Cover Up
Twenty expert tips to help make painting your boat faster and easier.
October 1, 2001
After a lifetime of being told at weekend cocktail parties that I have a splotch of blue paint on
my elbow, I've been able to sift out some advice about painting boats. Some of it was passed along
to me by professionals, some was the result of experience.
1.
Buy The Best Paints. You'd be amazed at the number of people who shop for the best
price, then spend hours correcting problems caused by a paint that was a few bucks cheaper.
2.
Read Labels. I painted the boot top on my boat with two-part linear polyurethane.
I then painted the nonskid areas using another color from the same manufacturer. I mixed it just
like I had before, and when it hadn't dried in several hours I belatedly read the label to find
that the mixture ratio was different for the new color. A weekend spent using solvent to remove the
sticky paint will make you remember to read the label.
3.
Measure Paint Power. When choosing a bottom paint, you can tell how powerful the
paint is by, you guessed it, reading the fine print on the label. Antifouling is measured as a
percentage of weight, so a paint that has 50 percent antifouling is going to provide better
protection than a paint that has 45 percent antifouling properties.
4.
Stir Paint Well. To get the best possible antifouling coating on your hull, be
sure to stir the paint constantly during the application process. Since the antifouling properties
consist of solid particles, they drift to the bottom of the paint can fairly quickly.
5.
Work In Open Air. Be extremely cautious when using paint removers or strippers,
because most use methylene chloride as the active chemical, which metabolizes very quickly to
carbon monoxide in the human body. This reduces the oxygen-carrying capacity of blood and can cause
serious heart strain. So do your stripping in open air, and stay upwind of the vapors. If you must
work inside, provide plenty of ventilation and a fan to blow fumes away from your nose.
6.
Be Aware Of Toxins. The same cautions apply to bottom paint ' it is literally
poison. You probably wear a dust mask while sanding antifouling paint on your boat's bottom, but do
you carefully wash your hands before eating? It probably won't kill you, but you can feel rotten
for a few days afterwards.
7.
Eliminate Excess Air. Need to save your paint for a few weeks or months? For most
paints, the biggest enemy is air, which can produce an ugly skim on the surface of the paint.
Simply add a few clean rocks to bring the level of the paint up close to the lid. Tap the lid down
firmly, and the paint will be fresh for your next touch-up. An alternative method is to cut a piece
of wax paper to the inside dimensions of the paint can. Drop the paper lightly into the paint (this
takes a bit of practice) so that it floats on the surface and keeps the air from reacting with the
paint. When you're ready to use the paint again, you can fish the paper out with a coat hanger.
8.
Don't Use Cheap Brushes. They're worse than using cheap paint. Look for a quality
natural bristle, well bonded to a solid ferrule, and you'll have a brush that will give good
service for years. Try the new foam brushes ' they're wonderful for leaving a finish free of brush
marks. Just be sure that the foam is compatible with your paint, or you'll be picking out dissolved
brush!
9.
Don't Shake Varnish. It picks up bubbles that are then transferred onto the
surface, producing a non-skid finish when you wanted a smooth one. If you must, simply turn the
varnish can over several weeks before you plan to varnish. A week before you varnish, turn it back
right side up.
10.
Stir, Don't Shake. Don't ever let the paint dealer stick any paint can on one of
the high-speed shakers, or you'll be using a froth rather than paint. Stir your paint gently, using
a clean stir stick, and make sure you get all the pigments out of the bottom seam and corners of
the can.
11.
Don't Use Large Brushes Edgewise. It rounds off the corners, causing them to load
up with paint and produce uneven paint jobs. All brushes are made to be used with the widest side
perpendicular to the direction of flow. If you need to cut in an edge, use a smaller brush.
12.
Use Edged Brushes. When you're choosing a brush for most varnish or enamel work,
pick a 'chisel-edged' brush. These have tapering fibers that will give a smoother finish than a
brush with equal-length fibers.
13.
Start Early. Never paint after the dew point, which is often as early as noon in
some climates and usually around mid-afternoon. Otherwise, you can count on a dulled gloss if the
dew forms on your new paint before it dries.
14.
Avoid Drips. On a windy day it's hard to keep newspapers under your paint cans to
catch drips, so take a paper plate and attach it to the bottom of the can. It won't blow, it
catches the drips, and it moves easily when you move the can.
15.
Buy Disposable Buckets. To create your own 'dripless' paint bucket, buy a
disposable cardboard bucket, punch a hole near the top on opposite sides, then put a section of
coat hanger wire through the holes. You can remove excess paint from your brush on the wire, and it
will fall straight into the middle of the bucket with no drips on the sides at all.
16.
Use Separate Brushes. Never use a brush for varnish if it has been used for any
other type of paint. You'll always wind up with tiny particles of the old paint in your varnish.
17.
Grease Fittings. If you need to mask off fittings or windows while painting, try
smearing the protected area with Vaseline or a similar grease. When the paint is dry, you can
simply hose or wipe off any spatters easily.
18.
Clean And Suspend Brushes. Don't stand your brushes on their bristles in a can of
solvent, or they'll be suitable for painting around corners. Drill the brush handle and put wire
through the hole to suspend the brush in the cleaner.
19.
Look Before You Leap. Want to see what a different color scheme would look like on
your boat? Take a Polaroid of your boat, then use water-soluble felt tip pens to draw the new color
directly on the image. If you want to try other combinations, simply wipe the ink off the
waterproof surface.
20.
Check Your Elbows. Last, but not least, always make sure you remember to look in a
mirror as you clean up after painting your boat. Otherwise, you might end up with people commenting
on your painted elbows at cocktail parties.