Painting Your Boat the Inexpensive Way

When buying a pre-owned trawler or motor yacht, it's easy to be disappointed by the exterior looks of the boat. Of course, I'm not suggesting that it be dismissed. I inform buyers to judge how good the used trawler or motor yachts been kept up by how she looks. If the exterior finish is all scratched up and the brightwork is in bad shape, I normally find the rest of the boat the same way. It's simply an indicator.

All things considered, a dull exterior isn't a terrible matter either. The gel coat on a used trawler or motor yacht is there for one purpose, to make the yacht look beautiful. It has no other function. The gel coats biggest foe is the ultraviolet rays of the sun. After 5-10 years exposed to in the Florida sun, almost all gel coats begin to show their age. Not even extreme buffing will take the gel coat back to the luster when it was new. So when you find a used trawler or motor yacht that has a lack luster outside but the rest of the boat is up to par, there is a way to bring her back to her factory-fresh appearance with a little work. How you ask, by painting her?

Hatteras and Huckins are but two yachts that are painted at the factory. When we bought our trawler the Patricia Ann, she was in very good condition, but her gel coat was pale and there were a few cosmetic fiberglass nicks here and there. Professional painting of a used trawler or motor yacht is very expensive. You can plan on about $1000 a foot to have it professionally done so that was unthinkable.

I began to research the process of performing the painting myself and read as much as I could about what paint would be best and how to do it. At the Ft. Lauderdale Boat Show, I spoke with spokespeople from Interlux. The rep explained to me that both the Interlux make of boat paints and the Awlgrip brand are very similar in formulation and application. Interlux, however, is developed for the do-it-yourselfer. So my choice was made, Interlux Perfection, two part paint was the way to go.

Without going into detail about what the directions state, I'll just say that although working with two-part paints seems frustrating, it's actually very simple to do. Just follow the instructions provided with each container and you'll get the hang of it right away.

I selected the roll and tip method of practical application as spraying in a crowded was out of the question. It's easy to do once you practice. I practiced on a scrap piece of glass until I had it down pat. Directions are supplied by Interlux.

Here are a few pointers.

Start Out your project by dividing the used trawler or motor yacht into workable sections; that way the job will not consume you. I selected the starboard cap rail on the Patricia Ann to start my plan.

Preparing the surface to be painted consumes about 3/4 of the time you will spend on your plan. A bad surface will create a terrible paint job. Start by wiping the gel coat with paint thinner. This will free the surface of any silicon that may have been applied that will make the paint lift after its been applied.

Next, take a little hammer and go over the whole area to be painted, taping lightly to locate any voids beneath the gel coat. When you locate them and you will, grind them out with a Dremel tool. You don't want to waste the money and time to do a nice paint job and have voids open up later on.

I used the West System epoxy with the fairing filler to fill the ground out places. Stick To the directions supplied to make the resin simple to use. Sand them flush after the restored places have cured. Wash the dust off with water.

The hard part is not over yet?

Next, tape the area that's going to be painted and take off any hardware to cause it go easier. I applied the 14 day painter's tape available at Lowe's or Home Depot for masking.

Now it's time to paint. I like to use a 4" foam roller and a 2" brush, also in stock at Lowe's. Mix up just sufficient paint that you can use in 2 hours, for me its 1/2 quart. The paint is expensive, about $85.00 a quart and you don't want to be throwing any away.

Only use paint when the outside humidity is 75% or lower. Be sure there is no risk of rain.

Two part paint needs about 5 hours to cure. Be certain to complete your paint application no later than noon to allow total drying. If dew falls on your paint, the moisture will convert the high gloss to a flat finish. I use a window between 10 AM and high noon to paint.

All said and done, it took at least 600 hours to prepare and paint the Patricia Ann. We used about 1 gallon of West System resin and 12 quarts of Interlux Perfection to paint two coats on her.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely! She looks great!

If you have been contemplating the painting of your used trawler or motor yacht and would like to ask me some specific questions, feel free to ask.


Mike Dickens, the author, is a live aboard boat owner and owner/Broker of Paradise Yachts in Florida USA.


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