Painting bottom of boat

B

Bonvie

New Member
Nov 26, 2008
14
recently purchased a 1988 Sea Ray Sundancer (26'8)..had a survey done and boat appears to be in excellent shape..only recommendation was that the boat needed bottom paint..my wife and I are considering doing this ourselvesd to save some money..anybody done this on a similar vessel/year of vessel?..any paint-type recommendations or other general recommendations?
 
You're braver than me. That's a very labor intensive job.

here's a link that gives you a basic idea www.boatus.com/boattech/casey/15.htm
 
Last edited:
hi there im just stripping my old paint of my searay da 24 its taking alot of hard work if i new what i know now i would of had it sand shot . but painting it is lot easyer just need to take your time and make sure you under coat it if your hull is bear
good luck :thumbsup:

robbie yo yo
 
!!!Sarcasm Alert!!!

By all means, do it yourself.

This is every bit as fun and rewarding as you'd expect. Also, all the friends and family that enjoy boating while floating will be beating your door down to help.



!!!Sarcasm Alert Over!!!

Additionally, it won't be possible to attribute prejudices against you, ‘cause ifin the bottom is black, you’ll be black, ifin red, you’ll be red, and ifin blue, you’ll be blue.

Except if you’re using a [URL="http://www.festoolusa.com/products/rotex-sanders/ro-150-feq-rotex-sander-571594.html"]Festool RO 150 FEQ[/URL] with a CT-22 dust extractor, then it’s a reasonably clean job. This is an exceptional tool that performs well for this task and I highly recommend it’s usage.

Use an ablative bottom paint so future efforts are a reasonable undertaking.
 
Do yourself a favor and have a marina prep the bottom and put a good quality ablative paint on that is suitable for your water conditions. Renew the paint yourself every other year.
 
There are a lot of jobs I do or would do on my boats in the past. Painting the bottom isn't one of them. And if you sand off the old paint you really need a respirator or really good filters or something as I think some of that old bottom paint is not too safe to inhale.

I would pay to have this one done.
 
Even if the paint is in good condition, it still needs to be pressure-washed and sanded (do you have the equipment?).
Then you need a Tyvek suit and respirator to do the sanding.
You'll probably find that a yard which does a lot of this work (and buys the bottom paint in volume) can probably do it for not much more than you'd spend to DIY, and save you the headaches. The painting is simple, the prep is a messy job and not environmentally friendly.
 
thanks guys, sounds like it is a huge pain in the butt to do it myself..anybody know what it would cost (approx/guess) to have a marina do it (26'8 sea ray sundancer)? I was just trying to save some money but...
 
Well I painted the bottom on my boat last summer. About same size boat, on trailer, ablative paint. Had to sand the bottom to prep and paint. It wasn't that bad for me.
 
Bonvie said:
thanks guys, sounds like it is a huge pain in the butt to do it myself..anybody know what it would cost (approx/guess) to have a marina do it (26'8 sea ray sundancer)? I was just trying to save some money but...
Click to expand...


My yard charges $40/ft, includes haul-out and three days on blocks at the yard. Includes prep (sandblast/prime) all running gear as well. I think if the bottom is in good shape (sanding only- no peeling paint) you should be able to buy it for a grand or so using a high quality ablative.

There was a disucssion on cost of bottom jobs recently- try a search.
 
On that size of boat it's not a big problem and can be sanded and a coat of paint in one day and then recaoted the next. Lots of different paint out there with different boat prep required pick a paint for your water conditions. I have a 290 AJ and do some painting each year with a completed recoat (one coat) every two year (fresh water). Pressure washed when boat is pulled in the fall, light sanding in some area, and recoat 4-5 hrs of painting.
 
I have always done it myself. I don't like the prep work but it is the most important part of the job. As it's been stated, get the protective equipment for sanding and painting and use it. I try to haul out in Jan, Feb. before the yards get busy. Sometimes I can get a deal on haul out and layup fees that time of year. I use a high quality ablative paint so annual haul outs aren't necesssary as long as you keep an eye on the hardware, zincs etc.
I have been quoted 35 to 65 dollars a foot. The difference in price does not necessarily reflect a difference in quality.
 
