Thread: Painting guide/help

Did you read the bit about using a strip of ply from the edge to see if it makes the bend. Better than using a whole piece and breaking it. The grain has to go in the right direction of course.

The easiest way is to use evenly measure plasterboard screws. Put plywood pads on them so the head doesn't indent the ply. You can prevent the ply pads from being stuck down by putting brown packaging tape on them.

REad the section here about cordless drivers and plasterboard (drywall in the USA) screws.

Best wishes

Yeah i did read that, i guess its a matter of getting the strip to try out. Unfortunatley its a bit if a drive to a hardware around where i am. Thanks for the tip.

A far as the moisture thing goes (previous page) and having read of your website, its just a case of drying out and sealing with epoxy. It has been overcast over the past couple of days, is it possible for the humidity to draw out the moisture? (you mentioned salt) My daughter couldnt have put that much water onto the timber.

Cheers

Ace

I had assumed the boat was under shelter. If it appeared suddenly after being dry and has not dried yet I am as mystified as you are.

Salt is a thought but I am surprised it has lasted this long. Does it taste salty?

MIK

Hey,

Thats what has me puzzled, it was always been under cover since it has gone bare. After it has a chance to dry it seems to come up with a layer of white haze which is salt, i can tell that from the taste. It has been overcast here for a few days now, so until the sun comes out i cant do much other than open the garage door. I hope i dries out eventually. Is there anyting i can do to help it dry out?

Cheers

Ace

As odd as this might sound, steam it to dry it out.

Originally Posted by highace1

Hey,

Thats what has me puzzled, it was always been under cover since it has gone bare. After it has a chance to dry it seems to come up with a layer of white haze which is salt, i can tell that from the taste. It has been overcast here for a few days now, so until the sun comes out i cant do much other than open the garage door. I hope i dries out eventually. Is there anyting i can do to help it dry out?

Cheers

Ace

There's a 40 degree day around the corner. That should do it too

40 degrees will dry anything out, including me.

Got the Norglass Colour Chart in the mail, now its time to decide what colour.

Cheers

Ace

Nope ... rinse it well to wash off most of the salt. Salt is clever ... it will dry in dry hot weather, but if it becomes cooler and more humid it will suck the moisture out of the atmosphere and be all wet in a trice.

In old boats they used to say you chuck salt in to keep the boat in good condition. It is crap - Francis Herreshoff, one of the great classic designers has nothing good to say about it and went on for several pages and articles trying to train people out of the idea.

It just makes sure the boat is wet and the condensate ensures a lot of fresh water forming up under the deckhead which means .. rot.

Maybe some impressionable soul decided to salt the boat at some point.

Wash it several times if necessary letting it dry and seeing if it dries out with a less salty tasting surface.

If after a first wash and dry cycle it doesn't taste very salty or appear white then it will probably be OK when the temp drops and humidity increases. But repeat if necessary.

Don't get too much else of the boat wet though if you can help it. As much as possible anyhow.

Best wishes
Michael Storer

Originally Posted by highace1

4mm i think is the way to go, if it wont conform to the shape of the tank i will flatten it all up. I also took a few measurements, and it looks like i will need to make a joint down the centreline with the ply. The forward secton of the tank is slightly wider than the width of the ply (1.2m).
Cheers

Ace

I wonder if cutting grooves in the ply like this will work? Maybe only need to cut through 1 or 2 plys.

Hey,

Ill give it all a go and see how it fairs. Hopefully there will be a clear sky soon and not this overcast crap, that will finally give me a chance to drag the hull out and dry it out properly.

Just thought of something........Were most boats from the 60-70's era always left in a varnished timber or was painting just as popular? Im trying to narrow down a choice of colours for the boat but im finding it hard. I dont want it to look "modern", if you know what i mean. I want to look as though it has got a history (keeping a timber look is out of the question as not all the primer has come off in the stripping phase).

Cheers

Ace

Howdy ... there are methods of bending ply or even bendy ply, but they do have compromised strength and waterproofness. The method above is sometimes used for furniture radii on the internal fitout. But it is hard to make waterproof again. That is why it has been replaced with bendy ply.

But either the normal ply will go round the corner ... in which case you can do it. Or if it doesn't .... then you can do it flat which means adding a deck beam probably to support the side deck.

Best wishes
Michael

Hey,

Last night i got thinking about painting the hard to reach areas of the boat ie. under the side decking and under the forward decking. It seems that a top coat would be a waste, is it possible to leave the undercoat? Does that seal the timber enough?

Also, were most boats from the 60-70's era always left in a varnished timber or was painting just as popular? Just curious.

Cheers

Ace

Old timer's didn't like to paint areas you didn't readily see for good reason. If you had a fastener issue or a leak, the wood in the surrounding affected area will darken and/or stain. This is a clear indication that you have a problem that needs to be addressed.

When you paint these areas, you can't see these "clues" and have to wait until more damage has occurred and the paint starts to be affected. Unfortunately paints have gotten quite good at staying intact, even though things under it may have gone to hell. I've seen surfaces that look nearly perfect, but the moment you touch them, your finger goes through the paper thin layer of paint into mush where there once was solid wood. This is what paint can cover.

The old timer's used varnish and more often light shellac (3 pound) to seal these unpainted areas. This protected the areas from isolated splashes or an occasional spill, but permitted the wood to breath and move with moisture content.

No, primer (undercoat?) does not seal the wood. In fact, all primers will soak up moisture like a sponge. It's important to topcoat over primer and do so quickly.

As a rule, I try to plan out these areas before assembly and paint them before hand. This is of course if I'm forced to by a client, because my instinct is to just leave them with varnished so I can see what's happening. Hanging upside down, through a foredeck hatch with a paint brush, trying to get the forepeak locker painted is not my idea of a good time. Plan ahead, some places are very difficult to paint when the boat is "sealed up".


Sometimes I'll paint inside a locker, because it's so much easier to see inside, when there's white paint every where.

Lastly, always use high gloss topcoats. If you want a different finish (satin, flat, etc.) then use a coat of this as the last thing you do. High gloss paint is the most water resistant (by a large factor) so you have a good, water resistant base and you top coat this with a flat or what ever for effect.

No, primer (undercoat?) does not seal the wood. In fact, all primers will soak up moisture like a sponge. It's important to topcoat over primer and do so quickly.

PAR......Do you always use a primer and an undercoat? Does an undercoat just provide a uniform base to paint the top coat? Is 1 coat of grey primer enough?

Would it be best then to leave these areas untouched then or is there an alternative to paint?, taking into consideration the hard to reach areas.

Cheers

Ace