type of paint needed for hulls

I am preparing to paint over my buddy's badly faded H18 hulls and need to know which type of paint is the most effective and economical. I will be mainly sailing in freshwater and occasionally saltwater. Do I go for a 2-part urethane or can I apply an acrylic-based paint with success?
What brand is recommended and where can I get it? (West Marine?)

_________________
1971 Hobie 16 Sail # 2007

I did gelcoat on mine...but u can repaint with two part poly if expense is an issue and the sand at the local beach is soft or u dont mind it scratching on the first sail and showing the original gel underneath.

DONT use any west marine brand....

Ive used Interlux Perfection (among others) on other projects and its the best of marine paints....IMO

Two part Polyurethane paints have a stronger film than gelcoat at the surface but with the thin build any abrasion will show thru the other side. They have a much higher gloss than gelcoats. Spray and hit the water after a few days of curing.

Gelcoats are sprayed on much thicker and therefore scratches can be sanded and polished off with material left underneath. Somewhat less expensive to buy materials etc, but more work in finishing as it requires sanding and polishing after spraying. This makes the job more expensive if done by someone else...

u choose

I followed this:

http://www.hobiecat.com/community/viewt ... t=painting

for the most part.

My Hobie was seriously hosed up. The previous owner(s) must have been beaching this thing on lava rock or something. Tons of BIG cracks and nicks, as well as a few holes. I patched the big stuff with bondo and worked out most of the other surfaces with Epoxy.

After the prep, I used the interlux primer and brightside with brushing liquid combo. The boat looks AMAZING. My process:

Sand (220) > Prime > Sand (320) > Prime > Sand (320) > Paint > Sand (320) > Paint > Sand (320) > Paint > Sand (sanding cloth - not sure where you get these or what grit they are close to, I got mine from a jeweler friend a few years ago, similar to a tack cloth) > Paint

The paint seems to be adhearing VERY well and with the extra couple of coats I doubt I'll have to worry about dings.

Another note of interest...I ended up only using half a gallon of primer, and only 3 quarts on paint on my 16.

I have a Hobie Holder 12 dinghy, which was badly damaged, but is now repaired. Because of the extent of repairs, I am repainting the entire hull.

Hobie was no help. They said they never use paint, even for repairs. They always use gel coat.
They also said they do not recommend mooring this boat or any of the Cats, but they would not say why. Therefore, an anti-fouling paint should not be needed.

So, I think I am after a hard, durable paint. I am not worried about a super quality finish, since this boat is just for the family. One friend recommended epoxy porch floor enamel. My local hardware store has both epoxy and polyurethane enamels, with the polyurethane supposedly more scratch resistant than the epoxy. Anyone have any experience or recommendations between these two? I can certainly put on multiple coats, like Doc Thirst did.

Thanks for any comments.

To start with, the reason you don't moore the cats is that the rig is not tight. what I mean is the mast can rotate and the shrouds have slack. A boat like that sitting on the water will beat itself up in the waves. Also, they don't have the bottom coat so they gelcoat will blister if left in the water for extended periods.

As for using non-boat paint, let us know how that works out. I have heard of many happy people with the Interlux products and have seen a number of great paint jobs using it as well.

_________________
Nick

Current Boat
In the market
Previous boats owned
'74 Pearson 30
'84 H16
'82 H18 Magnum
St. Louis, MO

After I raved about the great success I had with this paint, I have to post an update/disclaimer.

I took a couple weeks off for some fun in the sun last month. Instead of pulling my hobie out of the water, I lashed it to our houseboat and left it in the water for the week. Although I didn't have any leaks, by the end of the second day water had penetrated the paint was began to bubble and peal the paint from the inside out. This only happened below the waterline.

Brightside is intended for topside use so I don't believe this is a short coming of the paint, but rather the long, continuous, submerging it got last week. Lucky for me I bought about twice as much as I used so I have plenty of paint to repair.

I have painted SEVERAL Hobie hulls SEVERAL times. I have used poly paints and I have used epoxy paints. I have NEVER had a problem using the super white Krylon appliance epoxy paint. I buy it by the case at Sherwin Williams (they own the Krylon brand) for $3.99 a can. Just shake it up and use one of those paint handles that you can buy for $2.00 and away you go. Take your time. You can paint as much as you want or as little as you want its up to you. No mixing nothing. Just prepare the surface well and get after it.

I need to repaint my jet ski. The more I think about it, the more I think I'm just going to rattle can it.

John A. Yaeck, When you talk about prepping the boat what is included? Sanding, what grit? primer? etc.
If primer needs to be used what kind and what color?
I have a yellow h16 that I might change to white, or does the krylon come in yellow?
Did you remove the hulls? I thougt about painting it on the trailer and just move it forward or back to complete the bottom. Trailer and other part of the boat would be masked off. Of course I ned to paint the trailer also.
Do you spray several light coats? If so estimate how many.
How much paint does it take?, one case? two cases? etc..
Do you buff it afterward or just wax it?
Which would be better for touch up later? white or yellow?
The reason I want to paint it is I had some delamination problems and I drilled and filled a lot! Possibly 100 + holes on the sides of the hulls.
I also thought another solution was to have someone make some large decals for it to cover the drill holes, but I didn't know if they would peel off.
The boat is not used for racing, just family use, and I never leave it in the water and usually launch from a ramp or slide across carpet strips.
Thanks a lot, John G.