Thread: Water based marine paint query

My current preferred option is Norglass - Weatherfast marine enamel - It's turps based, but it's a 1 part with nice gloss and nice working properties.

I've used both the 1 part and 2 part (northane), and though the gloss on the 2 pack is better, it's not worth the hassle to me I don't think. I'd struggle to convince myself to spend hours and hours roll-tipping the 2-part again.

Hi Asrainox,

I've use Weatherfast on the insides and cabin interior of my boat and it was easy to use and adheres well. But on the boat's exterior in a few repaired sections I have used "Hempel's Light Primer 45551" which is a 2 pack high build epoxy primer. I found Weatherfast Enamel does not have good enough adhesion to it, I intend to give the topsides and deck several coats of Hempel's Light Primer so I think I'll have to go for a single pack polyurethane, as suggested by others in this thread. (Hempel's Light Primer will also be used on the hull as a tie coat for the copper based antifouling paint I will be using).

Thanks for the comments, it all helps.

P.S. - I found it pays to shop around too. My local paint supply store wanted around $140 for a 4 litre can of Weathertex Marine Enamel while a particular bayside supplier in Melbourne was more than $50 cheaper for the same product! There doesn't seem to be any rules regarding the pricing of marine products.


redx.

Before giving up on the WR-LPU's you should look at the conditions, which seems to affect these paints a lot and differently than other paints.

For good flow and maintaining a wet edge, it has to be pretty humid in the shop. I've found I had to run a humidifier to get good results. In the summer here, humidity is high, so not a problem, but if it's dry, you'll need a humidifier, plus it also help to wet the shop floor down (if you can). Temperature is also an issue, especially if the humidity is low. The Vehicle (water) flashes off too quick and you can't keep a wet edge.

I don't know enough of the chemistry on the WR-LPU's, but I'll bet there's a "wetting" agent available, which will prolong the wet edge and workability of these types of paints. One of the first things I learned was to not work too large of an area. I was rolling and attempting to tip off a square meter area, as I would for oil based paints, but not so with a WR-LPU. By the time you get this size patch tipped, you have a dry edge. I found 1/3 a square meter worked best in difficult conditions (dry) while 1/2 a square meter okay if it was cool and humid.

Lastly, I've never found a way to spray this stuff. It dries right out of the gun's tip and lands on the surface as dust, not paint. I tried cooling the hose in a bucket of ice water and other tricks, but no real success.