Painting the Hull of a boat

GillLebowski

Hi guys,

Not sure if this is the right place or not. A mate of mine has asked me to paint the Hull (up to the draft line I think it's called?) of his 24ft boat. All sanding and taping will be done by him and the anti-fouling paint provided. Just wondering what would be a reasonable quote to give him (or give me a normal quote so I can give him mate's rates basically)?

Thanks for the help guys.

HeidiHeidi

I've painted the bottom/keel of our 22.5ft boat many times, took a couple of hours with a small gloss roller.



It's really not a difficult/taxing job - the prep, sanding and taping is the painful bit!


Cover up well, though, the paint is toxic and shouldn't really come in contact with your skin.


Dunno if any of that helps!

Mick Tator

I agree with what Heidi says but IMO a ‘couple of hours’ is nearer to 5 minimum in two separate sessions. The hard bit is the prep work. It takes the same amount of time, particularly if the boot top (the band along the waterline) is done in a different colour. Getting masking tape right on a curved surface is not exactly simple. If the prep work is not done right, at the finish you will have a row, he will blame you, you him.

How long does it take to paint a house? Any 24 foot boat can have a variety of hull material and underwater profiles so they will influence both the amount of paint used and the time taken. A sailing yacht with a fin keel is relatively straightforward, one with twin keels is much more awkward, particularly if it (or any boat) is sitting on a trailer and you have to access through cross-beams, mudguards, etc.

I’ve always found the prep work the hardest and most time consuming as I’m fussy about getting straight edges. A 4” roller on a long handle works best for me. Wear gloves and protective eyewear. Most antifouling paint jobs need two coats with 8 hours drying time between them. So if he has done the hard part I’d allow a working day in total.

But then, if it was for a mate I would not charge and expect a trip or two instead. That’s what mates are for.

GillLebowski

Mick Tator wrote: »

I agree with what Heidi says but IMO a ‘couple of hours’ is nearer to 5 minimum in two separate sessions. The hard bit is the prep work. It takes the same amount of time, particularly if the boot top (the band along the waterline) is done in a different colour. Getting masking tape right on a curved surface is not exactly simple. If the prep work is not done right, at the finish you will have a row, he will blame you, you him.

How long does it take to paint a house? Any 24 foot boat can have a variety of hull material and underwater profiles so they will influence both the amount of paint used and the time taken. A sailing yacht with a fin keel is relatively straightforward, one with twin keels is much more awkward, particularly if it (or any boat) is sitting on a trailer and you have to access through cross-beams, mudguards, etc.

I’ve always found the prep work the hardest and most time consuming as I’m fussy about getting straight edges. A 4” roller on a long handle works best for me. Wear gloves and protective eyewear. Most antifouling paint jobs need two coats with 8 hours drying time between them. So if he has done the hard part I’d allow a working day in total.

But then, if it was for a mate I would not charge and expect a trip or two instead. That’s what mates are for.

Cheers both of you. Yeah, sounds about what I had thought.

Basically a few hours each day once the tough work is done...

Oh, this will be months of abuse and definite trips instead of money. Just for the fact he doesn't trust himself to paint it :pac:

AndyBoBandy

GillLebowski wrote: »

Basically a few hours each day once the tough work is done...

Oh, this will be months of abuse and definite trips instead of money. Just for the fact he doesn't trust himself to paint it :pac:

It's actually a very satisfying job to do (when all the prep work is done of course).
And once you do it, you'll be somewhat invested if you like in the boat, and for you at that point, the boat will become 'she' or 'her' and not simply 'a boat'.

Try and pick a nice 2 days (yes, I know!!), spend the first day making sure the prep is all done correctly.. look at the lines struck by the masking tape and think, could it be just a tiny bit better? check the hull is smooth and that there are no rough bits, or flakes of old anti-fouling.. Try not to have a 'ah, sure that'll do' approach to doing it, and try and do it as best you both can..

have plenty of sandwiches/tea/coffee, then give it it's first coat towards the end of the afternoon.

Then come back the following morning and apply a 2nd coat..

Remember with anti-fouling paint, you want it on thick & hard, as it's most likely self eroding anti-fouling your mate has bought, which wears away over time spent in the water.. so be generous when applying it.

a few days later she'll be ready for the water, and if you're around maybe help your mate with the launch.. and bring more sandwiches & tea.

Get out on it as much as you can, and within a few years, you'll be anti-fouling your own boat...

Mick Tator

AndyBoBandy wrote: »

It's actually a very satisfying job to do (when all the prep work is done of course). ................have plenty of sandwiches/tea/coffee, then give it it's first coat towards the end of the afternoon............Then come back the following morning and apply a 2nd coat..............a few days later she'll be ready for the water, and if you're around maybe help your mate with the launch.. and bring more sandwiches & tea...

I'm going to remember that when I call you next season. I'll have loads of tae and sangwishes and even beers to hand while you satisfy yourself between axels and crossmembers under my boat! :D