For many people their boat is one of their most valued possessions, it is usually bought after many years of saving up and the research done in finding the right one is a labour of love. For this reason regular maintenance is also a a labour of love and choosing the right color for your boat can be difficult as typically people tend to change their minds on a daily basis, so how do you go about picking a combination that will be visually pleasing for months or even years to come. Read on and you might just find a method in how to go about making a decision that will be both easy and final.
Why is it important to pick a color scheme that has both longevity and visual impact?
Firstly the visual impact a boat has cannot be underestimated as it is usually how people will judge your boat and since your boat is probably important to you, you will want it to look as good as it possibly can. The reason this is the main point of judgment in peoples eyes is simply because they little else to go on as they will generally know very little about boat engines or structural framework which in reality is much more important when assessing the quality of a boat. It is the same thing with cars, the better it looks the faster it must go. Secondly longevity is necessary for practical reasons as painting your boat is both very labour intensive and expensive. The longer you make any restoration project last the more successful it will be by definition.
3 Ways to pick a color scheme
1. If you are any good at drawing things you could do some simple sketches of your boat and then go on to color them in in an attempt to see visually what the boat will look like. The key areas to concentrate on would be the topside, boot top, antifoul and cove line. I suggest doing a minimum of 10 different color variations and it is important to get second opinions of people you trust.
2. If you are no good at drawing then there is a much more simple alternative which is to simply go to Google images and type and do some simple searches for color schemes. You will find thousands of examples and you might in fact suffer from information overload at the end of it.
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3. Alternatively you can check out your local harbor for real life examples, please note however that copying a boats colors does not go down well with the boat owner in question. What you should do is use the real life examples for inspiration only to come up with your own design.
Fishing boats are usually stick to pale blue or white
If you are a fishing enthusiasts then avoiding bright colors such as red and orange is advantageous to say the least. What you should typically go for is pale blue or white quite simply for a camouflaging effect. Sometimes as a fisherman you do need to sacrifice aesthetics for practicality. However the interior of the boat does not need to be as dull, which is where you can exercise your creative muscles should you feel the need to do so.
How to go about painting your boat
Preparation is around 70% of a paint job
Before you actually paint your boat you need to do the preparation grunt work which is very labour intensive so make sure you get all the help you can, alternatively you can hire out this job but it will cost you around $8000 for a 40 foot boat.
Firstly start of by removing the graphics if you have any by a simple combination of a hair dryer as a heat source and a razor blade to peel off the unwanted layer. This method is both very simple to carry out and is cheap, buying a specialized tool for this particular job would be money not spent well. Next clean the whole boat with water and a concentrated mixture of soap in water, buying a cheap specialized chemical for this would be advantageous. Now you need to strip the topside wax which can be done using Scotch-Brite pads or Awl-Prep Plus. Generally this step need to be done two times unless you carry out regular maintenance on your boat or yacht. This will help you getting a resistant and shiny finish.
There will be a lot of cracks and imperfections on the surface, this of course is different in every case and is dependant upon the quality of your boat how often you use it and how long since its last paint job. Before painting it is essential to have a smooth surface to work on which can be achieved via sanding. The strength of th sanding should be determined by how bad the surface is.This type of judgment can be difficult but you will get better at with experience. If the gelcoat is not so bad you can use 80 grit or 150 if it is bad. All the abrasions, cracking, nicks need to be removed so make sure that the sanding process is carried out as carefully as possible with attention to detail.
Applying the primer with the roll and dip method
The roll and dip method is very simple and cheap and I am sure you have used it before. However if you have not, then its simply a elongated tray which has your primer in it, into it you dip a roller which acts as your paint brush. It really is a self explanatory method once you have done tools in front of you. For large areas such as the topside it is best to roll vertically and move along slowly, typically several coats will be required if you are to successfully stop the old color from coming through.
Now you can apply the paint
During the painting process there are several vital things you need to:
1. Reduce the surrounding dust as much as you possibly can .
2. Have sufficient lighting as inability to clearly see some areas will result in you applying inconsistent shades.
3. Depending on your color scheme you might need to apply tape to areas that you do not want any spillage on
Using the roll and dip method for the painting is also advisable as again it is proven to be the cheapest and simplest method. Two coats is typically required for a successful paint job, however if you feel that some areas require more coats such as the topside or antifouling line then go ahead and apply them. The simplicity of this last step will be determined by how well you carried out the preparation and sanding of the boat.
