What is the BEST paint to use on a fibreglass boat(,I don't care what it cost ) under waterline and topside

Question

What is the BEST paint to use on a fibreglass boat(,I don't care what it cost ) under waterline and topside

Answer 1

AWL GRIP

(used in aviation and in boating)

amazing stuff

Answer 2

LPU aka Linear Poly Urethane is the easiest to apply,longest lasting paint to use over the existing gel coat on a fiberglass boat.  There are several maunfacturers that make it so you are not limited to just one brand.  It can be mixed in just about any color you could ever want, and is readily available wherever they sell good marine paint.

Answer 3

This will depend on weather this is a boat that is stored dry, such as small power boat or a sailboat kept in the water.   A one part polyurethane such as easypoxy is easy to apply yourself with basic equipment such as paint brushes, rollers and sponge brushes.    As with any paint job, preparation is all important.   A two-part paint professionally spray paint applied will probably yield the BEST results, but it's not a do it yourself job.  Awlgrip is a common choice for those who want the best topside results done by professionals.

If it's a trailerable boat, you can probably paint the bottom the same way.   If it's a boat such as a trawler or sailboat that is in the water for long periods of time a marine anti-fouling "bottom paint" will be more appropriate.   Your choice of bottom paint will depend on weather you are concerned about performance, using the boat on fresh water or the ocean and just as importantly what is already on the boat.   Some paints do not hold well over others, even if you sand and clean the previous paint.   West Marine has a useful chart in their catalog telling you which bottom paints work with which other paints and are appropriate for which environments.  Personally, I like VC-17 for fresh water and ablative bottom paints for salt water because they sluff off and discard what's growing on them.  They don't have the build-up with time that other paints have and if the layer underneath is a different color it's easy to tell when your bottom paint need re-painting.

Again, pay attention to the preparation.   In the long run this will matter more than the paint you use.

If you truly don't care about the costs, have the professionals do it and make all the decisions.

Answer 4

Best?

Two Part LPU.....Imron or Awlgrip or Sterling.

Difficult and dangerous but not impossible for the Do it yourselfer....

Better bet is single-part like Interlux Brightside...Toplac, etc.

Go with Interlux VC products under water.

Answer 5

imron