Let's Fix Anhinga! Part 3: The Hull and Painting

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Let's Fix Anhinga! Part 3: The Hull and Painting

Postby Guest » Mon Sep 08, 1997 12:00 am

<p>This image shows some more of the hull's paint condition:</p><p><a href="/daysailer/repair/images/paint_lg.jpg"><img src="/daysailer/repair/images/paint_sm.jpg" alt="Paint on bottom of hull" border="1" width="142" height="95"></a> (click for a larger image)</p><p>It looks to me like the hull needs washed, sanded, and re-painted. I've been reading about boat painting some, but I don't think I quite get it yet.</p><p>My work area is limited to my wife's parents' farm, out of doors (and in an unheated barn if I'm lucky). I suppose this makes for good ventilation, but I don't want to destroy the environment, either. Will a sander with a vacuum-bag attachment really keep me from getting paint dust all over the ground?</p><p>I think I'm OK with the safety requirements, as I intend to wear goggles, gloves, and a mask approved for painting and sanding.</p><p>I am really confused about my painting options. If I sand the hull all the way back to the fiberglass, what comes next? Do I just start painting or is this a multiple-step process? How does a "primer" fit in?</p><p>Looking through the E&B Marine catalog, I see references to "top-coat" and "bottom-coat" paints. Does this mean a coat for the top of the boat and one for the bottom, or does it mean you apply the bottom-coat first and finish off with the top-coat?</p><p>Do I have to use an "ablative" paint? The idea of poisoning the water with dissolving paint just to keep my boat looking pretty is ridiculous to me. What other options do I have?</p><p>How long does marine paint take to dry? This is a particular concern to me since the boat has to be outside. Will covering the drying hull with a tarp or keeping it in the unheated barn be sufficient?</p>

Mike Boone (BooneDocks-at-kagi.com)
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Postby Bob Hunkins » Tue Sep 09, 1997 12:00 am

You don't need bottom paint for your boat unless you intend to keep it in the water for long periods of time. My old DS was painted with interlux brightside paint. Just a single part polyurethane. I'd recommend getting a copy of <A HREF="http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ISBN=0071579931/boonedocksbookliA/">"This Old Boat"</A> by Don Casey, (McGraw Hill) It's a good practical book about boat repair.
Bob Hunkins
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Postby Guest » Sun Oct 26, 1997 12:00 am

Geez Guy, you are in for a lot of hard work. I have had a gulf coast 20 for the last 12 years, It is a similar centerboard daysailor. If you want that hull to look like new you are going to have to sand like hell after you have waterbalsted it clean. Sand by hand , obital or whatever. It will look like snowfall. Vaccum baggers on sanders are problematic at best. Wear a tyvek suit. You will have to get the surface perfect, before you paint, as every imperfection will show. Only paint with 2 part poly. You can rool it on with the proper roller,then tip it off with a foam brush. If your really good the result is great. Nothing will look as good as a spray job. All two part poly paints are VERY toxic to people. You are going to use a lot of special solvents, all matched to the paint system you are using. The decks will be even harder as all spider webs will have to be ground out brfore you paint. The bottom should be done in epoxy, several coats of it. The centerboard will have to come out also. Are you prepaired to make some sort of rig to jack the boat up? I used a J24 trailer. God you have a lot of work to do. I guess you have two choices, do a total resto, one that you will be proud of, or, clean it , and get it in the water and have fun. This might help. pro jobs cost $200 per ft for decks and 120 per ft for topsides.

Have fun, I'll keep track of your site. Nicely done I might add.

Michael Puig (tranmkp-at-neosoft.com)
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Postby Guest » Tue Dec 02, 1997 1:00 am

I assume that youy don't intend to race this boat. Bottom preparation for a race boat is a whole different answer.

