Painting The Bottom Of Your Boat

Every few seasons, the bottom of your boat will likely need a fresh paint job. Below are some useful tips to make the process of painting the bottom of your boat easier, quicker, and significantly less daunting.

While your boat is still wet, use a wash such as the Boat Wash from Wise Solutions to thoroughly clean the bottom of the boat. Next, use a pressure washer to further clean the bottom of your boat and remove anything you may have missed. Chipped paint and loose paint flakes need to be carefully cleaned and removed before proceeding. The old paint from the boat's bottom needs to be removed next. Use a marine stipper, such as EFS-2500 from Molecular-Tech Coatings. It is important to always read all of the manufacturers' instructions thoroughly before beginning.

Once you've stripped, the next step is to sand the bottom of your boat using an 80 grit paper - a random orbital sander won't cause the damage that a standard belt sander could. If you don't have vacuum hose connector to remove the dust, consider using a length of flexible plastic tubing which can attach to the sanders dust bag mount and then can be directed into a shop type vacuum. Be sure to wear proper safety equipment including a respirator, gloves, and earplugs during the process. Once you've finished sanding, it's time to wash your boat once again with an environmentally friendly cleaner. This will ensure that any remaining paint chips and the dust from sanding will be removed.

Before you begin painting your boat bottom, you will need to choose an appropriate color. A great tip is to choose a different color from which your boat bottom is already painted so that it will be easy to recognize when it's time to paint again. A variety of eco-friendly anti-fouling, copper-free and solvent-free bottom paint is available for purchase in today's market. Be sure to check the weather forecasts before you begin painting; you don't want wind (dust) or rains to wreak havoc as you're trying to paint. It's also a good idea to have extra paint rollers on hand, just in case you need them.

If you have not already done so, make sure to tape off the waterline and use a shaker to mix the paint before applying. With a short-napped roller and an optional extension handle start to apply the paint to the boat's surface. The paint drys relatively quickly; therefore, you will need to work fast.

At one point, you'll need to remove the stands underneath the boat to paint the spots the stands were covering. Be patient and follow the paint manufacturer's instructions as to how long your new coat of paint needs to dry before you can place her back in the water. Drying times will vary with outside temperatures and could be as short at 12 hours up to overnight or 24 hours to dry.