Can I Use Car Paint On A Boat? (You’ll Be Surprised)

Despite looking after my boat carefully for several years, I realize it’s beginning to look somewhat shabby after numerous years in the water, requiring a fresh coat of paint to give it a new look. As I was considering the best paint to use, I wondered whether car paint would suffice. I investigated to find out whether automotive paint would work the same way as marine paint.

So is it possible to use car paint on a boat? While automotive paint differs from marine paint, you’ll find the former can still work to give your boat a new look. You just need to know how to use it. When using automotive paint, you have to sand the gel coat and clean it numerous times with grease remover and wax.

You might think that there isn’t much involved when picking the right boat paint. However, there’s a difference between top and bottom paints. You’ll also discover timing is important when it comes to boat painting.

How to Use Car Paint on Your Boat

When it comes to boat painting, numerous DIYers prefer marine paint because it’s easier to operate with and gives a glossy finish when dry. This implies there’s typically no need to apply an extra clear coat over the marine paint. This, in turn, decreases the overall time spent on the project. Marine paint is formulated especially for use on yachts and boats. However, marine paint is usually expensive, prompting many to turn to automotive paint.

When using car paint, you can paint over with urethane topcoat in cases of a smooth gel coat. For a rough gel coat, you should spurt three coats of urethane filler over the damp epoxy primer. You can then sand the fill primer after it’s cured, and once the imperfections are smooth and filled, you can spurt the urethane topcoat.

You need to sand the primer with finer or 400 grit to eradicate sand scratches. If you have to use rougher sandpaper for smoothening, you’ll have to cover the scratches using more primer and sand it using 400 grit.

While the paint isn’t as robust as a gel coat, it’s a viable choice for enhancing the appearance of an older boat. If you have a faded boat, the best option is to sand it with ultra-fine sanding paper. If the color beneath the gel coat is faded, painting is the only feasible and somewhat affordable choice to enhance its appearance.

For most boats, the top cap usually fades and gets chalky. If you paint that area, you shouldn’t have issues with scratches.

The Number of Coats Necessary for Your Boat

The number of coats required will vary depending on various factors, mainly if the new paint is of a noticeably different color from the original.

If you’re a perfectionist seeking the best finish, your boat must appear almost perfect following the undercoat application. To attain this phase from scratch, it might need two primer coats, three undercoats, and 2-3 topcoats.

However, if your goal is merely to refresh the finish of a current and mostly sound paint, two extra topcoats might be all that’s necessary.

When spraying paint, every coat is thinner than the application of paint with a roller or brush, so more coats are necessary. Nevertheless, sprayed coat dries quickly permit the application of more thin layers in a particular period.

Selecting the Appropriate Boat Paint

Numerous paints and qualities exist, and the more money spent, the better the outcomes. Various kinds exist, including bottom and topside paints. Topside paints are for use above the waterline and won’t hold up beneath water.

Bottom paints or antifouling coatings are for use underneath the waterline when trying to prevent marine organisms from attaching to your vessel while it remains in the water for extended periods.

Bottom Paints

Hard Modified Epoxy-These paints prevent growth by leaching biocides when contact with water takes place. The release of biocide occurs at a steadily reducing rate. They attach to most surfaces, are abrasion resistant, and you can apply them over most kinds of paint.

However, you can expect buildup to occur with each new paint coat, and you’ll eventually need to strip the coating. If you maintain your vessel in the water year-round, you’ll require paint with a high copper quantity.

If you store the vessel on land during winter and don’t mind repainting during spring, consider customized epoxy paints with a lower proportion of copper.

Copolymer Ablative-These kinds discharge their biocide at a continually controlled rate as they ablate or wear away. This decreases paint accumulation, and they don’t lose their antifouling capacity during air exposure. This implies that you can paint your vessel before winter storage and be ready for launch in spring. You’ll also find that these kinds comprise less copper compared to customized epoxy paints.

Here is an article on bottom paint.

Topside Paints

The application of a topside paint occurs over the waterline anywhere on your vessel, including the interiors, deck, and sides of the hull. Topside paints fall under one of these categories: two-part polyurethane, one-part polyurethane, and alkyd marine enamel. Some of the similarities they share include:

They’re resistant to abrasion and moisture
They can withstand hull contraction and expansion

However, the paints vary in the extent to which they endure exposure to water and sun, in flexibility, cost, durability, and ease of application. Specialty topside paints also exist, which are enamel or poly that comprise additives to attain a particular purpose.

One-part Polyurethane-This popular paint is not only easy to apply but also generates stunning finished outcomes. It’s also more affordable and safer to apply and mix than two-part polyurethane. You’ll find it’s easy to apply to the exterior and interior surfaces over the waterline. There’s no need for converters to mix and measure. You just need a roller and brush to achieve a long-lasting finish.

Two-part Polyurethane-This paint outperforms one-part polyurethane in terms of scratch resistance, hardness, color retention, UV resistance, and gloss retention. However, you can expect to spend more on painting equipment, paint costs, and safety equipment. You’ll equally spend more time mixing, surface prep, curing, and application.

Beware that they aren’t as flexible as one-part poly and any repair touch-ups will be evident. Although you can roll or brush various two-part paints, you must spray some of them to attain the best outcomes. Some of the formulas are noxious, so they need professionals to spray them with special equipment.

If you wish to use spray equipment, take some time to learn about different spray guns and the way to operate them. You’ll discover some release more paint into the atmosphere and less on surfaces, leading to wasted paint.

It’s equally important to acquaint yourself with the kinds of protective gear needed by each spray technique. To apply by roller or brush, ensure you’re in a well-ventilated area. If you want to use a sprayer, ensure there’s adequate ventilation and acquire quality protective gear, including eye protection, gloves, and a suitable vapor respirator since the overspray from such paints is toxic and very dangerous to inhale.

Alkyd Enamel-People use these widely since they’re affordable, glossy, and easy to apply. Moreover, they have good build and adhesion, needing fewer coats.

Since they’re oil-based, they’re good at handling wood contraction and expansion. They’re also easier to touch up if dinged or scratched. However, they aren’t as durable, needing maintenance coat annually.

Is There a Particular Time to Paint?

The appropriate time of year to paint is when you haul your vessel at the end of the season, and the appropriate day is when the dew point, relative humidity, and temperature are at acceptable levels.

For best outcomes, some planning and patience are necessary because you can’t do anything about the weather, mainly when painting outside. When it comes to bottom painting, the timing depends on the kind of antifouling paint since some paints permit you to wait longer between splashing and painting the boat.

Painting at the end of the season is preferable, so you don’t need to scuff or repaint before splashing. You should begin painting in the morning once dew formation passes.

Don’t paint in direct sunlight since the air temperature and surface temperature will be too hot. Consequently, the paint will dry too fast, and it will be too difficult to apply. You should permit time for drying, sanding, overcoating, and always examine whether the former coat is sufficiently dry before overcoating or sanding.