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Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

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jbyers
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Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by jbyers » Mon Apr 25, 2016 2:16 pm

OK, I have stripped most of the paint and sadly there are too many old patched areas for me to be able to paint over them all and still retain a respectable design between the painted and stained areas.

I am leaning towards just going back and painting the entire boat in two different colors.

What are the steps to take. (I assume that after smoothing everything out I will need to start with a sealant or primer?)

What paint should I use for the top coats. (I prefer the one part paints).

Oh by the way, I would really like to be able to spray on the primer and paint using a HVLP paint gun.

Thanks in advance for your suggestions.

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JimF
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by JimF » Wed Apr 27, 2016 5:26 pm

I like Interlux Pre-Kote. Very heavy bodied primer which will fill some rough spots and sand easily. I don't know about spraying because that might defeat the purpose of thickness. It is white and what I have used on my Red and White.
1930 Chris-Craft Model 100 20' "MOXIE"
1940 Chris-Craft Red and White 25' "Old Paint"
1946 Chris-Craft Sportsman 25' "CinCity"

bflaherty
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by bflaherty » Thu Apr 28, 2016 3:32 am

I have been working with the Interlux Pre-Kote and Brightside paint for about 3 months on my '69 Cavalier Ski Boat (it's fiberglass though) and I really like the way the system works!! The primer has to be brushed or rolled on, Interlux does not approve of spraying as you would have to thin the filler out of it. I rolled mine and it came out great! Goes on smooth, easy to sand, and you can mix Brightside paint into to it for second or third coats - this way you can ensure proper fairing. Only challenge I've had is that I did not mix color into my last coat of primer so now I have had to apply 4 coats of my "Fire Red" Brightside paint to cover the white primer...

I have been rolling my primer and paint on without needing any thinners (PNW winter/spring climate is good for painting) but I know that Interlux does approve of spraying the Brightside paints.
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Brian Flaherty
1969 Chris-Craft Cavalier 17 Ski Boat "TUPPERWARE"

"You'll never discover great lands, with your feet planted in the sand"

jbyers
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by jbyers » Fri Apr 29, 2016 2:10 pm

Thanks guys........ BTW that red looks fantastic.

Did you roll and tip it, or just sand it between coats?

Looks like the spray gun may be out of the question.

Thanks again

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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by cenger » Fri Apr 29, 2016 3:14 pm

I painted my 69ish Formula with a badger hair paint brush using Interlux Perfection. I am astonished by how good it came out using a good quality brush. You cannot use 2 part paints on a wood boat but I have heard the Interlux one part also comes out well with a brush or roll and tip. I tried both roll and tip and brush and found the brush approach worked best for me. This video is a good example of how to apply by brush.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp7exyZyikQ
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jbyers
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by jbyers » Fri Apr 29, 2016 3:28 pm

Thanks, you guys are putting me to Shame.

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robertpaul
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by robertpaul » Fri Apr 29, 2016 8:05 pm

I took these pictures last week. I wooded the hull and repainted with Interlux Brightside primer and Brightside topcoat. Used a good quality brush. I spent a lot of time prepping the surface, two coats of primer, sanded translucent before topcoat. Surface prep is the key to a nice job that lasts. I did this paint job in 1992 and it has not peeled, blistered or chalked anywhere on a 35' hull. Don't worry too much, the paints flow out really nicely. Just don't put too much on at once.
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jbyers
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by jbyers » Fri Apr 29, 2016 8:16 pm

Thanks. Very impressive.

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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by Jim Bell » Sat Apr 30, 2016 6:24 pm

I have used Brightside on several projects. On my current Sea Skiff project I stripped/sanded down to bare wood, replaced several planks, 2 coats of CPES, faired with fill-it, primed with 2 coats of Inter Protect (4 on the bottom) and 2 coats of pre-coat. 2 coats of Brightside with a final coat to come. 100's of hours!
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jbyers
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by jbyers » Sat Apr 30, 2016 8:41 pm

It looks great........ well worth the time..............

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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by bflaherty » Sun May 01, 2016 8:18 pm

My fire red was just rolled, using a high quality foam roller so there isn't any lint to deal with. I didn't bother with tipping cause the paint went on so smooth with just the roller... Like others have said, a nice paint job is mostly dependent upon perfect prep work! I spent weeks sanding, priming, fairing, and sanding some more before I started applying the new red. Then I sanding between the first 4 coats with 220, 240, and 320 sandpaper. Then the last four coats were prepped with 600 grit paper!! I now have a mirror like finish that I just need to polish out a little unevenness here and there...

Alsoly, while you cannot spray the primers (due to thickness and filler agents) you can absolutely spray the Brightside top coat paint! That really is the best way to get near perfect... But that means you have to have a dedicated space that is clean and doesn't mind getting covered in the over spray!
Brian Flaherty
1969 Chris-Craft Cavalier 17 Ski Boat "TUPPERWARE"

"You'll never discover great lands, with your feet planted in the sand"


jbyers
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by jbyers » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:26 am

Jim, what color is the mahogany looking paint on the transom??? I don't see that color on their color charts...........

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mbigpops
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by mbigpops » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:53 am

Transom looks like varnish to me
1953 CC Rocket Runabout "Rocket Man"

jbyers
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by jbyers » Fri Jun 17, 2016 11:54 am

I don't know mb........ I thought so too until I zoomed in...........

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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier....progress report

Post by jbyers » Sat Jul 02, 2016 4:11 pm

OK, I finally feel like I am making some progress. Most of the paint is stripped and I am repairing the surface rot/faring out the nicks and scratches. Per the pictures below I replaced the top trim along the bow as well as the top rub rail (if that's what you called it). Since I am painting the entire boat, I went back with a plastic based trim as opposed to wood to eliminate any future rot.

I cut the curves with a scroll saw and smooted it out with an oscillating cylinder sander. After I got it all on the boat, I routed the edges round. The stuff is similar to wood as far as cutting, sanding and routing is concerned.

Take a look at the pictures. I think I did well for a complete beginner.
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joanroy
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by joanroy » Sun Jul 03, 2016 4:27 pm

Well, interesting trim choice, and your right, you won't have to worry about rot problems with plastic. I don't recommend ever using a latex based paint on the exterior of a wooden boat, but plastic trim is better painted with a latex. Plastic tends to expand and contract a little bit with temperature changes and latex paint will stretch with it. Happy Boating!

jbyers
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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by jbyers » Sun Jul 03, 2016 4:53 pm

Hmmmmmm. I had best read up on the trim before I paint..........

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Re: Painting a 1958 Plywood Cavalier

Post by Jim Bell » Sun Jul 03, 2016 5:23 pm

jbyers wrote:Jim, what color is the mahogany looking paint on the transom??? I don't see that color on their color charts...........

On the transom of my 24' CC Sea Skiff project, after plank replacement and sanding, I applied Pettit "Standard Mahogany" filler/ stain followed by 2 coats of Pettit Clear Sealer followed by 6 coats of Flagship varnish. I cross sanded with 220 last week (since the last photo) and will apply 2 more coats of Flagship. I will apply the vinyl name with probably 2 more coats of Flagship. I will decide on buffing at that point.


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