by GreenLake » Sun Aug 23, 2020 8:56 pm
For painting a CB on a boat that is dry sailed, you can use a lot of different paints. Neither epoxy nor gelcoat seem particularly difficult substrates.
My favorite of the moment is Petit EasyPoxy. It takes a bit of time to cure, but then is really tough. Which is something you want, because the board will rub against the trunk opening. But you may have to let the paint really cure before reinstalling and first use. Another paint I've used is SystemThree's WR LPU. (Single component, but with an optional "cross-linker" for the last coat). Cures to a really tough finish, but may be sensitive to good surface prep. I've tried it on a rudder to good effect, but had mixed results using it on the hull; the rudder flexes less, that could be a difference and it's smaller, so I may have had more consistent surface prep. In principle the LPU cures faster and would end up higher on the abrasion resistance. Polyurethanes can cure really tough that way, but the EasyPoxy isn't bad, once cured.
In some ways you'll get everyone to tout the paints they've used - none of us has really had a chance to try widely different products that are still on the market.
I painted a racing stripe on one of my boats with spray paint. The results were interesting: the primer I used adheres like barnacles, however, it may have been not as compatible with the top coats, as they scrape off way to easily (the stripe is at the edge of the hull and comes in contact with docks etc.). That primer (if I could only recollect the brand) would be a painless way to seal a CB. So, the answer is, there isn't any obvious answer and you never know . . .
~ green ~ lake ~ ~