Repainting Hull

My_Dinghys_Dinghy

My Boat 236 Sport Cuddy 1989
Maroon and white (Not that it matters because I am going to make it all one color... WHITE.
I Trailer the boat to the launch (literally 300 feet from my back yard)

The questions and advice I am looking for here is has anyone painted their whole hull?
How much gelcoat do you need to take off in order for the paint to stick properly?
What are the pitfalls I am not thinking of in advance?
What type of timeline does it take to repaint the whole hull? (Including top side)
Knowing that it's 80% prep and 20% finish, How many days should I set aside for this project.
Should I rent a heated space in order to do the work (more controlled environment)?
Is is less costly just to pay a professional to do it?
Thanks in advance.

JoeStang

Since its a trailer-boat, have you considered vinyl wrap? I'm sure some more knowledgeable guys will chime in om paint too.

Dirtythirty

Just painted the gelcoat on mine,  it looks FANTASTIC !!  It will not turn chalky or fade, but little scuffs in the paint from your fenders or dock can not be buffed out like gelcoat.  a coat of wax will keep it looking like new and I went with a highly metallic burgundy instead trying to match the color of the pre existing merlot gelcoat.  I had mine done, so I can't say too much on time and materials, but from a visual point of view, and if you are very picky about how your boat appears, paint is a great way to go.  I had marks on my gelcoat where the buffer had burned through, and I would never had been happy with just polishing the gelcoat as my buffer marks would then be shiny buffer marks.  

My_Dinghys_Dinghy

JoeStang said:

Since its a trailer-boat, have you considered vinyl wrap? I'm sure some more knowledgeable guys will chime in om paint too.

I have done vinyl on cars and vans, I could do it but the fact is, I want a white, sleeker design. Will make the boat look a bit smaller in the water but am changing interior to a neutral color white and silver with the grey carpeting. I want to do LED Speakers and lights hooked to the stereo. Making the project some young guys boat who has to have it. Then, I can move up to a 270 or so with the next boat. Hoping to keep this one for 2 years and then move up.

My_Dinghys_Dinghy

Dirtythirty said:

Just painted the gelcoat on mine,  it looks FANTASTIC !!  It will not turn chalky or fade, but little scuffs in the paint from your fenders or dock can not be buffed out like gelcoat.  a coat of wax will keep it looking like new and I went with a highly metallic burgundy instead trying to match the color of the pre existing merlot gelcoat.  I had mine done, so I can't say too much on time and materials, but from a visual point of view, and if you are very picky about how your boat appears, paint is a great way to go.  I had marks on my gelcoat where the buffer had burned through, and I would never had been happy with just polishing the gelcoat as my buffer marks would then be shiny buffer marks.  

Your boat LOOKS GREAT. What did you pay for that work? How much did they do? How about the rest of the boat, did they only do the burgundy?

DanD2

Dirtythirty said:

Just painted the gelcoat on mine,  it looks FANTASTIC !!  It will not turn chalky or fade, but little scuffs in the paint from your fenders or dock can not be buffed out like gelcoat.  a coat of wax will keep it looking like new and I went with a highly metallic burgundy instead trying to match the color of the pre existing merlot gelcoat.  I had mine done, so I can't say too much on time and materials, but from a visual point of view, and if you are very picky about how your boat appears, paint is a great way to go.  I had marks on my gelcoat where the buffer had burned through, and I would never had been happy with just polishing the gelcoat as my buffer marks would then be shiny buffer marks.  

Do you have any idea on what they used for paint?

Dirtythirty

We only did the burgundy, and buffed out the white, so it took on a very fluid and even look.  I was concerned, up to the point that they buffed out the white, because THEN, the distinct contrast between the bright white, and the deep, metallic burgundy, really jumps out at you. I am VERY satisfied.  
I let my marina do all of the work, they have a huge, paint booth, and they prepped the surface and finished the job with clear coat for extra depth and protection. It was about $4500, but, as far as I'm concerned, WELL WORTH every penny. I can't wait to see it outside in the sun .  I can try to get the brand of the paint they used. the color is Dark Firethorn Metallic.

My_Dinghys_Dinghy

Thanks, looks like that would be the ticket. My 236 is a bit smaller than yours and  want to go all white but that looks like it was well worth the mone.

Dream_Inn

Dirtythirty, that is a beautiful paint job!  there are several boats in my marina that are wondering if they should paint or just continue buffing out their gel coat.  A few are concerned about how unforgiving paint is compared to gel coat, especially with things like fenders rubbing.  I've seen a couple formulas that have had that issue.  I'd love to see updates from you this summer on your thoughts on this (& maybe see you at the Chesapeake Rendezvous in July - heck, there is a 400 from Longport you can follow down).  Good luck with your boat and I love following all the updates you've done to that boat!

frenchship

My thoughts on this is there is no paint on the market now that could compete with gelcoat.For toughness easy to make almost invisible repair whiteout re-painting full section. Easiest to remove minor scratches, as far as fading once a year a good buffing and waxing will take care of that. Good quality clear coat is a good product with a really good shine but the sunshine U.V . Will eventually eat thru it and if badly scratch you are in for a professional repair which could be costly.
This is only my opinion and I respect other people decision to have their boat painted. 

