Painting the boat
Posted: Sun Apr 15, 2012 5:29 pm
Got my bottom paint finished today. Will need an hour with the massage therapist to get the kinks out but it came out decent. Warning! This is how I lifted my boat to paint the hull, try this method at your own risk! Your trailer frame may not be the same and this may not be safe for you, it may have not been safe for me.
I started by sanding the hull, at least everything that the bunk boards didn't cover. I now feel as though I have a Master's degree in sanding. I tryed three sanders I had, and actually bought a 4th. The newest one is an 8 hole random orbital from Sears, that had a bag attachment. I left the bag off and used a car vac hose attached to my 5gal shop vac to keep the dust down to a minimum. The hose didn't fit perfectly but was close, it caught prob 90% of the dust.
Without access to a lift or sling I reasoned that I could lift each side of the boat one at a time, using a 2x4 about 4 inches from the keel pocket and two floor jacks. The floor jacks sit on the trailer frame, the back jack I put on a double thickness of 2x4. I also thought that three or four bottle jacks sitting ont he frame might have worked too.
I then removed the bunk board and sanded the area where the boards support the boat, I also replaced the carpet with bunk carpet from West Marine. I also replaced all of the bunk hardware with new galvinized from Tractor Supply and drilled 3/4 inch hole in the bunk boards where the carrige bolts went into the wood. Originaly mine stuck up and since the carpet was so bad, my boat was riding on bolt heads. The carpet went on with 3M carpet glue in a spray can. I only put carpet on the face of the boards, that way I can see them and tell when they need to be replaced, instead of hiding them behind carpet. I may varnished the exposed wood, just to protect them.
I used bondo to fill a few holes, there were dozens of places where I thought the boat had been dinged, but since many were perfectly spaced, I assume they are mold marks and were originaly filled, but after 30 years, they needed attention.
I painted the boat with Valspar enamel, from Tractor Supply. I used enamel hardener to try and make it last longer. I applyed it with a 4 inch wide foam roller which worked well. The first coat didn't cover well, I did a full first coat, then touch up where I had made repairs, then a full third coat allowing about an hour between coats. I did the STBD side first, then the PORT. I used 2 inch wide 3M blue painter's tape to mask the black waterline.
The paint came out well, seems to be rock hard after 24 hours. The high gloss does show every ripple and bump in the hull though. The painter's tape is still on in this picture. It worked well, nice sharp waterline.
Once the boat was down on the new bunk carpet I layed on my back on an auto creeper and did a final sand on the center section and then rolled the center. My keel was sanded and wire brushed and them painted with Rustoleum rusty metal primer. I may leave it primed, or paint it white but the primer is oil based. I plan to drop the keel and install my newly aquired stainless keel brackets this fall. I plan to media blast the keel then and paint it with POR and then top coat it.
For the record I used a quart and almost a half of the blue, and a few ounces of the can of hardner.
I started by sanding the hull, at least everything that the bunk boards didn't cover. I now feel as though I have a Master's degree in sanding. I tryed three sanders I had, and actually bought a 4th. The newest one is an 8 hole random orbital from Sears, that had a bag attachment. I left the bag off and used a car vac hose attached to my 5gal shop vac to keep the dust down to a minimum. The hose didn't fit perfectly but was close, it caught prob 90% of the dust.
Without access to a lift or sling I reasoned that I could lift each side of the boat one at a time, using a 2x4 about 4 inches from the keel pocket and two floor jacks. The floor jacks sit on the trailer frame, the back jack I put on a double thickness of 2x4. I also thought that three or four bottle jacks sitting ont he frame might have worked too.
I then removed the bunk board and sanded the area where the boards support the boat, I also replaced the carpet with bunk carpet from West Marine. I also replaced all of the bunk hardware with new galvinized from Tractor Supply and drilled 3/4 inch hole in the bunk boards where the carrige bolts went into the wood. Originaly mine stuck up and since the carpet was so bad, my boat was riding on bolt heads. The carpet went on with 3M carpet glue in a spray can. I only put carpet on the face of the boards, that way I can see them and tell when they need to be replaced, instead of hiding them behind carpet. I may varnished the exposed wood, just to protect them.
I used bondo to fill a few holes, there were dozens of places where I thought the boat had been dinged, but since many were perfectly spaced, I assume they are mold marks and were originaly filled, but after 30 years, they needed attention.
I painted the boat with Valspar enamel, from Tractor Supply. I used enamel hardener to try and make it last longer. I applyed it with a 4 inch wide foam roller which worked well. The first coat didn't cover well, I did a full first coat, then touch up where I had made repairs, then a full third coat allowing about an hour between coats. I did the STBD side first, then the PORT. I used 2 inch wide 3M blue painter's tape to mask the black waterline.
The paint came out well, seems to be rock hard after 24 hours. The high gloss does show every ripple and bump in the hull though. The painter's tape is still on in this picture. It worked well, nice sharp waterline.
Once the boat was down on the new bunk carpet I layed on my back on an auto creeper and did a final sand on the center section and then rolled the center. My keel was sanded and wire brushed and them painted with Rustoleum rusty metal primer. I may leave it primed, or paint it white but the primer is oil based. I plan to drop the keel and install my newly aquired stainless keel brackets this fall. I plan to media blast the keel then and paint it with POR and then top coat it.
For the record I used a quart and almost a half of the blue, and a few ounces of the can of hardner.
