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Boat paint


Samantha Ritchie

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We are at the point where we need to figure out the right paint for our Core Sound 17 Mark 3, which we started building a year ago.  The hull is fiberglassed and sanded, and we need to bite the bullet and purchase paint.  We will be sailing her mainly in Puget Sound.  We have read about bottom paints and primers and talked to people at West Marine and at Duckworks,  but the topic seems pretty confusing.  So... what would you suggest for primer, bottom paint, and top side paint?  We  know we don't want high gloss, and we hope not to have to repaint too often.  We would be grateful for any suggestions.

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I don't see a need for bottom paint unless the boat stays in the water at a slip or mooring. If it stays on a trailer the regular hull paint  an be hosed and cleaned and waxed as necessary. 

 

I'm a believer in Interlux Brightside primer and paint as a one part paint that looks good and wears well. It is rolled and tipped. I know others on the forum will recommend a two part paint. 

 

I'm not sure why you don't want gloss. With good prep work a gloss looks good. The more expensive the paint the higher the gloss--that is what the company is selling.

 

You might want non skid in certain areas.

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If you are trailering your boat, don't worry about bottom paint.  I have used System's Three waterbased linear polyurethane for my CS 17.  painted in 2015.  I have now reached the point where a repaint is in order 8 years later.  Not bad!  It will involve a light sanding, priming, then several thin coats of top coat.  It is expensive paint, but easy to work with as multiple coats can be done in a day.  It also can be burnished for a more yacht like finish.  

 

Just this year, I kept her on a mooring all season.  Bottom paint was basic ablative style.  once a season with a light brushing every month kept her algae and barnacle free for the season.  Cleaned up with a brush and hose at the end of the season nicely.  Will do again.  

 

Good luck!  

 

ps - all my other boats got Kirby's.  Great for plain wooden boats.  

 

 

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Samantha- Brightside and similar one part paints work well and are moderately durable and not hard to apply.  Once you move into the 2 part Poly paints the coating is considerably more durable. The solvent based 2 part paints are nasty. The solvents are quite toxic. I used System Three Pennant on Lula which is a waterborne 2 part poly.  It can be a bit fussy to apply especially in warm, dry conditions but cures to a very hard finish.  It is not as glossy as the solvent based paints so it might be what you are looking for in terms of gloss.   Since you are in the PNW you can find a good weather window when the humidity and temp are favorable. https://www.systemthree.com/products/pennant-topside-paint 

With these high tech paints keep repeating “leave it alone”.  If you roll and tip the tendency is to over work the paint.  As it cures many of the brush strokes shrink out. A foam “hot dog” roller and a synthetic bristle brush work well with Pennant if you roll and tip.

Painting is not my favorite thing to do so using a paint that lasts has great value to me.  Good luck.

Ken

 

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I painted my last yacht using International one pack paint. Outside. In Scotland.

It looked pretty good but it's really only slightly less time and effort than two pack, for a coating that is considerably less tough and will last maybe a third as long.

 

When I built my Spindrift I was working indoors so didn't have to worry about temperature or humidity. I chose two pack paint. Very pleased with it. The dinghy is standing up well to daily use as a tender. Touch-ups are obviously a little more work but you don't have to do it very often. The paint supplier said I could use it directly over epoxy without a primer.

 

Personally I would never go back to one pack unless for some reason I couldn't guarantee decent working conditions.

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Kennneee

I went to the Systems three site you showed.

It said The Pennant paint was sold out so I asked them,

Tphsails

Feb 24, 2023, 1:54 PM PST

I see that all your Pennant Topside paints are sold out. Will you be restocking soon?
Is there a new paint coming out to replace Pennant Topside?
What would you suggest for a paint on the underwater side of a dinghy that will be in the water a lot?
Thanks, Tim

 

This is their reply,

 

Brady Tinker (System Three Resins, Inc.)

Feb 24, 2023, 1:58 PM PST

Tim,
 
We ran into an issue with one of the raw materials used in the Pennant Paint so we suspended all sales of the material until we have run further testing in the lab and resolved the issue. However, for anyone who is already using our Pennant Paint, feel free to call our sales team, 800-333-5514 ext 1.  Let them know that you spoke with the lab and we said you could order more paint for your project.
 
Pennant Paint is for topside applications so for most bottom side applications we point customers towards Pettit Paint. 
 
If you have any further questions feel free to ask and thanks for supporting System Three.

 

Sounded like a good choice for paint so I hope they resolve the problem soon.

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Tim- That is interesting and unfortunate.  It was only a year or so ago that they changed the name and the formulation of this paint.  I can’t  remember what they called it before but part of the reason they changed the name was because they had to use some different raw material due to supply issues.  That is what they told me last year when I inquired about the name change.  I hope they get it worked out since it is a good option.  I would check some retail suppliers to see if they have any on the shelves.

Ken

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Samantha,

Incredibly timely topic here as well as I am also prepping Petunia for  her first repaint since launching back in 2014. Like a few have mentioned above I went with System 3's water based linear polyurethane paint because I was working in an attached garage when I built her and I wanted a tough paint with little/no fumes. I also used it for her cabin interior,again, no fumes.

