Rawlins Paints Blog Industrial Paint Tips, Guidelines & DIY Articles
Sadly, October starts to signal the end of the boating season here in the UK and it may be time to reach for the marine paint, varnish or antifoul.
If you are planning to land/dock your boat, storing it privately or in a boatyard, it gives you an opportunity to antifoul and ensure that you are protecting your vessel properly with the right marine paints.
It is advised to lift your boat out of the water every year or two, in order to give your hull the TLC it requires and resistance in the water so that performance does not diminish. Inland waterways are particularly hazardous with high levels of copper risk and increased likelihood of algae.
If it is a commercial vessel you operate, such organisms and subaquatic growths can affect the profitability as it slows the boat down or causes lasting damage to the bottom of the boat and hull.
Most self-painting antifouling paints work by dissolving at a steady and predicted rate, so there is always a fresh coat in contact with the sea.
Quick Links:
Already know what you’re looking for? Shop now!
Choosing the Right Marine Paint for Your Project
Commercial Vessels and Jetties
Safety Comes First
When checking the Safety Data Sheets on our website (which you always should) for our marine paints, you may see advice to wear protective gloves and face protection on some products. Some of our paints offer powerful resistance to underwater algae because they can be toxic. Therefore, be sure to protect your eyes and skin comprehensively where advised to, keeping your paint away from heat and wearing antistatic clothes and footwear where applicable.
Preparation
As soon as your boat has been removed from the water is the optimum time to clean the bottom of the boat – before the hull dries out. If you have a powerful water source such as a jet wash, then this can blast off a lot of the old marine paint without you needing to do so by hand. If this is not the case, then sand down the substrate as you would any on-land substrate to remove any imperfections.
Even with a water-based blast, you will need to sand after. It may be worth using a thinner during the cleaning process. Most manufacturers will have a thinner designed to be used in conjunction with their product and if so, it will be mentioned on the Product Data Sheet – and more than likely on our product description too!
If it is a steel boat, you can sandblast to ensure that the levelling is uniform, and the primer will adhere as well as can be. If you are doing so by hand, be sure to use wet and dry sand paper.
If there have been numerous coats of marine paint previously applied, or none for that matter, then you will need to scrape down the substrate so that it is completely clean and level.
Now that the bottom of the boat is clean and uniform, you may spot some scratches or damage to your substrate. This is an excellent opportunity to do some repair work.
Sikaflex 291i is a non-sag, one-part polyurethane marine sealant that forms a durable elastometer. It is low odour, non-corrosive, and can be painted over. It is also VOC and emission free!
The Manufacturers
When it comes to antifouling systems, we would generally advise sticking to one manufacturer throughout. Sometimes their paints have contrasting chemicals, and if the manufacturer has designed a specific primer for example – why not use it? We have some of the world’s leading marine paint manufacturers available at Rawlins Paints:
Teamac
Based in the port of Hull, Teamac is one of the leading brands of marine paints and coatings. Their range of products include marine grade varnishes, topcoats, undercoats, primers, antifouling, bilge paint and other specialist marine coatings. The name Teamac comes from a shortened version of the company name Teal & Mackrill Ltd.
Jotun
Jotun is a Norwegian chemicals company that distribute in more than 100 countries across the world. They specialise in a whole host of areas including marine paint. They even have a section of their website devoted to yachting paints, osmosis and boat care.
Sherwin-Williams
Sherwin-Williams is an American Fortune 500 company and the third largest paint supplier in the world. They specialise in Protective and Marine paints and coatings, and recently were given the arduous task of re-painting the ‘Hollywood’ sign in Los Angeles. They have numerous subsidiaries including Bolton-based Leighs Paints and newly acquired Resin Surfaces Limited.
Choosing the Right Marine Paint for Your Project
Teamac have three different antifoul products available through Rawlins Paints, but I would like to pick out Antifouling A as a suitable example. Described as their ‘high end’ antifoul (and the same price as Antifouling D, so at no extra cost) it is a complex matrix of materials that wears away at controlled speeds, giving that assurance that there is always an acting antifoul surface on the substrate, as mentioned earlier. It is suitable for personal and commercial use, is HSE approved, works on aluminium, steel, wood and GRP, and can last 2 years. It is also available in a variety of colours for aesthetic satisfaction.
For thinning and priming this product, use Teamac Thinner 17 followed by Teamac Metaclor Underwater CR Primer (unless you are applying to GRP).
Jotun Mare Nostrum SP is a yachting antifoul system, though by no means made for that exclusive use. It is self-polishing and offers a vibrant colour underwater in either black, white, dark blue or red. This product also continuously renews providing a clean hull for the whole season. It can be used on sailing boats, motor boats, some speed boats and even flaps or propellers.
An Application Guide for Jotun Mare Nostrum SP
| FIBRE GLASS | ALUMINIUM |
WOOD |
STEEL | LIGHWEIGHT MATERIALS | |
| CLEANING | High pressure fresh water washing and degreasing | High pressure fresh water washing and degreasing | High pressure fresh water washing and degreasing | High pressure fresh water washing and degreasing | Degrease with Jotun Thinner No.7 (Xylene) |
| PREPARATION | Sand with P120-P150
|
Mechanical | Sand with P150-P180 | Mechanical | Sand with P150-P180 |
| APPLICATION | 3 coats of AntiPest
2 coats of Mare Nostrum |
2 coats of AntiPest
2 coats of Mare Nostrum |
2 coats of Vinyl Primer
2 coats of Mare Nostrum |
2 coats of Epoxy Yacht HB
1 coat of AntiPest 2 Coats of Mare Nostrum |
2 coats of Vinyl Primer
3 coats of Mare Nostrum |
Varnishing Your Boat
If you wish to keep a varnished finish, Jotun Spontan Varnish offers excellent gloss retention. It is a one component, oxidatively drying urethane modified alkyd coating that will offer protection to prepared wooden surfaces aboard a boat.
Commercial Vessels and Jetties
For steel boats in more corrosive environments, Jotun do a number of highly scratch resistant, epoxy marine paints. They also come highly certified. For cargo vessels carrying food, grain etc. Jotun’s Jotaguard range has been certified for such use and proves very resistant to abrasion and impact. They are high build, high solids polyamine cured products.
Jotun Jotaguard 690 offers supreme mechanical strength and protection that lasts during long repair intervals. It is fast-drying and can be applied at sub-zero surface temperatures, making it perfect for North Sea vessels. Like the other Jotaguard coatings, it is compliant with the Federal Drug Authority (FDA) USA, and Newcastle Occupational Health.
Sherwin-Williams offer products suitable for ship bottoms, boat bottoms, cargo tanks and splash zone areas of marine structures such as your jetty. Macropoxy L524 is a high build, modified epoxy coating that has excellent resistance in salt water and fresh water. Crude oil too! It can also be used on buried pipelines and is particularly useful where coal tar pitch materials are prohibited.
To prime this product, Macropoxy L425 Zinc Phosphate Primer is an option, as is Macropoxy C400V3 Zinc Phosphate Primer. Talk to our technical team to confirm which would suit your project.
We are Here to Help!
If you have any questions at all for our technical team, please do not hesitate to contact them on 0113 245 5450. Alternatively, you can send an email to [email protected], leave a message on this blog below or drop us a message on social media! We have a presence on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.