I have a 73 blue H14.
I would like to paint it. I am not obsessed with the idea, but I figure the old doll could use a bit of paint to possibly protect the bottom of the hull.
Anyways I found a deal on some "Interlux Brightside Polurethane" Premium, Single part polyurethane # 4353 Medium Blue. (A couple of quarts.)
It says to clean up, sand, wash and prime and brush it on. I prefer to spray as I have a HVLP sprayer.
I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on my adventure.
Am I wasting time? Will the hull be any better off? Will it help with abrasion resistance? Am I better served doing something else? Appreciate your thoughts.
I kinda figure I'd do it just for the hull of it.
I would suggest before painting do a sanding with 200 grit (higher if the boat will be used for racing) to roughen the hull up for the paint. Remember the higher the number on the grit the smoother the smoother the finish will be. I recently completed a similar project on a Hobie 16. I sanded down to 200 and brushed the paint on and it came out fine. You want to apply a few thin coats instead of one or two thick coats. My experience has been priming is a step thats only needed if the surface is in poor condition. The result is well worth the effort. If you have any further questions I will be glad to answer them.
I did exactly what you are talking about with the HVLP and brightsides on just the bottom of the hulls. Buy the right thinner from interlux (the name escapes me now) and follow their instructions for spray applications. The first coat should be just a light dusting, the second is where you get the color on, and any left over is just added protection. Priming is not essential(I didn't do it and it turned out fine, still fine after 7 months). Take your time on the sanding and prep and you will not regret it with the super smooth finish you'll get.
Hope this helps a little, andrew
When you brushed the paint on, did you have to finish with wet-sanding or did you leave it "as is"?
I wet sanded between coats just to take the gloss off to ensure the next coat sticking, after I was done I left the hulls the way they were. A coat of wax over the final coat isn't a bad idea to protect the hulls.