Red Raven
Coupeville, Wa
- Joined
- May 14, 2015
- Messages
- 1,807
- Location
- Whidbey Island, Wa
- Fluid Motion Model
- R-27 Classic
- Hull Identification Number
- FMLT2734C414
- Vessel Name
- Red Raven
- MMSI Number
- 338190767
After four six month seasons on the water the bottom paint on our 2014 R27 was getting pretty tired. We built a custom garage for the boat with thought that we could recoup some of the cost by saving on annual maintenance costs, moorage fees, and minimizing the wear and tear from the weather. Painting the bottom while in the garage was the one challenge I had yet to tackle until now.
First, how to lift the boat from the trailer to paint under the bunks? I chose to use a couple of (12ton!) hydraulic bottle jacks to do the heavy lifting under the keel. I made a couple of cradles for the keel out of wood and 1/4” plate steel to protect the keel from the jack pistons. I also spread the load by placing the bottle jacks on some scrap 12 ply plywood used for building concrete foundation forms. I didn’t want to crack the concrete floor! In addition, I used the trailer boat lift system from Brownell Boat Stands (about $650) to stabilize the boat. Technically the trailer boat lift system can lift the boat without the bottle jacks but since they were near their rated capacity (10000 lbs) I chose a belt and suspenders approach.
Here is a couple of photos with the boat up on the boat stands and jacks.
Next to prepare the bottom. I was painting over existing factory applied Seahawk AF33 with the same product. The labeling specified a clean and dry surface with no mention of sanding. I chose to use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water, a stiff scrub brush and a towel rinsed in clean water. Since I was working directly under and likely to get it on my face I didn’t want to use anything more caustic. It came out very clean. I used a wheeled stool, a wheeled creeper, and a wheeled bucket to ease getting around under there. I let it dry for a week before painting.
I masked all the metal items and the water line of the boat, the trailer, and the floor. The paint went on mostly with a roller but I used a brush for the tight spots. A good gas mask and nitrile gloves are a must. All the garage windows were also opened for ventalation. 1 gallon ($130 from West Marine) did the whole boat with one coat on the bottom and two on the sides. The existing paint was in pretty good shape on the bottom and I didn’t want it build up too thick so I didn’t add a second coat there.
Here is a photo of the finished product.
After letting the paint cure for another week I plan to drop the boat back down and paint the areas where the jacks and stands were. While this initial job only saved a little money after buy the boat stands it saved multiple trips to the boat yard and I am now set up to give the boat bottom new paint as needed for just the cost of paint and supplies.
Edit: After drying I wasn’t happy with the coverage and added another coat all around.
First, how to lift the boat from the trailer to paint under the bunks? I chose to use a couple of (12ton!) hydraulic bottle jacks to do the heavy lifting under the keel. I made a couple of cradles for the keel out of wood and 1/4” plate steel to protect the keel from the jack pistons. I also spread the load by placing the bottle jacks on some scrap 12 ply plywood used for building concrete foundation forms. I didn’t want to crack the concrete floor! In addition, I used the trailer boat lift system from Brownell Boat Stands (about $650) to stabilize the boat. Technically the trailer boat lift system can lift the boat without the bottle jacks but since they were near their rated capacity (10000 lbs) I chose a belt and suspenders approach.
Here is a couple of photos with the boat up on the boat stands and jacks.
Next to prepare the bottom. I was painting over existing factory applied Seahawk AF33 with the same product. The labeling specified a clean and dry surface with no mention of sanding. I chose to use a 50/50 mix of vinegar and water, a stiff scrub brush and a towel rinsed in clean water. Since I was working directly under and likely to get it on my face I didn’t want to use anything more caustic. It came out very clean. I used a wheeled stool, a wheeled creeper, and a wheeled bucket to ease getting around under there. I let it dry for a week before painting.
I masked all the metal items and the water line of the boat, the trailer, and the floor. The paint went on mostly with a roller but I used a brush for the tight spots. A good gas mask and nitrile gloves are a must. All the garage windows were also opened for ventalation. 1 gallon ($130 from West Marine) did the whole boat with one coat on the bottom and two on the sides. The existing paint was in pretty good shape on the bottom and I didn’t want it build up too thick so I didn’t add a second coat there.
Here is a photo of the finished product.
After letting the paint cure for another week I plan to drop the boat back down and paint the areas where the jacks and stands were. While this initial job only saved a little money after buy the boat stands it saved multiple trips to the boat yard and I am now set up to give the boat bottom new paint as needed for just the cost of paint and supplies.
Edit: After drying I wasn’t happy with the coverage and added another coat all around.