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Old 10-25-10, 02:28 PM   #1
CMorg
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Default Automotive Paint on a Boat

Is this possible ? Both with fiberglass and aluminum. Can auto grade paint be applied with success ? Boats arent usually wet for as long as they are dry. Inotherwords , they spend more time on a trailer in your garage. Has anyone had any success with auto paint on a boat ?
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Old 10-25-10, 04:54 PM   #2
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Now this is a fantastic question. I would like to know as well.
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Old 10-25-10, 05:56 PM   #3
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Friend of mine found that it works real well when repainting reels. I wouldn't see why it wouldn't.

Send an email to Ranger or Triton and see what type of paint they use. Wouldn't think it would be a secret.
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Old 10-25-10, 06:10 PM   #4
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Yes, absolutly. I painted cars for a living for 20 years. I have painted several boats. To use automotive paint you need to sand the gelcoat , clean it several times with wax and grease remover, apply 2 coats of epoxy primer, if the gelcoat was smooth you can then paint over the wet primer with the urethane topcoat. If the gelcoat was rough, you should spray 3 coats of urethane filler primer over the wet epoxy primer. The fill primer can be sanded smooth after it's cured and then if all the imperfections are filled and smooth you can spray the urethane topcoat. The primer needs to be sanded with 400 grit or finer to eliminate sand scratchs in the surface. If you need to use coarser sand paper to smooth it up, you will need to cover those scratches with more primer and then sand that with 400 grit.
For bare aluminum boats, you should clean the bare aluminum with detergent. Use a red scotch brite pad to scrub all surface areas. Then use a product called aluma prep to clean and etch the surface. Use 2 coats of epoxy primer and then 2 or 3 coats of urethane paint. You can use base coat clear coat urethane finishes or single stage urethane paint. For solid colors like black or white, I just use a single stage. For metalics, I use base clear. You can even add metal flake to the clear coat to make it look similar to a factory gel coat.
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Old 10-25-10, 07:06 PM   #5
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It'll work,but I don't see it holding up. Go scratch your car,then go scratch your gel coat and tell me which one is more durable.
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Old 10-25-10, 09:37 PM   #6
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Ok..what if you were to re-jell coat it after the new paint job? Would this not help with the scratches? can it be done OVER an old jell coat? Or would you have to strip off ALL the old first? And if so, how do you strip off the old jell coat?
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Old 10-25-10, 10:37 PM   #7
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Sure, paint is not as durable as gel coat, but it's a viable option for making an older boat look good again. If your boat is faded, the best thing to do is to have it sanded with ultra fine color sanding paper and buffed. If that brings back the shine, then great. If your gel coat is badly oxidixed or the color under the gel coat is faded, then painting is the only viable and somewhat affordable option to make it look good again. With most boats it's the top cap that gets chalky and faded. If you get that area painted, there shouldn't be an issue with it getting scratched up.
You cant strip off the gel coat. It's part of the boat. It's not a coating. It's actually the first resin that gets sprayed in the mold when building a boat, then the color patern is laid out in reverse and then the coarse fibers and resin go on last. When it comes out of the mold, the outside that we see was the inside of the mold. Someone that has a fiberglass manufacturing plant would have the capability of spraying more gel coat on the outside of a boat, but I doubt that it would be easy or affordable.
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Old 10-25-10, 10:48 PM   #8
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Ok, thanks for the information. See i am wanting to change the color of my boat, so i thought i would find out as much as possible.

I love my old cajun, just don't like black, lol. Very hot in the summertime ya know?
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Old 10-25-10, 11:21 PM   #9
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Pro reel, pretty much hit the nail on the head.....I've seen alot of fiberglass boats repainted with automotive urethanes with great results....everything from jet ski's to large yachts, so I wouldn't hesitate a bit to repaint one. Aluminum on the other hand requires more prep work and better and more expensive materials to get good adhesion.....At least that was the main issue we ran into when painting alot of aluminum racecar parts years back...but usually those got crashed long before the paintjobs went bad..lol.
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Old 10-26-10, 01:10 AM   #10
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The trick with aluminum is all in the prep stage. Get the aluminum clean and scuffed, then use aluma prep to chemically etch the metal. Then use epoxy primer. Epoxy primer bonds to the base metal like glue.
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Old 10-26-10, 10:55 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bamabassman View Post
I love my old cajun, just don't like black, lol. Very hot in the summertime ya know?
Sorry to hijack, but this will only take a minute...

[Hijack]
John, you might want to check on getting new carpet first. Yours is dark grey, like mine, if I remember right. I bet changing that to a lighter color would make a big difference, and not cost nearly as much as a new paint job.
Most of the surface area that you're getting radiated heat from is covered in carpet. The only parts that aren't is the gunwales and console, which are pretty small areas, in comparison. The sides of the boat don't get much direct sunlight, and they would reflect any heat outwards, not up to you.
Just a thought...

[/Hijack]

Carry on...
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Old 10-26-10, 04:24 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by pro reel View Post
Sure, paint is not as durable as gel coat, but it's a viable option for making an older boat look good again. If your boat is faded, the best thing to do is to have it sanded with ultra fine color sanding paper and buffed. If that brings back the shine, then great. If your gel coat is badly oxidixed or the color under the gel coat is faded, then painting is the only viable and somewhat affordable option to make it look good again. With most boats it's the top cap that gets chalky and faded. If you get that area painted, there shouldn't be an issue with it getting scratched up.
You cant strip off the gel coat. It's part of the boat. It's not a coating. It's actually the first resin that gets sprayed in the mold when building a boat, then the color patern is laid out in reverse and then the coarse fibers and resin go on last. When it comes out of the mold, the outside that we see was the inside of the mold. Someone that has a fiberglass manufacturing plant would have the capability of spraying more gel coat on the outside of a boat, but I doubt that it would be easy or affordable.

