The boat paint world used to be something which we all tried to avoid.
Many owners believed that you were better off selling a boat before it needed painting.
This is still a perfectly good option, but it is not the only option.
Painting wooden boats is definitely best left to those who love restoration, but it is different with fiberglass boats.
New fiberglass boats are things of beauty; you just want to put your hand out and touch them.
The colors look so deep and appealing.
In actual fact these colors are held in a gel coat.
The gel coat is the outer most layer of your boat.
This layers starts of fade and loose its shine after years of exposure to the elements.
To keep the shine you have probably spent many hours polishing your boat.
You may have noticed that you are having to do this more and more often to keep the same level of shine.
If this is the case then you may want to consider the boat paint route.
Applying boat paint is best left to the experts.
There are two basic reasons for this.
Firstly fiberglass boat paint is full of nasty chemicals and you need to have the proper equipment to ensure your own safety.
Secondly, you need to have a paint chamber if you want to get the perfect finish.
Some boat painters will tell you that you can get just the same finish outside.
This is not true, if anyone suggests this to you do not leave you boat with them or commission any work from them.
For boat paint to adhere correctly to your boat it needs to be applied to a slightly porous surface.
Over the years of waxing and polishing your boat you have filled this porous surface with wax.
This will now all have to be sanded down.
The time and effort put into the preparation of your boat will define the level of the finish.
The more time you spend preparing your boat the better.
It is important that at no time the boat paint has any air underneath it.
Initially you may wonder how this could happen.
But have a quick look at your boat.
See where the screws are imbedded, or where there are two different pieces of the boat fitted together? If the paint is applied on top of these air can get trapped in the top of the screw head or where the surfaces meet.
This will later bubble up and look unsightly.
With the boom in fiberglass boats, so to have the painters increased.
Now you can get a good boat paint job done, just be sure to thoroughly check out the previous work of anyone you use.