Bad paint job

J

Jacqueline

Member
Jul 30, 2009
48
Trieste, Italy
Boat Info
Sundancer 290, 1992,
Engines
Twin petrol engines
Can anyone help with some advice? My boat was painted inside (cockpit, cabin, floors, everything) by the ex-owner with an oil based gloss paint (the kind you would paint a door in your house with). He did not put on any primer so of course it is all peeling off, it looks terrible and is a nightmare to keep clean. The boatyard has quoted 1,800 EUR to sandblast it off and put on new gelcoat. The boat is just a little weekend runaround so that is not an option. Sanding it all off would take me all summer. Is there some way I could just roughly sand the worse of the peeling bits off, then paint something else over it that would stay in place? Would be very grateful for any advice. Thank you!
 
The only way to fix it correctly and end the peeling problem is to:

1) Sand all of it down, or

2) Follow what the boatyard advised.
 
I would like to see some pictures of that hack job!
 
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CaptRonn said:
The only way to fix it correctly and end the peeling problem is to:

1) Sand all of it down, or

2) Follow what the boatyard advised.
Click to expand...

Neither of those is an option. The boat is not even worth 1,800 EUR. I cannot spend all summer sanding the boat. There has to be another option.
 
What? The boat is not worth a couple a grand? Must be in really bad shape.

Like CaptRonn says, nothing will stop the peeling off regardless of what you put over it. Your only option on the cheap is to scrape off any obvious peeling, sand and repaint the area.
 
JimG said:
What? The boat is not worth a couple a grand? Must be in really bad shape.

Like CaptRonn says, nothing will stop the peeling off regardless of what you put over it. Your only option on the cheap is to scrape off any obvious peeling, sand and repaint the area.
Click to expand...

And even that will cause the existing paint to loosen and lift. It will be a continuous problem until the paint is completely removed.
 
What is underneath the oil based paint? If its fiberglass/gel coat, you could media blast it - which is far easier and safer than sanding or sandblasting. Walnut shells work great, but you will need a really good air compressor (gas powered). Strips everything down to the gelcoat.

The downside - it is a mess to clean up. Stuff gets everywhere, anywhere, and into little nowhere spots. Tape/tarp everything. Safety glasses, respirator, and maybe ski goggles as well.
 
media or acorn shells... I am pretty sure you can rent the machine do it yourself to remove the paint ...gel coat it yourself or paint again properly
 
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F2503419-7B7C-4BE1-8C2D-8103678E0A34.jpeg

Out of curiosity why would you buy such a boat in the first place?
 
There are some very user friendly and effective paint removal products offered by a company called Hi-Lite Solutions under the Aerogreen name.

I don’t recommend top coating the existing alkyd paint with a catalyzed urethane finish as the acid in the catalyst will probably attack the paint underneath.

This can take months and will create a much larger problem than you already have if that’s possible
 
$1,800 Euro is about $2,100 US dollars. If you got a legitimate quote to blast the old stuff off and re-gelcoat it, you should sign up for that before they change their mind. That's a phenomenal price (assuming they'll do a decent job).

As was stated above, there's really no short-cuts when it comes to painting. It's all in the prep work. You either pay someone to do the labor, or you spend the time doing it. Anything short of that will only cause even more problems. You may not "like" these answers, but they are correct.
 
sbw1 said:
View attachment 103092
Out of curiosity why would you buy such a boat in the first place?
Click to expand...
The boat is great, she is a little pilotino with an outboard engine. I just use her to go out with friends in the afternoon and swim, not to go far or to sleep on. Actually I love the boat. It is just the peeling paint that I don't like
 
TimW said:
There is!!


Live with it. You wouldn't be the first person to put up with something not completely desirable.
Click to expand...
It is not that straightforward. When rainwater gets in the boat I have to get it out with a bucket and mop and paint peelings go in the sea and contaminate it. I don't think it is too much to ask to be able to get rid of the peeling paint
 
Lazy Daze said:
$1,800 Euro is about $2,100 US dollars. If you got a legitimate quote to blast the old stuff off and re-gelcoat it, you should sign up for that before they change their mind. That's a phenomenal price (assuming they'll do a decent job).

As was stated above, there's really no short-cuts when it comes to painting. It's all in the prep work. You either pay someone to do the labor, or you spend the time doing it. Anything short of that will only cause even more problems. You may not "like" these answers, but they are correct.
Click to expand...
It is really not a phenomenal price. The boat is very small, only 5 metres by 1.5 metres, and the quote only includes the inside
 
Soulshine said:
There are some very user friendly and effective paint removal products offered by a company called Hi-Lite Solutions under the Aerogreen name.

I don’t recommend top coating the existing alkyd paint with a catalyzed urethane finish as the acid in the catalyst will probably attack the paint underneath.

This can take months and will create a much larger problem than you already have if that’s possible
Click to expand...
I am not sure that we have that brand in Europe. Paint stripper is a good idea though, I will go to the paint store and ask what they have
 
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