MarkB

The other option is putting on a vinyl wrap. I've posted pictures of my friends boat with wrap, going on 3 years. Easy to clean, tough as nails.

Dirtythirty

Hey Dream Inn.......Thanks for the compliments  !!  I'm happy with what I have, I picked up some nice fender covers and I'm pretty sure I can hang my fenders so they aren't on the paint.  I've already discussed the Still Pond meet up with my wife, so that is a possibility. I'd love to come crash your party :-).
And I look at things this way. My boat , my paint,  my worries.  I'm super careful and a real stickler for keeping my things nice, like I said, I CHOOSE not to have shiny burn marks in my gelcoat. 

Dream_Inn

Dirty, I'm with you on taking care of your boat!  I'm also very particular and had 3 people on my boat yesterday wondering how I could keep my bilge so clean.  I admitted that I had waxed it.  But, if you think about it, that helps keep it clean like any other part of the boat.  I certainly didn't mean to start a discussion on paint vs gel coat.

Would love to see your boat in July and admire all the things you've done with it.  Especially love to see how those pod drives are in there!  Our most unique boat we've had was a sea plane that rafted with us last year.  But a Rinker with pod drives would be high on that list!

Sorry Dinghy, didn't mean to take over the topic.  I'd say it would be best to have a professional do it in a heated space (especially in your area).  My only thought is, due to that age of your boat, it will only be worth so much no matter what you put into it.  You may want to really look at if it is worth the expense of changing it to something that a buyer may or may not want to change again.  Enjoy it for what you have and see what you can get when you sell.  Now, if the change is for you to enjoy, well that is different.

frenchship

Dirtythirty

Dream inn said
( I certainly didn't mean to start a discussion on paint vs gel coat.)
That was not my intention neither just my opinion I respect your decision.
Paul

My_Dinghys_Dinghy

I plan on doing the work myself. Where this boat will be seen if I go ahead and make it all white with a white interior with silver and charcoal accents and then a charcoal carpet and do the LED down lighting where it's hidden, shouldn't be more than a $2500-$4000 and hooking it up for a good Bose system so it's more of a young man's boat, I figure I could get upwards of $12,500 or so since it would be very clean, professionally finished and sorry for the Admirals who are on here, a Real **** Boat. We spend our time on Kelleys since we are now past the age of being able to party all night but take it over to PIB on any weekend, it would bring a whole lot of offers when we decide to sell it.

Chrisvr6

I just redid my 93 236 cuddy silver carbon fiber vinyl over the teal stripe on the bow and silver carbon fiber vinyl instead of the teal seat trim over white seats and grey carpet.

Chrisvr6

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Chrisvr6

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Chrisvr6

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Dirtythirty

Your project sounds very cool !!   Don't worry about what others think, remember , its your toy and your $$....ENJOY it your way.  Just post pics !!!  Love to see it as its coming along !

My_Dinghys_Dinghy

Chris, I can't get 2 of your links to work but the one that does, GREAT WORK, Exactly what I wanted to do with the INTERIOR. The prior owner painted the dash MAROON, I have a mess and really want to get this boat looking sharp since the hours have been determined to be under 300 hours on the boat (I guess they just couldn't drive it with the way the hull looks)
Your work is INCREDIBLE, did you do that yourself?
Do you have a material list for that interior? I am totally impressed and thankful I can finally see someone's 236 that looks correct and like my raft.

Chrisvr6

Thanks. I would like to wrap my gauge cluster dash also but all the lettering is on it. I'd have to get custom decals made. I really just got silver carbon fiber vinyl off of eBay and wrapped the bow stripe. The seats i had done by an upholstery shop here in chicago. I bought silver carbon fiber material and stripped the seats myself. All the shop did was cut out the teal trim and sew in the new pieces into the existing white material. And 10,000 staples later they were reassembled by me. Oh, and wet sanded and buffed hull.

Chrisvr6

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Chrisvr6

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Chrisvr6

Come to think of it, my dash seems to have been painted too. Maybe just refreshed with some of that vinyl paint. But the part around my gauges is so bad. Don't know what to do. 

My_Dinghys_Dinghy

Your gauges should just pop out from the back, remove the screws holding them in (I can't wait to get the covers off of mine and get the pictures up so you can see the putrid color when it's 26 years old.)

My_Dinghys_Dinghy

Dude, your raft is looking FANTASTIC. I hope mine turns out half that good. My wife LOVES the carpeting. I used to do vinyl wraps on vans (GE VANS in the 90s, Sears Vans, FedEx Vans, I worked at a place that if you see a 90's or 00's Econoline with vinyl on it, was probably my work) You did your vinyl quite well for a novice. See you used water, most people don't know that trick when you're not used to working with it). I am totally impressed, it's what I want my cockpit to look like as well.

Chrisvr6

Thanks. How bad are your seats? Got pics? I got my captain seats for my last boat super cheap at veada.com. Still was able to sell the old ones for $100.