First preparation:
There are two ways to remove the old paint; Mechanically and Chemically.
Mechanical removal involvs scraping and sanding and will probably damage the gelcoat some.
Chemical removal systems can leave the gelcoat unharmed and some, though expensive, can be environmentally friendly and a lot easier and faster. Check Defender or West Marine catalogs.

Painting:
Totside paint goes above the waterline. If your gelcoat is decent, it is strictly cosmetic. A one part polyurethane paint should roll on easily in the barn given a good late spring day that satisfies the temperature requirements. Consider compounding the gelcoat as an alternative.

Bottom paint falls into two catagories; Anti-fouling, and barrier coat.
Anti-fouling is used ifthe boatis left in the water for long periods of time without cleaning. We are talking about ocean water or dirty lake water. A clean, cold lake will not foul your bottom too bad if you clean it every couple weeks or so.
Ablative anti fouling like VC17 is good in fresh water and for a short season in salt. I don't think it is any worse than any other anti-fouling paint for the environment, which is not to say it is harmless, it does release copper. Non-ablative paint will last longer but builds up and is more difficult to remove.
Barrier coat bottom paint is neccessary if your gelcoatis damaged or is blistering and you are not drysailing. These paints are tricky to apply, and must be applied in several coats with strict time/temperature schedules. If you are going to leave your boatin the water and the bottom has blistered, you should consider striping, sanding, and then having an auto-body or marine painting shop apply the paint.

If your bottom gelcoat is in decent shape and you can drysail (trailersail) or clean it periodically, consider not painting it.



Bob Lemaire (rlemaire-at-mediaone.com)
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Postby Guest » Wed Dec 17, 1997 1:00 am

If you are determined to repaint the bottom, I would strongly suggest having a shop do it. Not only is the process extremely toxic, but it is very easy to do badly. Is there any good reason you can't just take it down to gelcoat and leave it? (IE you're leaving the boat in the water.) If you dry sail it, you shouldn't need to have anything on the bottom. Perhaps your money and time would be better spent on figuring out a way to dry sail the boat, than spending a bundle on a bottom paint job, or doing it yourself. Many of the really fast racing guys just leave the bottom gelcoat, and then either wax the heck out of it or use one of those slick new bottom coatings that will protect the bottom, resist critters attaching (But not anywhere near as well as bottom paint.) and will be very fast if you're racing. I have had good luck with West Marine basic wax with Teflon. It is easy to apply, and leaves a really nice finish. Obviously you've got to sand like a madman to make the bottom smooth first.

By the way, we will be doing a very similar rebuild to #2879 this winter and spring. We'll try to share and keep up to date with you.

Mike Mendes (mmendes-at-lewan.com)
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Postby Guest » Mon Feb 02, 1998 1:00 am

Re: bottom paints.
From what I've read in Practical Sailor, "bottom" paints are made to slowly leach out chemicals (mostly copper compounds) which discourage barnacles and grassy growth. If your boat is stored on the trailer when you're not sailing, you don't need a bottom paint. You need a smooth finish for more speed. Some racers claim that a wet-sanded (400-grit) paint is faster than a waxed hull. However, a sanded hull gets dirty quickly and must be resanded at least twice a year.
Some esoteric fast-bottom ideas: U.S. Navy research on the subject aims toward the ideal of porpoise slime. The idea is that slow sloughing of a slick coating alters the stagnant layer of water at the suface of a moving vessel. The closest you can get cheaply is to coat the bottom with detergent before each race. Ocean racers are experimenting with siphon ports in the hull which ,when planing, would pull air into the slipstream. The idea is that a hull riding on a streams of bubbles will have less drag.

Ken Nottingham (AskNott-at-aol.com)
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Postby Guest » Mon Feb 21, 2000 1:00 am

After reading what would be involved in re-painting a Daysailer I, I'm convinced I'd rather have a shop do it. Does anyone know how much a new paint job, hull and topsides, would cost? I'm in the N.H., Mass., area.

Gavin Benson (gavin.benson-at-curriculumassociates.com)
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