BYYB Forums

Hey guys...

After my great sail with Tom Dellinger and the Left Coast Cruisers...my brain is back on the boat...I am at home with my daughter who is sick so more room for my brain to get on here...

After looking at some more build shots I was wondering how smart (or the converse---SHTUPID!) it would be to paint parts before assembly?  I have seen some people put on just one side ( I am talking a weekender here) and then paint the inside so you can more easily access different areas...but why not paint pieces before assembly? 

I can see the forward side of the forward bulkhead...and the underside of all deck pieces being especially difficult...

Of course you would need to leave some spots exposed and some areas would get marred up from the build...but it would probably be easier to touch those areas up then paint them entirely...

I know very little about the paint part...dont have a sprayer...maybe that would make this all moot...but just wanted to look into this before any assembly...

Pros/cons....cons cons...would be appreciated...

Matt

Matt,
you can do whatever you want, because you work only for your pleasure.
I think that you can pre-paint parts that remain flat, just only mask with tape the connecting edges.
It is wise then paint closed parts walls before closing them.

I don't advice you to paint flat parts that will be assembled curved, because soon or later the paint surface will creak and moist will penetrate inside.
Pay also attention that after assembling with screw and glue it is normal to sand a lot and to use a lot of filling. You will risk to be forced to remove big part of the paint you just done.

I don't think that a sprayer is a good idea, because you waste a lot of paint, that flows on your workshop wall, on your neighbore's car, in your lungs ....
A roller and a brush give you the best control and let you save a lot of money.


Gianluigi

P.S. this new spell check is great!

I agree with Gianluigi. I think the curved pieces might cause trouble when you curve them. However, maybe painting the inside face of the sole would be a good idea, and the part of the deck that will be inside the front compartment. I found this area very difficult to paint after I had assembled the boat, lying on my side in the little cabin, reaching through the triangular holes in the front bulkhead. Also, the parts of the seats that will be inaccessible after assembly. There is space behind the seat back that will never see the light of day after assembly. I don't think it really needs to be painted in there though, no moisture ever gets in there. (Unless the boat sinks)

Maybe a better way to deal with painting the "chain locker" (The triangular compartment forward of the front bulkhead) would be after attaching one side, paint the inside of the boat prior to attaching the other side panel. I've seen people do this. I was too excited about attaching my side panels to bother doing this: That is the moment a pile of wood becomes a real boat.

thanks guys!

yes...I have seen several builds with one side attached...which looks like a good option...

Thanks for the warning on the curved sides...that makes sense...

I think I will also be soooo excited to be at that point and wont be patient enough to wait...

matt

Fiberglassing parts flat is also a great idea.  I did that where I could and got a pretty nice (for me) result.  A lot less drips and sags.  I also coated the underside of the deck with resin prior to assembly - and perhaps should have painted it too.

Greetings Matt,

The only problem with pre-painting is being able to foresee when you are truly finished with a section of the boat. It would be a real pain to pre-paint a section and then discover that you have to glue in a shelf or a backing block and therefore have to sand away paint and primer to get a good bond. It also helps to be able to dry fit and assemble parts with screws so that you can trace around the open sections with a pencil, again to avoid the strips where the epoxy needs to grab on to the wood. But you can paint-as-you-go if you are careful, and read the plans five times.

I at least painted my forepeak and lazarett as they were being put together because they will be impossible to reach after assembly.


http://home.comcast.net/~TomsWeekender/i...06445b.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~TomsWeekender/i...06444b.jpg


http://home.comcast.net/~TomsWeekender/i...06461b.jpg

As for paint, I was using the same Interlux boat paint and primer that I will be using on the outside, and simply brushed it on. I got a fairly smooth finish, especially on the horizontal surfaces, and I figure it was good practice for when I paint the outside of the boat. Then again, I know a guy who paints cars in his auto body shop and I just might have him spray the topsides and deck.

Cheers,
Tom

I've pre-painted many things over the years and one thing always crops up. No matter how careful you plan or tape, you have to crawl into that locker, cabinet or forepeak hatch and touch up the attachment points and this is just about as bad as the upside down paint job itself. One of these days, I'm going to invent a low energy, refillable paint grenade for these locations. Toss it in, count to 5 and boom, paint well scattered about the inside of what ever.

ooh...all good points...i think it is true that it might not be a good reason just because of the planning and foresight I would need---which if this was my 3rd, 4th 10th weekender I could probably attempt it...but this is my first boat ever...so I feel like I will have to take my lumps as I go===entering the fraternity of boat builders...

paul---LOL...at the pace my boat is going---they may invent such a grenade by the time I will need it...and thanks for the point that the touch ups are almost just as hard...

I think the idea of putting on one side may be the best option...

Thanks for the photos too---those side lengths are a mod from the plans right?  looks like the panels are shorter then I imagined...

matt

I painted the inside of the nose and inside of the port side piece before attaching the port side.  There is no way I could fit through the holes in the bulkheads.  Reaching through those holes with a roller or brush attached to a 3" extension would have worked but not given me the coverage that I got by painting while the nose was still open.  I did tape off the connection areas and that left a small line of paint to add after the side was attached but that was easy using the 36" extension.

I had a similar idea to Paul's when I was trying to paint inside the forepeak of my boat. Less scientific, I thought about putting a cherry bomb inside a can of paint and dropping it through the deck hatch. I might have tried it, too, except cherry bombs are hard to get in Canada.