Newbie Bottom Painting ?

[MadMax]

Hi All, I hate to bother you with something this basic but we bought our E27 at the end of last summer, first boat, had a great time on the water, winterized it, got it hauled and covered, the cover's off and now it's time to paint the bottom. Never did that before. The current paint job is in really, really good shape, almost no flaking or chipping. The previous owner said he used middle of the road type ablative paint after light sanding and taking care of any rough spots, then wiping it down with mineral spirits before painting. First question is does this sound like a normal, effective routine for a boat in this condition? Second question is how do you get to the spots that are covered by the stanchions holding the boat up? Sorry again for such a rookie type ? but that's me, thanks
MM

 

[treilley]

Sounds like he was using a good strategy for painting. I would continue the same way.

Paint everything you can, wait a few days and move the stands(one at a time) working in chain linked pairs. You should have someone experienced with this show you how the first time.

 

[MadMax]

thanks for the reply

thanks tim, will do
MM

 

[Emerald]

Most marinas will move your stands for this purpose as a courtesy or for a minimal (like 20 bucks) fee. I'd highly recommend asking them about this, as it will promote good will with them, and might save your life - a yard worker in our area was killed this year moving stands on a boat. It's an easy task, but if it goes wrong, it's lethal.

 

[MadMax]

thanks Dave

thanks for the tips Dave and Tim, painting went well, the marina is helping with the spots covered by the jacks, no problems, thanks again for your assistance
MM

 

[ragamuffin]

IF you have a VC 17 bottom.

Hi All, I hate to bother you with something this basic but we bought our E27 at the end of last summer, first boat, had a great time on the water, winterized it, got it hauled and covered, the cover's off and now it's time to paint the bottom. Never did that before. The current paint job is in really, really good shape, almost no flaking or chipping. The previous owner said he used middle of the road type ablative paint after light sanding and taking care of any rough spots, then wiping it down with mineral spirits before painting. First question is does this sound like a normal, effective routine for a boat in this condition? Second question is how do you get to the spots that are covered by the stanchions holding the boat up? Sorry again for such a rookie type ? but that's me, thanks
MM

First find out what type of paint the PO used. My E27 has VC17 on it this is typical in the great lakes, if this is the case you are in good shape. VC17 can be painted very easily and it dries extremely fast. Start by simply wiping the hull to remove dust and particles. Inspect the bottom to insure there are no abrasions or flaking spots. If there are, these can and should be touched up lightly with 180 grit on a sanding pad. Just feather in the affected area, wipe to remove any dust and repaint. There is no need to sand the entire hull, in fact, it's not recommended. If you're going to roll, any solvent resistant foam or short nap roller cover will work. start from the bottom of the hull or keel, and roll upwards. Do not over roll or attemp to "smooth" the paint out. It's self-leveling and will do that itself. Just make one pass up to the waterline tape then start over at the bottom. Keep the roller well filledwith paint, but not to the point that it runs off onto the ground, or your arm. VC17 paint driesvery quickly. Do not pour the entire can into the tray. Itwill evaporate. Poor in just enough to fill the roller, then add more to the tray when you need to refill the roller. Work your way around the boat working back to the place you started. In terms of the jack pads what we do here in chicago is leave a little paint in the can and tape it to the cradle then before launch the yard workers paint those areas for us this is becaue the paint dries in less than a half hour so by the time the boat is in the water the VC 17 is dry and your ready for a new season of sailing

 

[MadMax]

thanks for the reply

thanks for the tips Ragamuffin, I used what the PO used and all went well, the bottom was in much better shape than I thought, better than most boats in the marina for that matter. The marina gang is all set to touch up the spots where the jacks were, I left them some extra paint, thanks again for your help
MM