Why is it important to pick a color scheme that has both longevity and visual impact?
Firstly the visual impact a boat has cannot be underestimated as it is usually how people will judge your boat and since your boat is probably important to you, you will want it to look as good as it possibly can. The reason this is the main point of judgment in peoples eyes is simply because they little else to go on as they will generally know very little about boat engines or structural framework which in reality is much more important when assessing the quality of a boat. It is the same thing with cars, the better it looks the faster it must go. Secondly longevity is necessary for practical reasons as painting your boat is both very labour intensive and expensive. The longer you make any restoration project last the more successful it will be by definition.
3 Ways to pick a color scheme
1. If you are any good at drawing things you could do some simple sketches of your boat and then go on to color them in in an attempt to see visually what the boat will look like. The key areas to concentrate on would be the topside, boot top, antifoul and cove line. I suggest doing a minimum of 10 different color variations and it is important to get second opinions of people you trust.
2. If you are no good at drawing then there is a much more simple alternative which is to simply go to Google images and type and do some simple searches for color schemes. You will find thousands of examples and you might in fact suffer from information overload at the end of it.
Ads by Google
3. Alternatively you can check out your local harbor for real life examples, please note however that copying a boats colors does not go down well with the boat owner in question. What you should do is use the real life examples for inspiration only to come up with your own design.
Fishing boats are usually stick to pale blue or white
If you are a fishing enthusiasts then avoiding bright colors such as red and orange is advantageous to say the least. What you should typically go for is pale blue or white quite simply for a camouflaging effect. Sometimes as a fisherman you do need to sacrifice aesthetics for practicality. However the interior of the boat does not need to be as dull, which is where you can exercise your creative muscles should you feel the need to do so.
How to go about painting your boat
Preparation is around 70% of a paint job
Before you actually paint your boat you need to do the preparation grunt work which is very labour intensive so make sure you get all the help you can, alternatively you can hire out this job but it will cost you around $8000 for a 40 foot boat.
Firstly start of by removing the graphics if you have any by a simple combination of a hair dryer as a heat source and a razor blade to peel off the unwanted layer. This method is both very simple to carry out and is cheap, buying a specialized tool for this particular job would be money not spent well. Next clean the whole boat with water and a concentrated mixture of soap in water, buying a cheap specialized chemical for this would be advantageous. Now you need to strip the topside wax which can be done using Scotch-Brite pads or Awl-Prep Plus. Generally this step need to be done two times unless you carry out regular maintenance on your boat or yacht. This will help you getting a resistant and shiny finish.
There will be a lot of cracks and imperfections on the surface, this of course is different in every case and is dependant upon the quality of your boat how often you use it and how long since its last paint job. Before painting it is essential to have a smooth surface to work on which can be achieved via sanding. The strength of th sanding should be determined by how bad the surface is.This type of judgment can be difficult but you will get better at with experience. If the gelcoat is not so bad you can use 80 grit or 150 if it is bad. All the abrasions, cracking, nicks need to be removed so make sure that the sanding process is carried out as carefully as possible with attention to detail.
Applying the primer with the roll and dip method
The roll and dip method is very simple and cheap and I am sure you have used it before. However if you have not, then its simply a elongated tray which has your primer in it, into it you dip a roller which acts as your paint brush. It really is a self explanatory method once you have done tools in front of you. For large areas such as the topside it is best to roll vertically and move along slowly, typically several coats will be required if you are to successfully stop the old color from coming through.
Now you can apply the paint
During the painting process there are several vital things you need to:
1. Reduce the surrounding dust as much as you possibly can .
2. Have sufficient lighting as inability to clearly see some areas will result in you applying inconsistent shades.
3. Depending on your color scheme you might need to apply tape to areas that you do not want any spillage on
Using the roll and dip method for the painting is also advisable as again it is proven to be the cheapest and simplest method. Two coats is typically required for a successful paint job, however if you feel that some areas require more coats such as the topside or antifouling line then go ahead and apply them. The simplicity of this last step will be determined by how well you carried out the preparation and sanding of the boat.
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