Painting your Com-PAC’s Hull

[Seachelle]

Hi, Everyone!

Just curious to see if anyone has ever painted their Com-Pac's hull? I am interested in doing so on my 23, and I am wondering what products and tools I will need to make the job go smoothly. If anyone has any suggestions, please let me know, I would be most appreciative!

~ Chelle
SV Sunflower (Sunny) | 2021 Com-Pac Legacy
SV No Mas! | 1990 Com-Pac 23D MK3
https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com/

[Seachelle]

P. S. Sorry about the error on the Com-Pac name as 'Com-PAC' in the subject field of this thread — my auto correct feature on my phone drives me nuts when it does that. I need to turn that feature off!

[crazycarl]

I painted our 19's hull, but I'm not satisfied with it.  This was the 5th boat I painted.  I sprayed the hull and deck on our 15' daysailer, sprayed the deck and rolled on our Starwind 19, sprayed an O'Day Widgeon, and rolled and tipped our Bristol Caravel.
All but the Compac came out with a finish you could shave with.
The first four boats I used Interlux Brightsides.  The 19 I used a two part paint from Interlux.  Perfection.  The first coat came out great, but the primer was showing in spots.  Coats two, three, and four came out somewhat rough with little shine.  I'm currently sanding it down for another try.  Starting with 320 grit and ending with 1,000 grit. 
I also painted the anti skid areas seven years ago.  They came out great and aren't showing any signs of wear.

[brackish]

You are talking about the hull above the waterline right?  I've done several.  A Columbia 8.7 (29') that I did with Dupont Imron, a catalyzed polyurethane that turned out great and had much better resistance to oxidation from UV than the original gelcoat.  But I think Imron has gone to all automotive with clear coat required and would not make sense for a boat.  I did another, a skiff I built, with Interlux Perfection plus, another two part cat poly and really liked it a lot.  Both were sprayed, the first with air atomized equipment, the second with HVLP.  The equipment I used was not really expensive stuff, both coatings were fairly forgiving.

[Jim in TC]

I doubt that I would have painted a boat with good gelcoat and a decent finish but our SunCat was painted green (factory, 2006) and the seller had already purchased Pettit EZPoxy green for the hull and an off white topsides.

For the hull, we scuffed the finish with a fine-grit on orbital sander - a quick and easy job - and rolled (brushing in tighter spots and around hardware) the paint on after a quick cleaning with TSP. It was very quickly and easily applied and has held up well, better than I hoped. Applied in spring, 2018, Mehitabel is outside all seasons, the last two in a slip spring- to - soon. She winters under a tarp in the back alley in the shade, hull mostly covered. These would not be considered ideal conditions and the finish is good. I haven't done much with wax or other 'enhancers' to see if it would regain its original "spark" but it really looks plenty good without. Occasional scuffs where a careless skipper hit the dock coming in have buffed out with ease.

Topsides we did even less surface prep and the finish is correspondingly less durable, though it still takes a bit of a blow to chip it. This is where I regret not putting a foot down and refusing the paint, as I think the original finish could have been cleaned up and brought back with some effort but still, the paint has held up to all-summer exposure these two seasons and quite a lot of transient docking in the previous seasons, covered only when setting up for winter.

[bruce]

No first-hand experience with this product, but I have heard some good reports about Alexseal paints, specifically the two-part polyurethane 501 Topcoat. The paint can be sprayed with high pressure or low pressure systems, but it can also be rolled, with or without tipping, or brushed to get results that are very close to spraying. Additionally, repairs can be done by wet sanding and buffing. Not all paints, especially brushable formulations, can be repaired as easily. Awlgrip for example.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aO2u2RShmZs&list=PLV97GZkHhpHN4qBcoiExn2BWPGwbvRpRN&index=1
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QtD0wvNAjD0&list=PLV97GZkHhpHN4qBcoiExn2BWPGwbvRpRN&index=2

Better leveling is usually accomplished by slowing the solvent evaporation rate down, and can mean the surface is more prone to collecting dust. Don't know how well the Alexseal 501 handles that.

