Painted Hulls

[MGS]

I have been trolling the web looking at used CP's (a favorite pastime) and I often come across hulls that have been described as "painted".  I don't understand why someone would want to paint over a gel coat, and am wondering if anyone could shed some light on this subject for me.  Also, what does this do to the value and future maintenance of the boat?  I would assume that it devalues the vessel and ensures that the hull will have to be repainted in the future so as not to look hideous (due to nicks and scratches).  Am I correct in my assumptions?   Should I steer clear of painted hulls?

[wes]

You wouldn't avoid a painted CAR, would you? Correctly done, a boat is painted with a two-part linear polyurethane like Awlgrip or Interlux Perfection, which are extremely hard and weather resistant. Such a paint job is good for ten years at least, maybe more.

On older boats (like my 1988 CP-19 and CP-27) the gel coat finish has generally lost its original surface gloss and become chalky. You can compound and wax it, but that will only last a season or so. To maintain a nice appearance you'll be working on the hull every year, not every 10 years.

Painting the boat involves de-waxing, sanding, priming and painting. It's not quick, and it's not cheap - the paint alone starts at $300/gallon and may go up to $500. For a proper job you first need to remove all the deck hardware and teak trim, which you'll rebed and reinstall after painting.

There's absolutely no reason to avoid a properly painted boat. Hutchins paints many of their brand new boats before delivery to the buyer, at the buyer's request. You'd do well to avoid a poorly painted one, though, for the reasons you've noted.

Don Casey's book "Sailboat Refinishing" is available very inexpensively on Amazon and covers this subject in great detail but in very understandable language. Highly recommended if you want to learn more.

Wes

[brackish]

Gelcoat is polyester resin and even with UV protection added it tends to fade, get chalky and lose it's original color.  Many boats, particularly large boats stay in the weather all of their life.  Protecting the gel coat by compounding and waxing works for a while but eventually it will be ineffective, only lasting for a short time each treatment.  When the hull or topside has been painted it is normally done with a catalyzed polyurethane which is actually much more durable, UV resistant, retains gloss longer and tougher than gel coat.  When an older boat is brought back to life by painting it is important to make sure it was a Cat Poly job and it will last a very long time. 

Many manufacturers actually paint their boats in production, particularly if it is to be a dark color.  Gel coat dark colors tend to fade more quickly than cat poly when exposed to UV.

I've painted boats with Dupont Imron and Interlux Perfection Plus, both versions of cat poly and the durability is far greater than gelcoat.

[MGS]

Thank you for the responses.  I did see a boat mention an Imron product.  Everything I read online sounded good, but I wanted to hear from experienced (unbiased) individuals.  Can you give me an idea of the total cost to have a CP19 professionally painted?  Ball park?

[captronr]

My 2012 Eclipse was factory painted blue.  It looked GREAT. 

However................... deep scratches from the previous owner and me in the blue go through the blue and show the white undercoating.  Looks bad................

I doubt that I repaint it, as I plan to sell in a few years. 

Were I to have found a white hull of the same condition, and knew what I know now, I would have preferred the white hull.

Just my opinion,
Ron

[brackish]

Can you give me an idea of the total cost to have a CP19 professionally painted?  Ball park?

I can't.  Too many variables.  Depends a lot on the prep work required.  For instance, one of the boats I painted, a 29 footer, had extensive top side core rot and I did many repairs before I started prepping for paint.  Because of this, I used an epoxy based primer under the paint. The upside, however, was that I had most of the hardware off and masking was minimal.  I painted the hull, which required minimal repair, over prepped gel coat without any prime.  I recently painted a 14' skiff that I had built.  Masking and shooting the paint only took a few hours because it was new work.

It would be best to determine if you want both hull and topside and how much prep work you would do then get a pro to give you a quote.  Or do it yourself.  I spray, but some of these paints can give great results with the roll and tip process.

[Jim in TC]

My 2012 Eclipse was factory painted blue.  It looked GREAT. 

However................... deep scratches from the previous owner and me in the blue go through the blue and show the white undercoating.  Looks bad................

I doubt that I repaint it, as I plan to sell in a few years. 

Were I to have found a white hull of the same condition, and knew what I know now, I would have preferred the white hull.

Just my opinion,
Ron

I agree with this. Our new-to-us SunCat was factory colored when new, and the PO wanted to repaint since over the years this 2008 hull had faded. She bought a Petit product, EasyPoxy, from West Marine. It is pretty decent quality, I think, but a one-part paint. Not cheap but also not crazy pricey. We worked together at times and painted hull and topsides. The hull was easy enough, roughed up with an orbital sander and painted with a brush, leaving no noticeable brush marks. It looks great now but I don't expect a long life for the paint job. Having a bit of extra paint, though, has meant that a couple dock-burns as we learned about the boat were easy to repair...