tried a boat before.

Can any of our resident experts tell me if there is a "how-to" book on this? Anything that lists fundementals, materials and steps in detail?

Can anybody provide me a reply here with steps in procedure along with the materials they use for each step so I make sure I don't miss a step and regret it later?

The concept is to repaint a 1997 Baja Boss 272 above the water line and we would like to use candies if possible under the clear. I've seen where others have used them instead of imron and i'm looking for the fades and colors to really pop.

I'm real excited about this along with being real concerned we will miss something in the process.

DayTripper

It's all about the prep.

where is ur boat located in lake cumberland? i might ask one of the fiberglass places around there. who are you using to do paint it? theres a place in somerset that completely re gel coated ours (taylors fiberglass repair) they take awhile, but could help ya with some questions. ask for darby, tell em garey jr sent ya

Be sure you remove wax from the boat before you do any sanding.. use a prep cleaner go over it two or three times... the Silicone in wax will not do good with paint. this is where "Fish eyes" Come from. If you don't get it all off it will be a constant battle fighting them. pay special attn to the nooks & crannies where wax hides.

I read most of this, lots of good info.....and some extra entertainment.



http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/s...t=painting+101

that was fun. im getting ready to put up a thread on some advanced gel coat and blueprinting stuff . . . .and i wont leave out the entertainment either

Thanks to all for the advice.

Most of what I have picked up did in fact come from the "boat painting 101" thread. glassdave had lots of good info in that thread. I read it all............ every last post. As stated earlier, very entertaining.

My biggest concern is using correct materials and not missing any steps.

I've noticed in some pix of boats being painted by large scale operations that they didn't remove rub rail, cleats, ladders, drives, tabs etc...

Is this the norm?

I'm used to removing absolutely everything that I can during the prep stage of a car etc... Is it different for boats?

The boat will be painted in a shop in Indiana. I plan to go get the boat this weekend and we will do the paint work over the next couple months.
My painter has had conversations with both PPG as well as House of Kolor.

I'm excited but nervous all at the same time.....

the trick is to keep the whole process as simple as you can. do each step one at a time than move on. i split the boat into three basic sections deck and each hull side. prep each one independantly. as an example on SeanH's boat when i did the right hull side i started by wiping the entire surface down with lacquer thinner than i sanded it completly with 320 (this means NO shiney spots and i mean NO SHINEY SPOTS!! ) after that i grind out all spots the needed filler, mix up epoxy/407 and apply. when that cures sand each spot with 80 grit than 180, prime than sand to 320. at this point your surface is all repaired and sanded to 320. from here i seal the boat in PPG's DP-48 and go to paint.

as far as removing trim that is my preferance also. its really up to you and your painter. i will say this though MIcherT is one of the best you will ever find and he tapes everything off. i have seen his work and it is a technique that works very well for him. i had a good chance to look at one of his jobs this week in key west an i think i may give it a shot myself . funny thing is i knew it was his work by the way it was taped, looked great


has your painter done many boats? just curious.

oops . . .just re-read the first post. one thing for you painter to keep in mind is to make the graphics BIG. motorcycle/car size graphics arent really viewable on the water. sure it may look good on the trailer from 5 feet away but ya gotta think BIG when your on the water

Thanks again glassdave.

After your last reply, I think we were headed in the right direction on steps etc...

I have gone thru every back issue of magazines and noted things I liked out of other paint concepts. I printed out blank side and top shots of my boat and began drawing different combinations with colored sharpies.
It took a while, but I found one that both I and the wife approved. She doesn't want additional color that is not already on, or in the boat so I had to stick with black, red and purple.
Right now it is the basic Baja checkered flag on the hull sides. I'm sticking with the colors and checkered flag concept but tried to personalize it.
I appreciate your advice on the size of the graphics as well. That is something I had talked to him about. Bike skins have graphics MUCH smaller than would be appropriate for a boat.

My painter is Brad Bole. He paints for a living at a large GM dealership and does customs on the side in his own shop. We plan to start the process around the end of December.

If I can figure it out, I can try and post a before and after if anybody is interested.

DayTripper