Repainting F/G Hull Interior

[eregnans]

Hi, I've just found this great site and have a question. I'm a boating newby, and recently acquired a 5.5m F/G halfcab in good condition, however previous owner has completely lined interior with carpet which is now tatty and ugly. I pulled carpet off and found copious quantities of hardened rubber cement underneath. I buzzed this off with a wire brush, and now want to repaint the interior. The cleaned interior surface is now mostly roughened original paint (flowcoat/gelcoat/??) with resin exposed in places. My question is what type of paint do I repaint the interior with ? I'll mostly use the boat in saltwater. I'll greatly appreciate any help/advice anyone can give. Thanks. :)

[blaze]

IMO
I would go to a glass repairer and aquire enough "flowcoat" and apply it with a roller, you can get it in many colors to suit. If doing the floor area you can get non skid grit to mix with the flowcoat. A lot easir than paint
cheers
blaze

[finga64]

Welcome and gidday eregnans :)

[MulletMan]

Blaze is on the right track with the Gelcoat but as a hopeless painter I have always finished up with brush and roller marks everywhere.
Another product you can use is the noise deadener spray paints from the Super Cheap shops etc. It is somewhat limited in colours being black, grey and a light blue but it grips like sh*t to a sheeps tail and produces a speckled hammer finish look.
Have you thought about reglueing some carpet back over where you got the old one off?
Not all that expensive these days and some good waterproof glues about as well.

[Boz]

I would go see the pro's at a reputable paint shop. They should be able to advise you on the correct paint to use and also sealer/undercoat/surface preperation etc.
It pays to get the correct info and do it right the first time as the hassle of trying to remove bubbling and peeling paint then starting from scratch sort of just sux really!!!
Boz

[rajawolf]

IMO
I would go to a glass repairer and aquire enough "flowcoat" and apply it with a roller, you can get it in many colors to suit. If doing the floor area you can get non skid grit to mix with the flowcoat. A lot easir than paint
cheers
blaze


As Balze says.... :) you can buy it in white and tint it any colour you want with gelcoat/flowcoat dye...also after you covered the inside of the boat you can then mix another colour and flick (speckle coat) with a paint brush to give it a sort of non-slip surface.

[rajawolf]

I tried just white with blue speckles first...but the glare from the white was to much.. :o ....I settled on grey and black speckle. #8-)

[nicko233]

gday i agree with raja but the repair shop should be able to spray the speckle two different colours and the brush marks will all but dissapear

nicko

[blaze]

If you roll flowcoat with a nice heavy coat it will end up with a finish close to that of being sprayed as it is self leveling to a degree, its a bit harder to do vertical surfaces but it is possible. Why any one would want to use paint, high gloss and bloody slippery i dont know. If you are not real happy with your finish just do the fleck/splatter thing and it easiely covers any little problems (takes the eye away from them at least)
cheers
blaze

[Grand_Marlin]

Dont make this a complicated issue.

Blaze knows his stuff, and flowcoat is the best option.

I use a 3" roller and have no problems at all ... flowcoat is no different to a thick paint.... roll it on thick, and your finish will be superb.

Go over the whole area with 80 grit sanding discs to ensure it is rough and clean.

Wash down thoroughly with Acetone.

Then apply gelcoat.

If you were doing the whole interior of a 5.5, including cabin walls / roof, side pockets in cockpit and cockpit floor, a 4L tin will be plenty.

Mix up about 1L at a time, with 1% catalyst (10ml catalyst to 1L of flowcoat)
Your cure rate if mixed at 1% will be around 20 mins. (longer if cooler and in the shade, faster if in the sun or a hot day ... UV light sends it off quicker)

If you do happen to get a "dodgy patch", wait till it has gone off.... sand back again, clean with acetone and re coat with flowcoat.
Do your prep work properly and there wont be a problem.

Inside the cabin would look nice with the hull liner material. It is made from polypropylene, and will not rot.
It is very easy to use, as it is quite stretchy, and can be easily moulded around corners.
To stick it on, just use gel bond contact adhesive. Coat the surface it has to be bonded to, and just stick it on while the glue is wet... no need to coat both surfaces to be bonded.


There is another product I sometimes use when I am not confident the flowcoat will stick properly. (especially in engine rooms / bilges)
It is a water based, one pack polyurethane, that can be brushed / rolled on.
The product is Bote Cote, made at Yatala, south of Brisbane.

Cheers

Pete

ps make sure you ask for flowcoat and not gelcoat....

[Blackened]

G'day
I'm going to second what blaze and pete have said. The ONLY way to go is flowcoat. Use an auto paint if u want a bad peeling finish that'll make you slip on youir arse. Just replace what was already there ie. flowcoat. This'll also be your cheapest option. Have fun.
Dave

[eregnans]

:) Thanks guys for all of your information - I appreciate it. Looks like flowcoat is the go...

eregnans

[Boz]

Grand_Marlin

Is flowcoat the best surface to glue the hull liner material to or should you put it strait onto the old surface?

Boz

[Blackened]

G'day Boz
Flocoast acts as a decorative and protective finish. It is only marginally sticky, if at all before it goes off, not suitable for laying carpet/lining. For this i'd rough up the original surface, get some waterproof contact cement (selleys or norton will do) and follow hose directions. Have done that on 2 seperate occasions to my floor in the tinny and the carpet was from clark rubber initially..... carpet wore through before it lifted. It's an easy process.
Dave

[Grand_Marlin]

G'day Boz,

New flowcoat is a bit shiny / smooth.

Put it straight on the old surface.

Make sure the surface is clean.... do it with acetone.

If it is shiny, run over it with some 80 grit sanding discs to rough it up.

Make sure you get rid of all the dust... this is usually what stops it sticking properly.

I just finished relining the whole interior of a 35 footer, that had carpet on it before.

There was still old contact cement on the surface, but it was generally smooth and well bonded.

All I did was trim / sand where necessary (very little) ... wash thoroughly with acetone, then glue on.

Use the Gel type contact adhesive ... it sticks better to the fabric and dries faster.

Cheers

Pete

[Grand_Marlin]

Just a follow up picture re: prep for carpet / hull liner material.

The left side of picture is prepared with gp thinners, ready for new carpet or hull liner material

Right side of picture is as it was when carpet was removed.

As you can see, the newly prepared surface is not squeaky clean ... it doesnt have to be.

All dirt, and any loose materials have been removed, and then the surface scrubbed with scouring pads and gp thinners.

The remaining glue is quite ok to glue over the top of, as it is stuck firmly to the surface, and will not lift when the new glue goes over the top.

Cheers

Pete