Ahh... the joys of hull painting. most say it is 80 percent prep. In reality try 95 percent.
I have been painting hulls for over 25 years, and have learned the following. All through the hard school.
1. You MUST follow prep. and application instructions to the letter if you expect the coating to live up to its mfr. standard and longevity.
2. If you use one part paints they can look great.. but be prepared to recoat every few years!
3. Two part coatings are EXPENSIVE and require special primers etc. Environmental conditions will have a tremendous impact on the final result and longevity. (Boats in yards are almost impossible to paint with 2 part systems the weather and airborne junk makes a top notch finish almost impossible!
4. A properly prepared and applied 2-part coating will last for many years! Most of our boats have finishes on them for more than 25 years and still look pretty darn good! (It was NOT a space age 2 part coating like the Algrip and Alcraft and Imron paints of today.
5. Yards are running short on work with this economy.. if you have the ability... this year is one of the best to negotiate a great deal on a professional job.
6 Before committing to a job, ask to see examples of their work on other alluminum boats and if possible talk to their owners. Look at work that is several years old. They all look good the first few months!
safe boating,
dave
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