What do I use for interior paint?

[christopher]

I'm looking to repaint the some of the exposed hull, quarterberth (some ply and some hull), knees and underside of the forepeak deck. What kind of paint is generally used for this?

Thanks!

[Rachel]

Hi Christopher,

People use a variety of paints/types. Everything from "non-yachty" latex acrylic enamel (not a bad choice despite the non-yachtyness), to traditional yacht enamel, to a single part "poly" such as Brightsides, to a two-part LPU (and a few in between that I haven't mentioned).

One factor to consider about your individual boat, which might narrow down your choices, is what paint is on there currently (assuming it's sound and you don't want to laboriously strip it all). Basically, you can put a "softer" paint over a harder one, but not vice versa. As a rule of thumb, two-part paints are "harder" than one-parters.

There are some tests you can do on your current paint to check out what it might be, and/or if it's suitable to overcoat with a two-part (if you wanted to). The basic idea is to scrape some cross-hatches into the paint, tape a solvented cotton ball or rag over it, and wait "x" number of hours before seeing what happened to the test area.

I used to think latex was not suitable, but I've now seen some pretty nice boat interior paint jobs done with the "new" acrylic latex enamels, so I think I would consider it.

On the cruising boat, the locker interiors were painted with glossy Brightsides, and I must say that the smooth glossiness went a log way towards making it mold-repellent, and cleanable. I understand that you're talking about "out in the cabin" spaces though, and so you might not want that much shiny where you see it every day. Two-part paint would be super tough and scrubbable, but of course more toxic to apply and more demanding about what's underneath.

If I didn't choose the latex I would probably go with the yacht enamel, but that's just personal preference; I can't really make a huge case for any of the choices being the clear "best" for any given boat or person.

Rachel

[Homer]

I must agree that Brightsides is great in lockers and such. I used gloss RustOleum in the squeaky clean bilge and it is holding up very well. The bright white makes a past dark place most friendly when hunting for a nut that bounced in.

[Peter]

I've done two boat interiors with Zinnzer paint, and I love it.
Here's the interior of my old San Juan 24,



and my present Albin Vega 27,after about 3 years of use:


The stuff just works, ... even if it's 'house' paint :-)

[Tim]

What matters is that the paint you use is good. There are good paints and bad paints under all labels, all monikers, and of all types. There's nothing necessarily special about "marine" paint per se, but these paints do tend to be of higher quality in general.

Stay away from cheap paints. Stay away from typical household latex (the acrylic latex Rachel mentioned above is an entirely different animal, but don't confuse it with Dutch Boy wall paint).

Always buy the best paint you can afford, within whatever genre you're considering. Not all expensive paints are necessarily good, but within a certain line of paints, the pricier paint tends to always be better than the less expensive one. Inexpensive paint flows and covers poorly; expensive paint flows and covers better (in most, but not all, cases).

I've had good luck with, enjoy using, and continue to use Interlux Premium Yacht enamel (semi-gloss) for visible portions of boat interiors. I use it because it is fine paint that incorporates all the working characteristics I believe good paint should. I will continue to use it because I see no reason to audition something else.

I don't like glossy paint for interiors, particularly on the sort of boats we're generally talking about here, which don't always have the most smoothly-finished interior surfaces to start with. I greatly dislike Interlux Brightsides for my own reasons and plan never to use it again for anything--evidence that just because a paint is expensive doesn't always make it stellar.

For less-visible spaces, like lockers and so forth, I like Interlux Bilgekote. It covers in one coat with no primer, and sticks well. I've used it for years and can find little or no fault. It's not my choice for places that you'll be looking at in a finished interior, though.

[bhartley]

I used Petit UnEpoxy on the interior of Ariel. There is a liner (left alone) but all of the rough fiberglass surfaces were painted with it. It was apparently idiot-proof. I painted over generally clean existing paint and in other areas raw fiberglass. I did not spend extensive time cleaning and prepping (I have since become a LOT more particular), but it has held up admirably. It flowed and leveled very well on the fiberglass but needed thinning on wood (locker lids). The liner is below the teak fiddle and gelcoat only. The photo is after several years.

I would agree with Tim that Brightsides should be avoided at all costs (long, painful story) and I would have preferred not to have used High Gloss. It does scrub well, but it is a bit overwhelming when the boat is empty. When she's full of the stuff of boating, it is less bright.

[Homer]

I agree that gloss can be overwhelming. In my case, I have a satin teak and holly sole and satin mahogany everything else. Without a gloss white overhead, the boat is a dungeon.

[Rachel]

Always buy the best paint you can afford, within whatever genre you're considering.

