Well these past couple days I got my weekender bottom painted. I used 2 coats of Interlux Epoxy primer #404, And 3 coats of Interlux Perfection "Lauderdale Blue".   I learned a couple of things,  The epoxy primer is toxic stuff, you have to use Interlux 2333n brushing thinner, Interlux 333 will not work even though they are exactly the same on the MDS sheet.  333 won't mix with the 2 part paints at all. Wasted a qt of epoxy primer finding that out.
  I thought my surface prep was pretty darn good, no such luck. After the 1st coat of Perfection you could see any flaw, all the scrape marks, every bump or raised section ect, ect.......It looks great from 10ft away but get closer and you can see all the imperfections...
  My question is after I let it cure for 7 days can I polish the finish to a bright shine??   Â
 I'm painting the top in Snow white color, hopefully I'll do a better job this time...
I will wait on the polish answer also as I have been tempted to polish mine. I was going to go with a white on top and a blue on the bottom but someone suggested I paint a piece of ply with the white, then take it outside and try looking over it on a bright sunny day, to simulate looking forward while steering so I did. After doing my best squint I was unable to take the glare off the bright white so I changed it to a medium yellow by mixing my white paint 50/50 with yellow. The glare was almost entirely eliminated. So now my boat is medium yellow over Seattle grey. I am not suggesting you shouldn't paint your boat white on top, I have seen many that are, but for me the glare off the white was just to much.
Yep, most of the "fancy" paints will have proprietary cutting, wetting, drying (etc.) agents. If you have a chemistry back ground you can figure out what it needs. For example 2333 use to be 40% acetone, 25% alcohol and 35% toline (it's changed in recent years and I haven't checked lately).
333 is designed for single part polyurethanes and modified alkyds. This is a completely different animal then the solvent based LPU wetting agent used with "Perfection" (2333).
Epoxy primers aren't especially toxic, except if you drink it while liquid (not a bad thing on a hot afternoon, with a little ice and a lemon twist) or breath the sanding dust after it's cured (making snow angels on the garage floor).
Yep, really shinny paints, will show just how well your fairing efforts turned out. Fairing takes practice, a set procedure and good technique. Most novices have a rude awakening when the shinny stuff goes on.
Buffing is possible, but the paint needs to be really dry and you also need sufficient film thickness. It's pretty easy to "burn through" a top coat with a buffer, trying to smooth things out. Buffing will bring up the gloss (making all the flaws look shinier) and potentially remove minor (very small) scratches, stipple and imperfections. It will not level out a surface.
If you mix paints for a custom color (I do it all the time) they must be the same brand and type, unless (again) you have a good chemical grasp on what is truly in the paint.
White is a difficult color to live with, high gloss white is much worse. A flattening agent is a trick I use. Apply a few coats of regular high gloss, then apply a final coat with a flattening agent. It knocks the shine down and glare is much reduced.
Personally, I don't paint anything bright white, except inside lockers, fore peak compartments, etc. Places that will be difficult to see into when finished, so a bright white color has some benefit. If some one requests bright white (what do clients know) I'll usually mix a bit of gray, blue, green, yellow or red into the bright white. The color I mix in is typically related to the other colors on the boat. For example I built a medium-dark green hull recently. The interior was two tone, bright white and tan. The tan was on the red side (tan can be reddish, blueish or grayish) so I used yellow in the white. Yellow and green are complimentary so this is a good call. I could have used red, but the white would have then been closely related to the tan.
Unless you "know" about colors and how they interact, let your wife select the paint job. Trust me, they're a whole lot better at it then you.
Paul, I'm going to do like you had originally sugested and tint the white paint with the blue to soften it. I have a 1/2 gal kit of snow white, how much do you think I should add of the blue to tone down the bright white??  1bsp, 2tsb ect ect?? For me this is the most affordable option...
It takes a surprising amount to really affect the color. Put a few drops of straight white on a piece of clean white paper, then add small amounts of the color paint to the can of white. Stir well, then put a drop onto the paper you have the straight (base line) sample drops. You should see a difference even after a single of tablespoon of blue per gallon.
It depends on the blue you use. A very dark blue will work much more quickly at "tinting" the white. A medium or lighter blue will require more for the same level of tint. Use a tablespoon at a time, mixing really well and checking the color often. This way you can "sneak up" on the color you want.
If you are using a single part polyurethane or modified alkyd, then the pigments they use at a real paint store will work (oil based pigments of course). Maybe you can get them to squirt a few ounces of pigment into a baggy for you, or add and machine mix to your instructions, while you wait. I have my local hardware store owner trained quite well. I can bring in any can of paint and have one of his guys put a few drops of whatever pigment I desire, then shake it.
I mixed white and yellow in even amounts. The end color was a yellow just slightly lighter then the starting yellow but with reduced glare. It is what I wanted and 3 batches of it turned out close enough that I could paint the same areas and not notice any difference between batches. I tried a cup of yellow with a quart of white and it was to light and still had significant glare.
I suggest you use accurate measures when you mix so you can reproduce the final color. I used my wife's mixing pyrex, while she was at work, so I could get things fairly close. I didn't just dump a quart of yellow and a quart of white into a larger container. I have found that when you buy two quarts of paint they are close in volume but not exact. Also be sure you mix the starting colors until they are completely mixed. I use a mixing bit in my drill and mix for 4-5 minutes usually.
Slightly O/T but I can´t help wondering (aloud) why people try to make their wooden boats look like plastic boats. What I mean, why should the finish and paint job be as perfect and glossy as a clorox bottle?
I am not suggesting the boat should be a mess, but little imperfections only show that it was hand made from natural material instead of coming out from the same mould as a million other boats.
Does this mean you'll forgo the paint for an all varnish finish on your schooner? I have a boat like this, not a drop of paint anywhere on it and it surely looks hand made, but sweet God a pain to live with.
I tend to agree with your sentiments Timo. Most back yard builders put way too much effort into making them as pretty as possible, when getting them out on the water, bashing into sand bars, dragging them over rock covered beaches and plowing into barnacle encrusted dock pilings is what they truly meant to do.
Terry, I've sent your wife an email telling her what was in her favorite (that's what she called it) Pyrex mixing cup. I used the boatbuilding as a disease excuse, which seemed to work and I also recommended a few local 12 step programs which she may bring up in the near future. Act surprised if she does.
I would like to varnish something in the boat, but the traditional parts that people varnish as an accent are the ones that get the most wear and are thus the most stupid places to varnish. Thinking of rubrails, bulwarks and other final touches. Maybe the tiller?
Other than that will definitely get painted and NOT high gloss and NOT bright white. I have done my share of painting in summer jobs while a student to know better ;D
I've got a rule about varnish, don't use it on anything that will not unbolt from the boat. When you're not sailing you can take it home and varnish!