What paint for a salvage Sunfish sailboat?

[Peter]

I have a salvage (derelict) sunfish sailboat languishing in my yard. I have collected bits and pieces at yard sales to put it back together over time and it is getting to the point I'm getting ready to take up the project.

It was a pre-started project boat when I got it so it was already sanded somewhat and stripped of all its hardware, so a repaint is a must.

But it is not a show piece, and when it is done it is just a beach toy, not a competition boat. It will live outdoors year-round in my yard.

So the question for you fellows is what paint should I select? Particularly in light of all the recent changes in formulations to comply with VOC regs? Paints and primers that worked great five years ago, and which are still sold as the same product name today are NOT what they used to be,... at least that is true in most house paints.

I only have very basic spary equipment (HVLP) for house painting use, so I will probably brush; or roll and tip. I'm comfortable with those brush techniques and I have gotten pretty good resluts using them. (Not like Gert's crew, but passible.)
I have to paint outdoors, so a long "open" time could be a problem for dust and bugs.
Along those "dust and bugs lines" it would be a plus if I could "patch" fairly easily.... as in sand out spots with bugs, or later dings, and touch it up.
There is no exposure to fuel, oils, or chemicals to speak of. Just sand, sunlight, saltwater, and rain.

Imron and Awlgrip are over the top for a boat with a $500 value when finished... and I haven't the equipment, shop, or expertese to apply it properly. I have used Interlux Brightside 1 part polyurethane in the past and it has been my "go to " general purpose paint because it works well and looks pretty good, but is not particularly durable. So I'm looking for something that will stand up to the outdoors a bit better.

What can you tell me about the Petit Easypoxy? OR Interlux Perfection 2 part polyurethanes, or other appropriate middle to low end systems like the enamals by Petit or Interlux?

Thanks,

Peter

[captbone]

I had great luck with Interlux Perfection. I rolled and tipped it. Cheap, easy to work with and it is a durable 2 part paint.

Just my 2 cents.

[Bertramp]

I have had similar results with Perfection .

[JP Dalik]

Easypoxy and forget about it. You can thin with 333. Sand wipe tach paint. Beach toys look good from far, don't worry about the rest.

P.S. easypoxy is the goto for some of our older wooden charterboats. Durable and easy.

[Buju]

Brightside, Easypoxy, and TopLac are all real similar. They're single component, ambient cure, polyurethane/alkyd enamels. They apply nice when properly reduced, they hold up decent over the proper primers, they dont break the bank.

The two parts are always significantly more durable, regardless which technology. They always cost what you're not looking to pay.

For this particular application I'd recommend getting a gallon of white poly gel and brushing a few thick coats on. Then sanding it out to a compound & buff.
Resiliant, inexpensive, easy application, a bit of elbow grease... but not too bad.

[JeremyD]

Awlgrip ~ if I'm going to be doing all that labor - I want a paint that's going to last.

I painted my $200 craigslist force 5 with it. I'd paint a boat I was given with it. I've used it enough to know how to get it to lay down. I tried perfection - the finish is nice - but I could not get the same results that I could with awlgrip.

[Bertramp]

Unlike a lot of the two-parts, Perfection is designed for ownerapplication, as compared to spraying.
I have used foam rollers alone and with 2 coats gotten good results ..... for what is looking tobe done here, just mix and roll.
It is very durable.

[Tony Meola]

http://www.sunfishdirect.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Peter

Try the above for parts

[JeremyD]

These guys too - http://www.intensitysails.com/sunfishcovers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[Carl]

I did the side panels in the boat with perfection...and a shower stall base with the balance.


I am a horrible painter and with just a brush it came out...well I was impressed.

Very happy with results and has held up well.

It is not Awlgrip, but doesn't cost as much either and results are easier to achieve.

[Peter]

Thanks for the input.

I'm leaning toward the Perfection choice though Buju gave me pause to consider the gel coat option.

Thanks for the links to parts suppliers. One reason the project has been on the back burner is the remarkably high cost of replacement parts, in particular dagger board and rudder. Even used. It says in the class rules that these parts must be "Builder supplied" to be class legal for racing so class legal ones command a higher price than you might think, which means non-class leagal ones are also expensive. But since I'm not going to be racing I don't care about class legal.

Further research showed that the mechanical bits like the rudder head without the blade, or a sail that is listed as a "practice sail, not legal for racing" aren't too expensive after all.... so that is the route I'm on right now.

However it is a bit ironic that the best place I found to get the dimensions to make a new rudder blade are from a free download of the class rules....And in there it also states that the owner may repair or replace lost or damaged parts with "home made" ones provided he makes them to be faithful to the builder supplied parts.

So even though it doesn't matter to me the replacement parts I will make in my basement will in fact be class legal for racing after all.

Peter

[Buju]

Pefection and Awlgrip are very similar products. Perfection is a linear polyurethane as well. It's more geared/marketed to retail/DIY demographic, whereas Awlgrip is targeted to the pro market.
Interlux introduced Perfection right after both US Paint (awlgrip) and Interlux were bought up by parent company Akzo Nobel....