First coat of top paint

[Karl]

I just finished my first coat of top paint on my 59 Glasscraft Imperial. (This is a big boat!) After my disappointing attempt at using Top Secret Coatings with the original Tahiti Coral color, I choose to go back to a brand that I had success with on my 64 Johnson. Since Glasscraft also had a yellow in their sales brochure, I decided upon using Interlux Brightside. I sure does go on smooth.

I do have a question for anyone...since this is such a large boat, it takes awhile for me to work my way all the way around the boat. By the time I get back to the starting point, the beginning edge is setting up. How can I keep that edge smooth or at least soften it up? I haven't tried it yet, but I was thinking of using the brushing fluid to ease into the edge?

Thanks,

Karl

are you brushing it on or spraying it?if you are spraying it then it should be easy start either at the center bow and work your way around or at the stern corner and work your way around just over lap the over spray at the corner and go lighter on the spray.by the time it is all dry just gave it a polish at the overlap and know one will ever know.i only paint a big wooden boat once by a brush and after 2 coat you even forgot where the overlap was.this boat that i painted is 85' long so by the time i got back to where i start it would be all dry already what i did was paint half and paint the other half the next day and polish the joint out.

[Tim_Mattson]

Overlapping paint

Karl,
I`ve found myself doing bigger and bigger stuff lately and I sometimes double back and work the start point going the other way.You can bounce back a time or to to keep that edge "Wet".
Starting at the motor position helps hide overlap at least on the sides,wherever deck hardware will be is another good place to hide overlapping topside.
I make my first strokes where the motor will cover it ,then finish at the bolts holes for the engine
The thinner bands at window corners can be place to begin as well.
If it didn`t do well on the first try,then try another spot to overlap on the 2nd or 3rd.
The Mariner I did in Red had tight corners near the dash so I taped it off and did it at another time.I just taped a straight line ,then waited until it dried and taped for the painting the other surface.Was going to use the same color but thought of a contrast and it worked out good.
I also like to pre-heat the hull,then plug in the air dryers as I finish up.
TimM

[El Blanco]

Paint

Do you use an HVLP ?? What type of gun to do use. I'm a contractor and I have painted tubs using expoxy and have painted many doors and millwork etc. Do you have to polish once the paint is dry? What kind of paint do you use??

George

[Tim_Mattson]

Paint method

George,
I use closed cell foam rollers and build up the primer layers with foam brushes in the skinny and narrow areas as well as corners.
The topcoat (color usually dictates type,Polyurethane has been the flavor of choice lately,with accelerator)gets the Roll and Tip method with 320 wetsanding in between coats.Final coat is left alone and hopefully the first coats teach me where to start and stop and so forth.
I basically paint 1` squares ,trying to feather each overlap back into the painted area.I do 3-4 squares going around the hull clockwise as I`m right-handed ,but I do go back to the start and do one square every so often so the edge stays wet or if the OB will hide it ,I just start and stop there and know the motor will hide any obvious overlap.
After painting a 50` Trimaran to the waterline (while floating ) last summer,I`m finding it pretty easy to do this method while secured on a trailer or blocks. Also learned how to do panels and hide seams when doing huge hulls where you can`t possibly paint it all in a day,maybe one side.
The lack of overspray and where I`m working keeps me doing it the old-fashioned way.Someday we`ll find a place to work with a booth.......
Pics will come later gotta go....
Tim M