Boats are re gelcoated all the time to change colors, but as Pro Reel said, it is $$$$$$$$.
His description of a new build is fairly accurate. The female boat mold is highly waxed. The first gel sprayed in will be the clear gelcoat, then whatever gel colors you picked out for the boat are sprayed in, striping, etc. Then on most a black gelcoat backing layer is sprayed on to prevent print thru of the glass cloth.
The glass cloth is wetted out with resin and rolled into the mold to remove any air bubbles that will cause voids/blisters in the gelcoat layer. The build is allowed to cure for a day, then pulled from the mold.
Because the build is actually inside out, the gelcoat layer takes on the impression of the mold and the outside layer is smooth and glass like.

Gelcoat is a polyester resin with coloring added to it, generally the same chemical make up as the resin used in the build.

Gelcoat is not like paint and is not self leveling. It also cures using an exothermic chemical reaction so when it is sprayed onto the outside of a boat for a color change it will generally cure with a slight to medium orange peel finish and will need to be wet sanded smooth.
That is where a lot of the labor costs are involved when getting a new gel finish.
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Old 10-26-10, 09:14 PM   #13
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Actually Daniel, the carpet is more like a tan or light brown. I want to go to a light grey though. Reflect more sounlight I think. But the black on the boat is very hot, just ask lisa when she steps on it barefooted,lol. and I hate black anyway. I want the hull white and what is gold, crimson and the red trim outside that, grey. Bama colors remember? Hahahaha.
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Old 10-27-10, 12:42 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bamabassman View Post
Actually Daniel, the carpet is more like a tan or light brown. I want to go to a light grey though. Reflect more sounlight I think. But the black on the boat is very hot, just ask lisa when she steps on it barefooted,lol. and I hate black anyway. I want the hull white and what is gold, crimson and the red trim outside that, grey. Bama colors remember? Hahahaha.
Then I'll top it off by airbrushing your avatar logo onto you engine cowling.....Bama all the way...lol
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Old 10-27-10, 02:46 PM   #15
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I had my boat painted earlier this summer. Used automotive paint. You have to make sure you use the right primer plus you have to really make sure the surface is cleaned. Lot of elbow grease. I have a 17 foot aluminum Bass tracker. When i get home tonight i will get the list of the stuff my painter used. I had about $300.00 in materials and he painted it for $200.00. Can't hardly beat that.
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Old 10-27-10, 05:18 PM   #16
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Thanks michael!!! That would be awesum!!
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Old 10-28-10, 04:17 PM   #17
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Quote:
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I had my boat painted earlier this summer. Used automotive paint. You have to make sure you use the right primer plus you have to really make sure the surface is cleaned. Lot of elbow grease. I have a 17 foot aluminum Bass tracker. When i get home tonight i will get the list of the stuff my painter used. I had about $300.00 in materials and he painted it for $200.00. Can't hardly beat that.
Got any before and after pics?
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Old 11-01-10, 01:22 PM   #18
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I just painted my Bass Boat. I searched all kinds of paint that would seal and give a fresh new look to the fiberglass. I bought from a site that specializes in marine paints. www.ipaint.us. I selected Blue Water Coppershield Hard. The people here were very helpful and delivery was fast. The paint was on sale for 100.00 a gal. It went on easy and looks great. They only have Blue, Black, Green, Red, White. I used the Hard sheild bottom paint and a white topside paint for upper rails, console. Paint went on fantastic. Used two coats for the bottom. It drys super fast. Next spring I think I'll coat it with a clearcoat epoxy. I'll post pics when I have the chance. They offer several grades on paint as well. Great stuff. Ok, fixed the link.

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Old 11-01-10, 01:28 PM   #19
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Sorry, The website for above company is wrong, will look up and repost. Fixed the above link. I should add that these epoxy paints can cover most types of surfaces. I even painted my 65 Horse Johnson engine cover. Well my wife did! Needed real detail to get the multi color. Covers metal boats as well.Also bought primer and did my trailer as well.

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Old 11-09-10, 01:06 PM   #20
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REDMAX floor finish - Google it - for faded fiberglass
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Old 12-05-10, 11:29 AM   #21
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Fiberglass boats come new with a colored gel coat, not actual paint. Gel coats eventually fade and can not be cleaned or waxed to look new. Painting the fiberglass is the only way to get the boat looking new again. Preparing and painting fiberglass is unlike preparing and painting metal or aluminum. Special steps should be followed to get the best paint job possible without damaging the fiberglass in the process. Learn how to paint a fiberglass boat and get your boat looking like new.

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Old 12-05-10, 09:14 PM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by bamabassman View Post
Actually Daniel, the carpet is more like a tan or light brown. I want to go to a light grey though. Reflect more sounlight I think. But the black on the boat is very hot, just ask lisa when she steps on it barefooted,lol. and I hate black anyway. I want the hull white and what is gold, crimson and the red trim outside that, grey. Bama colors remember? Hahahaha.


Unless I'm reading you wrong here Bama, the more heat you reflect away from your carpet, the more heat you're reflecting back at your self.
Dark colors are hot to the touch, but not reflective.
Light colors are cool to the touch, yet reflect it back up at you
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Old 12-05-10, 10:18 PM   #23
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I know that mike. but lisa wants to lay down alot of times. And if it is too hot for her to lay down, i need another color. Besides..........crimson and white are the best colors aorund, hahahahaha.
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Old 12-05-10, 10:28 PM   #24
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I know that mike. but lisa wants to lay down alot of times. And if it is too hot for her to lay down, i need another color. Besides..........crimson and white are the best colors aorund, hahahahaha.


Ahhhh...now it makes sense!
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