Beyond aesthetics, is there any reason to paint it?
Bomar Hatch Finish
Moderator: Jim Walsh
Bomar Hatch Finish
The paint on this hatch was in poor condition and I decided to stripped it.
Beyond aesthetics, is there any reason to paint it?
Beyond aesthetics, is there any reason to paint it?
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Steve Laume
- Posts: 4127
- Joined: Feb 13th, '05, 20:40
- Location: Raven1984 Cape Dory 30C Hull #309Noank, CT
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Re: Bomar Hatch Finish
Great job on cleaning up the hatch.
Now all you have to do is sand it down to get a good paint finish or have it powder coated. If you want to leave it bare aluminum and not begin to oxidize, immediately, you have a lot more work to do. I did a couple of cleats and a little snubber winch for my boom this spring. I didn't have to remove any paint but I did need to polish them to a mirror finish. You will have to go through some progressively finer sandpaper and then start buffing. I did the little pieces on a buffing wheel with polishing compound. I then waxed them and they look very nice. I am not sure how long they will stay bright but I can always take them off and polish them again. The hatch frame is going to be a lot more work and you will not have the option of taking it off to re-do it when it starts to tarnish. Polished aluminum can be beautiful but it will not stay that way for ever. Think about Air Stream trailers and some big truck parts.
I had my hatches off and painted them in the last couple of years. They both still look great and it was much less work than polishing them would have been. It all depends on just how much time you are willing to invest and the look you are trying to achieve. There are lots of bare aluminum boats out there that are just left to oxidize. If you are okay with that look, then bolt them back on. It is not the look I wanted, thus the painting, Steve.
Now all you have to do is sand it down to get a good paint finish or have it powder coated. If you want to leave it bare aluminum and not begin to oxidize, immediately, you have a lot more work to do. I did a couple of cleats and a little snubber winch for my boom this spring. I didn't have to remove any paint but I did need to polish them to a mirror finish. You will have to go through some progressively finer sandpaper and then start buffing. I did the little pieces on a buffing wheel with polishing compound. I then waxed them and they look very nice. I am not sure how long they will stay bright but I can always take them off and polish them again. The hatch frame is going to be a lot more work and you will not have the option of taking it off to re-do it when it starts to tarnish. Polished aluminum can be beautiful but it will not stay that way for ever. Think about Air Stream trailers and some big truck parts.
I had my hatches off and painted them in the last couple of years. They both still look great and it was much less work than polishing them would have been. It all depends on just how much time you are willing to invest and the look you are trying to achieve. There are lots of bare aluminum boats out there that are just left to oxidize. If you are okay with that look, then bolt them back on. It is not the look I wanted, thus the painting, Steve.
Re: Bomar Hatch Finish -I don't recommend my approach
I did this a 11 years ago, stripped, sanded, chromate primer, then sprayed with Interlux Bright side paint thinned with acetone.
I am disappointed with the paint durability. Below decks it still looks perfect and shiny, just like when it was sprayed. But above decks, it has faded to dull, chips and corrosion bubbles are taking their toll. When I do it again, I think I will try and have them powder coated and then make sunbrella covers to try and reduce the uv damage. It should also increase the life of the lens before it gets cloudy.
Don't try bare aluminum as the marine environment is just too hostile. If you prefer that look, you should get them polished and the then anodized (like the mast or boom) which should last a long time if you keep it waxed. But finding an electro-plating house that will do small orders may not be so easy.
s.g.bernd
I am disappointed with the paint durability. Below decks it still looks perfect and shiny, just like when it was sprayed. But above decks, it has faded to dull, chips and corrosion bubbles are taking their toll. When I do it again, I think I will try and have them powder coated and then make sunbrella covers to try and reduce the uv damage. It should also increase the life of the lens before it gets cloudy.
Don't try bare aluminum as the marine environment is just too hostile. If you prefer that look, you should get them polished and the then anodized (like the mast or boom) which should last a long time if you keep it waxed. But finding an electro-plating house that will do small orders may not be so easy.
s.g.bernd