The paint IS easy to apply, and tough. It has handled 3 Northeastern Winters, and 6 Baja, Mexico Summers . And  most of my prep work is going to be repairing dings, and scratches from various unplanned encounters with immovable objects . Unlike most marine enamels I have used you can touch up this paint and it blends in perfectly, even when painted months apart. And as Dave mentions above you can get multiple coats done in a single day which was a big plus when working alone.

 I had ordered a gallon just before my latest trip down here, and never noticed the name was different (now Pennant, etc.) until I saw this thread.

 I hope you get her done in time for the Salish 100 , keep going !!!

Bill P

Docpal

 

 

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I used System 3 for my entire Lapwing except for the deck and transom which are varnished.  Because I stored my boat outside on the trailer at the marina where I worked during the summer, it often had a small amount of rain water in the bilge.  This caused some pealing of the paint on the inside of the bottom.  The System 3 has stood up well every where else.  I switched to a 1 part poly for the bilge, and eventually the entire interior.

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Dave brings up a good point.  The 2 part Polys do not like standing water or constant immersion.  I primed the bilge area of Lula with epoxy primer and then Kiwi grip non skid to avoid that problem.  I have heard stories (un verified) of boats on long passages and on one tack for extended periods of time winding up with blistered topsides.  The point being this tough marine paint works great as long as it doesn’t remain submerged for long periods of time.  

Trying to decide on a bottom coating on Lula I went with graphite in epoxy resin.  Have been using that combo of years on other day use boats.  I also like the look of a contrasting black bottom that I don’t worry about scratches, etc.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I absolutely loved the systems three silver tip two part epoxy primer.   Good above or below the waterline, good build up, thins and cleans up with water and dries quickly.   I applied mine with a foam roller and did multiple coats in one warm day, then let it cure for a few days before topping with traditional oil based marine enamel below the waterline and systems three LPU above the waterline.  Five year later I would do the same again. 

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My friends have covered this topic very well, but I feel compelled to add my two cents.

I used to love Britesides, but it has fallen from favor in my eyes, mainly it does not wear as well as two-part (two-pack in the UK) paints.  One part (pack) paints are easy to apply, and are less toxic than solvent based two-part polys.  And they are available.  If you want a lower gloss product, go with Jamestown Distributers’ Wet Edge.  Know, however, that one part polyurethane is simply an Alkyd enamel that has been fortified with polyurethane.  (Am I wrong?)

Also know that Kirby paints are a simple Alkyd enamel.  Rustoleum’s Marine Topside paint is their standard product (a top quality Alkyd enamel) minus the rust inhibitor.  Kirby’s cost over twice what Rustoleum Marine costs.

My preference is the nasty-smelly solvent based 2-part poly.  But I paint outdoors.  This product wears like iron!  I get standing water in my rower, from time to time, and have not seen any peeling.  It’s all I use now, unless I’m touching up a friend’s boat.

I really want to retry using System 3’s LPU.

My recommendation?  

1. Use a topside paint on a trailerable boat.

2. Use a 2-part product, if you can get it.  Consider System 3’s waterborne product.

3. Use a fortified Alkyd enamel, such as Britesides, Easypoxy, or Wet Edge, if necessary.

Here’s an interesting video comparing one-part paints:  

 

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The latest reply from Systems Three,

Brady Tinker (System Three Resins, Inc.)

Mar 21, 2023, 7:49 AM PDT

Tim,
 
After further investigating the raw material issues with the Pennant Paint we decided we will no longer be manufacturing the Pennant Paint in the future. We do not want to produce a product that we can't have 100% confidence in. If you already have Pennant Paint and need more feel free to call our sales team 800-333-5514 ext 1 to order more.
 
For a topcoat over our primer, we recommend looking at Pettit Paint. The Pennant Primer is a waterborne epoxy that is also sensitive to UV exposure. As long as you have the dingy covered you won't have to worry about UV exposure.
 
If you have any further questions feel free to ask and thanks for continuing to support System Three.

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The thing I failed to mention is that the paint I’ve been using is Devoe’s Devthane 379.  B&B turned me onto using this product.  It is an industrial two-part polyurethane paint.  It is not priced like marine paints.  It costs $80/gallon instead of $105/quart like Interlux Perfection does.  There are supply issues right now, however.  Good luck choosing! 

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We decided to put System 3 Pennant Primer on first, which is all done and looks pretty good.  I think we are gong to go with Seahawk AF33 for bottom paint, and Pettit EZPoxy for top coat. 

 

The big quandary right now is how to figure out where to put the waterline, and therefore where to stop the bottom paint.   We have looked at the plans, and see the line drawn on there.  Our upside down  boat is not particularly level right now, so we are not sure how to proceed.  Any suggestions? 

85754E52-5D10-4ACF-A09D-DCE317E19F71_1_105_c.jpeg

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Most of us do not use bottom paint, since we trailer our boats.  Bottom paint is only necessary if they remain in the water for a length of time.  I’d use Easypoxy on the whole boat.  I hope everybody else following this thread either concurs or disagrees with me for Samantha’s benefit.

As far as waterline goes, jack up one end or the other to make the boat’s waterline (per the plans) parallel with the floor.

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