After years of dealing with flaking and chipping bottom paint, initial coat wasn’t prepped properly by the dealer, I had mine sand blasted to bare gel coat. Soda blasting is better but wasn’t available at the time near me. Interlux barrier coating, at least 5 coats to get the proper thickness, one coat of ablative base in a different color than your normal color, all done by a professional. Then I added two more coats of ablative myself, the first coat of bottom needs to go on within a certain timeframe so was easier to have the pro do it. I used black as my first coat of bottom paint then blue for the next 2 coats, when the black starts showing through you know you need to recoat as the two coats of blue have worn away. Mine was still going strong after 4 years when I sold it with no flaking or chipping. My only regret was not doing it sooner!
 
I stripped and painted my boat bottom 3 years ago. I laid down painting tarps under the boat, put on a tyvek suit, organic respirator, safety glasses, and chemical safe gloves, and did the job. Painter's taped the waterline with 2 inch tape to protect the hull above the waterline. 1st weekend - 2 days to strip with about 6-8 gallons of Interlux Interstrip that I brushed on from a plastic pail, let it work, then scrapped off into a cardboard box with taping knives). It's a little messy, but it does the job without damaging the hull. Sandblasting or soad blasting does! I was able to shift the boat stands with a second set to get the entire hull done. 2nd weekend - wet sanded the hull with a makita palm sander and a spray bottle. Grind out and fill any blisters (I had two the size of a quarter), then sand again. Wash/hose down the hull to clean off all dust. 3rd weekend - Interlux 202 to clean/prep the hull with several clean rags. This is very important to get all dust/grime off the hull so the barrier coat paint bonds properly. Peel off the waterline tape which will be torn up slightly from scraping and sanding. Put on new painter's tape slightly above the old waterline, pressing it down well. Interlux 202 wash to clean/prep the waterline. Painting day- start early 6-7AM - 4 coats of Interlux Interprotect rolled on every 2.5-3 hours, alternating white and grey colors so you can seen the coats going on evenly, followed by the first coat of bottom paint rolled on (I used Interlux Micron Extra- ablative paint. It's expensive, but it's the best!). The first coat of bottom paint has to go on within 3-5 hours of the last coat of barrier coat. I put on a dark green as my first bottom paint coat. The next weekend I put on 2 coats of black (1 each day). After the paint dries, peel away the masking tape at a 45 degree angle up to break the paint and prevent chipping at the water line. I took 3 weekends with the help of my brother to get my Sundancer 270 done right. I spent about $700-900 for all the chemicals and paints, but the hull is properly sealed, and the bottom paint melts away rather that chips away. I touch up the water line each season (down 4-6 inches) with a quart of bottom paint. The hull looks great 3 years later. When I start to see dark green through the black, I know it's time to put on 2 more coats of black! I'm going on my 4th season without re-painting the hull, just touch-up!

You get what you pay for! Read the Interlux literature about Interprotect and Micron Extra on how to protect your hull and apply the paints. I have a protected hull against water intrusion to prevent blistering, and I'm not re-painting my hull every season- just my outdrive with Trilux 33 brushed on. I took the time to do it right the first time, and now I repaint the bottom every 3-4 years. I've increased the re-sale on my boat as well due to putting on the barrier coats which bond like fiberglass.

Good Luck.
 
Bonvie -

you said you have a 268 dancer, are you trailering it or keeping it in a slip? Is the hull bare or does it have a bad coat of paint on it now? How is the water you normally boat in - somewhat clean?

You may not need the paint, that is my first thought. I recently painted my bottom, and it was a pain. Mine had a poorly done coat that looked like crap, so i needed to strip it and put on new, but I prefer a bare hull if possible. Once you paint, by the way, you can't ever go back.
 
Bonvie said:
recently purchased a 1988 Sea Ray Sundancer (26'8)..had a survey done and boat appears to be in excellent shape..only recommendation was that the boat needed bottom paint..my wife and I are considering doing this ourselvesd to save some money..anybody done this on a similar vessel/year of vessel?..any paint-type recommendations or other general recommendations?
Click to expand...

We thought the same until I did the research. Just from a health stand point I passed this one off the the service folks.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Forum statistics

Threads
113,312
Messages
1,430,430
Members
61,173
Latest member
Dave Baker
Back
Top