Yes, I completely agree. The prep is the same amount of work either way, so why not use the best quality coating. A good paint is a joy to apply.

Rachel

[christopher]

Thanks very much for the info everyone. See any problems with applying any of these in temperatures ~45 - 50 degrees? Right now in Wisconsin it's well below that, but I probably won't get up to do this work until late April early May at which time it's regularly in the mid 40s. I have some bulkhead work to do before the paint goes on, but I really want to cover up my glasswork once I'm done.

Why didn't anyone warn me these old boats needed so much fixing? ;)

[Rachel]

Christopher,

The paint you choose will most likely have information on the can specifying the lowest temperatures it can be applied at. Keep in mind that if they say 50 degrees (for example), you can't just have 50 at noon, but rather have to have time for the surface to warm up to 50 and then also stay that way for a decent amount of the paint's drying time.

I know this all too well from waiting (and waiting) for a proper window in which to paint my bilge. I found one of those infrared "point and shoot" thermometers to be really helpful in getting an idea how various length windows of warmth related to time the hull was warm. With interior bulkheads you may be able to use a heater more effectively than I could on the deep bilge/hull.

Actually, for any paint, there is usually a wealth of information on the good old label. How to prep, what grits of paper to use, temperatures, drying times, etc. So once you choose something you will have a lot of that info available to you. It's usually to be found on the company's website, too, if you want to pre-plan.

I did have a friend once paint all the walls of a four-plex in chilly weather (he was being too.... economical... to turn on the furnace), go home, and then come back the next day to find that all of the paint had "slid" down the walls and onto the floor. Oopsie.

Rachel

[mitiempo]

Tim
I'm curious what you have against Brightside. I have used it for locker interiors and was planning on using it for some visible items. (depending on your answer maybe)

[earlylight]

I tried Interlux Brightside in the lockers of my last boat and found that it did not flow as nicely as I like. On my Sabre I have used Petit Easypoxy (Bikini Blue) which is what Sabre used when she was built 28 years ago. Here's a couple photos (one of a locker with the shelf for the refrigeration compressor and one of the engine compartment ) which show the clean bright look. Just my 2 cents worth.

[Tim]

It is not my goal to make a lifestyle of impugning Brightsides, but this paint is dead to me. These are my reasons in a nutshell, since you asked.

Specifically I dislike the flow characteristics of Brightsides: it is difficult to apply well and not particularly self-leveling or forgiving no matter the level of reduction. It always seems sticky and draggy during application, even with more reducer. I dislike the covering ability and I dislike the gloss retention--or lack thereof. I don't like the primer much either, for that matter: it's just not as nice to work with as some competitive products.

When compared to other available paints, I just don't see any reason to recommend Brightsides. This is just based on a direct comparison of my experiences with Brightsides and experiences with other products that I have used to much greater success with less effort. As with all information, take this for what it's worth: one person's experience.
.

[mitiempo]

Thanks Tim. I think I might try Interlux Premium Yacht enamel and see what the results are like.

[LazyGuy]

For interior, I like using Kirby, available from them (kirbypaint.com) or from Jamestown. Nice soft colors, hard paint that lasts. It also has a nice satin finish. Another product that a boatbuilder friend likes to use is the Epiphanes Enamel covers and lays out well. He is just like Tim when it comes to Brightsides.

Dennis

[mitiempo]

The Epiphanes is a thought. I have always liked their varnish.

[LazyGuy]

Depending on which one you use, you may want to consider using flattening agent as well.

[daydreamer92]

I guess it wasn't here in this forum, but I have read that Porch and Floor paint can/is an acceptable non-marine paint for boat interiors. Benjamin Moore brand was mentioned specifically, but I would somewhat assume "Porch and Floor" paint has certain porch and floorish qualities that extend across most brands. Has anyone gone this route?

Just curious.

[tomwatt]

Specifically I dislike the flow characteristics of Brightsides: it is difficult to apply well and not particularly self-leveling or forgiving no matter the level of reduction. It always seems sticky and draggy during application, even with more reducer. I dislike the covering ability and I dislike the gloss retention--or lack thereof. I don't like the primer much either, for that matter: it's just not as nice to work with as some competitive products.
.

That quality you describe is called "ropiness". A paint is described as being ropey when it will neither flow well nor brush out well, but tends toward being tacky or sticky when trying to level it.
The worst thing that comes to mind for that is sign writer's enamel. Horrible stuff to work with.
Given the conditions on the inside of most boats, I'd lean towards exterior house paint, since most of the semi-gloss latex house paints have a fair amount of mildew resistence, and can deal with the flexing of substrates well.