How To Paint A Fiberglass Boat

By John Parks

The good news about painting a fiberglass boat is that it can be done; the bad news is that it can not be done as easily as painting a wall. The current big problem involved with painting a fiberglass boat at home is that the fact that most of the quality 2-part urethanes used for refinishing fiberglass boats are regulated by the EPA so that only registered professionals can buy or apply them.

Lesser quality products are available for home use, but boat owners need to be aware of the big problem involved with using these products: they will not last as long as one of those EPA regulated paint jobs. Boat owners need to get estimates from a quality fiberglass service, and then compare them to costs involved in repetitious lesser-quality home painting jobs. If costs are in-line for home painting – then go for it.

WARNING: Almost all fiberglass wax removal products, primers, and paints produce toxic fumes. A professional-grade respirator, gloves, and eye-protection should be worn at all times. Yes! Fiberglass shower enclosure painters need this protection on too.

Preparation

Preparation is the most important part of any painting job. Normally, a boat is covered in a nice layer of wax to help it to cut through the water easily. This wax layer must be totally removed to create a surface that new paint can stick to.

Find a commercial-grade wax removal product that will remove any unknown silicone finishing in the applied wax products. This remover applies on a clean soft rag, rubbing in small circles, with the rag changed often as it becomes dirty. Go over the entire area twice with the commercial-grade wax removal product.

Dings & Scrape Repair

Fill in all of the dings, scrapes, and gouges with epoxy putty. The epoxy putty should be allowed to dry overnight or longer. Then, while using a semi-fine grade of sandpaper, sand the epoxy putty down until smooth while making sure that the sander is not causing new mars in the boats finish. Preparation is the most important part of any painting job, always use care and take time with the sanding projects.

Primer

In the morning of a new work day, apply a layer of fiberglass primer over the glossy gel coat layer on the boat. Primers work instead of sanding to prepare the overall boat finish for painting and gives better project results. Primers are very easy to use.

The job of the primer is to soften the existing gel coat with chemicals so that the new paint has something to hold on to, or bond with. Primer goes on best with a roller in a light layer. If it looks really bad when finished, you’ve aced this step in boat painting.

Painting

Almost all of the paint for fiberglass that is currently on the market comes in a 2-part urethane mixture that will work nicely to paint a fiberglass boat.

To apply the paint, work with two people; one rolls the paint on with a paint roller, while the other follows along behind with a soft foam brush to smooth out any showing paint lines.

If the painter has had experience in using a paint spray gun, paint can be applied in this manner too, but do not attempt a paint sprayer without experience or results can become a very traumatic experience.

About the Author: Visit Fiberglass Boats!

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