The Alexseal application guide is thorough!
https://www.alexseal.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Alexseal/Downloads/ALXS_app_guide_1_2_1_WEB.pdf

[Seachelle]

Thank you, everyone, for your awesome contributions to this thread I posted -- I am so grateful for this information! Yes, I should have clarified on what I meant by 'painting the hull' -- I did mean above the waterline -- sorry about that! I am not sure I'll get to this job before it gets too cold to work on the boat, but I want to be ready and prepared to tackle the job when the weather allows for it. This past week, we've had great weather perfect for painting, but my husband and I have been painting the exterior of our house as it was in dire need of attention. But, yes, I would love to get SV No Mas painted and restore her hull to its former condition.

Thank you, again, to you all for sharing your thoughts -- you are the best!!!
~ Chelle
SV Sunflower (Sunny) | 2021 Com-Pac Legacy
SV No Mas! | 1990 Com-Pac 23D MK3
https://passagesfromtheheart.wordpress.com

[USMCR O-5]

I've done a fairly lengthy post on the refit of my 23/3, including painting the hull with Alexseal products. Let me see if I can post some photos or you can look at my posts. Feel free to contact me direct as I have experience with this. This paint was ROLLED ON and not sprayed. I used Alexseal products including their rolling additive.

[crazycarl]

Wow!  Very nice paint job.  Mine doesn't look anything like that.  I need to look into Alexseal to see if I can apply it over Perfection.

[crazycarl]

I found a distributor of Alexseal within an hours drive.  1 quart is $193!  Ouch.  I think I paid $40 a quart for Perfection when I did our 19, however I applied 4 coats trying to get a shiny finish and I'm still not satisfied.  So, maybe the price isn't bad if it gives results like yours.

[5monkeys]

I love the results, I'm considering this as well for my 19, so the question is how much paint is required to do the Freeboard? Did you use Alexseal for the deck as well?

[5monkeys]

Oh, Reviewed, your thread.. so I see that you did use Alexseal for all of it, still curious about quantities needed.

[USMCR O-5]

Some additional photos.  I took almost a year to sand (multiple times!), prime 2 coats and apply 6 coats of Alexseal paint.  Then color sanded and cut & buffed.  Some fiberglass repair as well.  This boat went to the bottom in shallow water years ago so the inside is an empty shell that I'll start rebuilding this winter.  Of course, winter here in Florida is perfect for this kind of work...

[USMCR O-5]

Alexseal is one of those things in life where you get what you pay for. I did this paint job, which included fairing, 2 coats of primer and 6 coats of paint for probably under $900.  A little paint goes a long way. Their rolling additive really made the difference. Check out Andy Miller with Boatworks Today on YouTube. That's where I learned how to do this. I've never painted a boat before.

[brackish]

Alexseal is one of those things in life where you get what you pay for. I did this paint job, which included fairing, 2 coats of primer and 6 coats of paint for probably under $900.  A little paint goes a long way. Their rolling additive really made the difference. Check out Andy Miller with Boatworks Today on YouTube. That's where I learned how to do this. I've never painted a boat before.

I share that philosophy with regard to painting anything pay for the best, life will be better.  I've  painted a number of cars and trucks over time, and have decided that if I ever have to do it again, I'll invest in a SATAjet and enough compressor power to make it work as it should.  I've got a bin of twenty to thirty year old Purdy paint brushes because even at three times the price, won't use anything else.  I would be tempted to try Alexseal for the next boat paint job, and roll despite the premium material cost.  With spray there is always the issue with outside use, will the wind come up, is visibility going to be constant, will I remember to maintain a constant distance and travel.  I think rolling more forgiving so if there is a product that gives the kind of finish you have would be worth a try.