When painting the hulls is it possible to use an enamel found at a hardware store or should a marine enamel be used? Most of the hardware store enamels say they should not remain emersed in water but say nothing about temporary emersion as would be the case since the hobie does not stay in the water. Has anyone had success with hardware store enamels?

I have had great results on my H16 using acrylic enamel. It was a PPG automotive product that I sprayed on with a Binks gun.

CB, I just finished mine about a month ago. I used "red devil" brand poly(?) enamel. I rolled it on after sanding and filling then "pointed" it with a good brush. It looks good and most importantly didn't turn in to a career project.



I might get a little better paint next time because it "skinned" faster than I wanted it to. On the plus side, the colors are common and available year after year for touch ups.



Tom

I just painted my hulls using an epoxy primer and then Dupont Emron as a topcoat. My main concern was durability and this combination should provide that. It was easier to work with that I expected and turned out great. The downside is that you have to take care to protect yourself while spraying and it's fairly expensive. Around $150.00 for materials.

Jack Hoying

Fort Loramie, Ohio

Prindle 18 #1645

jmhoying at bright.net

http://www.bright.net/~jmhoying

I just got finished painting my Hobie 16 hulls and I have to tell you it was not nearly as bad as I was expecting. The sanding was the worst but with a better electric sander it would have been much easier.. I used a paint by Interlux called Toplac. I settled on this brand after doing a great deal of research based on the fact that it is a combination paint and Lacquer that comes in one can rather than having to mix and it is a marine paint. I wanted something that would hold up in the elements .. even though my cat is not always in the water it does sit on the beach for 7 months out of the year.. and I also wanted something that would be somewhat scratch resistant. which the paint is. Plus it has a great shine on it and should last years... it can be applied with a sprayer or a brush although, if you spray, it won't go on quite so thick thus reducing the weight you will add in paint. The drawbacks are it is a little hard to find because it is a new product and it costs about 30 bucks a quart but I covered both hulls with less than 2 quarts.. so it is really all about how much you want to spend on paint.. Hope this helps you out good luck.