2 part paints...

[basenjib123]

Hello, Long time lurker..first time poster. I am refinishing my fiberglass canoe. Just wondering what ya'll think about 1 part paints vs 2? Is the 2 part stuff worth the extra money and effort? Thanks, Joe.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Hello, Long time lurker..first time poster. I am refinishing my fiberglass canoe. Just wondering what ya'll think about 1 part paints vs 2? Is the 2 part stuff worth the extra money and effort? Thanks, Joe.

Basenjib123, a belated welcome to site membership! Sorry you haven't gotten a response. I would have expected someone to have experience with two-part paints.

 

[Mike McCrea]

Joe, I’ll take a shot and an answer.

I have only used two-part marine paints once, Inter-lux paint years ago helping refurbish a friend’s sailboat. I recall it being pricey at the time, and he left the excess A & B parts with me, where it lingered in my shop for a decade or more. Whenever I considered using it I looked up the additional A & B parts I would need to buy and said “Nope, not happening”. Never happened.

I have painted a dozen canoes and kayaks, with everything from spray paint (never again) to regular enamel (meh) to different Topside paints (yay).

The two part marine paints are intended/used for hulls that stay in the water year round or at least long term. The Topside paints are used on the, uh, topside of those boats, where the crew walks around, and work very well on the outside of a canoe.

There are various Topside paints. Rustoleum Topside runs $18 a quart, and is decent stuff. Pettit EZ-Poxy is pricier, more like $50 a quart, but to my mind worth the extra money for a quality paint job on a quality boat.

A quart of any paint, rolled (4” foam cigar roller) and tipped (4” foam brush lightly dragged along the rolled still-wet roller coat) will put three coats on a 16-ish foot canoe. A second coat is always needed, and by the third coat your feel for rolling and tipping technique will be much improved.

Rolling and tipping multiple coats of paint is a better warm weather task, not just for paint-cure temperature, but also because the best finish can be achieved by wet sanding before recoating , so outside with hose and bucket.

A thread with lots of prep-work, taping, painting and rolling/tipping and color choice discussion:

https://myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=48607

 

[basenjib123]

Joe, I’ll take a shot and an answer.

I have only used two-part marine paints once, Inter-lux paint years ago helping refurbish a friend’s sailboat. I recall it being pricey at the time, and he left the excess A & B parts with me, where it lingered in my shop for a decade or more. Whenever I considered using it I looked up the additional A & B parts I would need to buy and said “Nope, not happening”. Never happened.

I have painted a dozen canoes and kayaks, with everything from spray paint (never again) to regular enamel (meh) to different Topside paints (yay).

The two part marine paints are intended/used for hulls that stay in the water year round or at least long term. The Topside paints are used on the, uh, topside of those boats, where the crew walks around, and work very well on the outside of a canoe.

There are various Topside paints. Rustoleum Topside runs $18 a quart, and is decent stuff. Pettit EZ-Poxy is pricier, more like $50 a quart, but to my mind worth the extra money for a quality paint job on a quality boat.

A quart of any paint, rolled (4” foam cigar roller) and tipped (4” foam brush lightly dragged along the rolled still-wet roller coat) will put three coats on a 16-ish foot canoe. A second coat is always needed, and by the third coat your feel for rolling and tipping technique will be much improved.

Rolling and tipping multiple coats of paint is a better warm weather task, not just for paint-cure temperature, but also because the best finish can be achieved by wet sanding before recoating , so outside with hose and bucket.

A thread with lots of prep-work, taping, painting and rolling/tipping and color choice discussion:

https://myccr.com/phpbbforum/viewtopic.php?f=49&t=48607

Thank you for the reply.

 

[Robin]

I use Interlux Brightside Polyurethane Marine paint from Wholesale Marine, 43.49, free shipping.
A quart will do 3 coats, use a 6” foam roller, tip with a 4” foam brush, sand in between coats with 150 grit, then 220.

 

[Paddlinhal]

I use Interlux Brightside Polyurethane Marine paint from Wholesale Marine, 43.49, free shipping.
A quart will do 3 coats, use a 6” foam roller, tip with a 4” foam brush, sand in between coats with 150 grit, then 220.

View attachment 128320

Wow Robin, I would be afraid to be within 6 feet of that, for fear of scratching it with my thoughts! But I am going to take your advice.

 

[Robin]

I have restored/painted quite a few fiberglass and Kevlar canoes, living in Connecticut at the time they were pretty easy to come by. Most folks would balk at buying a Kevlar hull with a crack and rotted out gunnels for $100-300, not me. I sold every canoe I restored, most at asking price but if I liked the folks I’d drop the price a little if asked.
One canoe I found needed some fiberglass work, new ash gunnels and paint. It was a typical “I lent it to my son and he left it outside all year” story”.


When I figured in my gas, wood, materials, paint and time I was just ahead of the kid flipping burgers at Mickey D’S.

So a young boy (mid teens) and his grandfather showed up to look at the finished canoe. He wanted something for fishing and a planned canoe trip to the ADK’s. Ahhh, music to my ears. I had the canoe upright on horses out side, those seats and gray paint looked nice. When we filliped it over, the paint really popped, I could see his reaction, he really liked the canoe. He whispered to his G’Pa and then made me a low ball offer. I could see he was learning to negotiate thru his elder. “No, I can’t do that” I replied. I came back with my lowest and best I could do. I knew the canoe would sell to the next buyer for the asking price but I liked the two of them and his plans. He agreed and left with a nice first canoe. I threw in an ash beavertail paddle.
Those where some great days, I met so many nice people around those old canoes.