good day all, i am going to spray my merlin for the first time and would like to know if i need to do something different with the paint or if i can just put it through the spray gun like it was car paint. the reason being is i dont want to ruin my mates spray gun!

happy sailing people!

no expert but you must thin the paint with No1 or 7 thinners. Should say on the tin. Running it neat through the gun will constantly clog the needle and eventually knacker it.

Good luck

thanks, i knew i had to thin it. thought i'd best check that there is no special technique!

the special technique is practise - pressure, flow rate etc. and speed/distance. all vary with different paints, so prime up and do some test panels first - sort the problems out before you paint the boat, and don't try to load too much paint on per coat, smooth and even is good, thick with runs is v bad!

oh, and clean the gun thoroughly before and after - your paint supplier should supply gun cleaner/thinners, different to normal paint thinners.

alright, ta very much. i thought there would be a specific thinners to use! looking forward to getting back on the water!

all the best.

What about varnish is it possible to spray varnish i work in the motor industry and was wondering what my bodyshop would need to do in ordr to be able to spray varnish and spray paint my boat. if so where do i get the matterials from ???

Just tell them to use car laquer.

You'll find you need to polish it after 6 months on the side decks, but as a cheap functional job it works fine.

They can use Laquer seriously ??? how long does it last and how do you remove it, i also thought that car paints and laquers were to britle  and wouldnt allow for the small ammounts of flex in a boat ?

you can spray varnish and epoxy, especially two pack, best for boats

You can use Laquer. It's just clear paint. 

The only problem is it loses it's shine where you sit out faster than varnish, but an hour or so with a rag and some polish and it comes back up a treat.

Car paints are brittle, but so are two pack marine paints and you're decks won't flex enough to bother it. On 3375 a laquer job lasted 6 years.

Removing it is no differant to narmal stuff. Nitromors or hot air gun.

Chees Chris, does it give a better shine then varnish ?? i will speak to my Bodyshop today

It's about the same shine wise, provised you keep on top of polishing it.

If you can use an airless unit .It will give a superior finish.Its well worth it.

http://www.vzyachting.co.uk/da/17369

oNE MORE QUESTION WHAT PRIMER SHOULD YOU USE IF ANY ??

2 pack car primer is as good as any.

hang on, do you mean on the deck? if so a couple of coats of west/sp would be a good idea.

Car prmer isn't for obvious reasons!

Lol, wouldn't it have been funny if he'd run out to the garage and done it straight after you'd posted though......?

Even i would of struggled to get my head round spraying my deck mat grey

i have researched more and found that thinners no 10 is the one for spraying, or yha 910... i think. althouth the guys at international said only use the yha910 if you hve masks and overhead suction.. i have now primed and am waiting to get into the spray shop and go for it! thanks for all the advice.

Just a quick catch up on this thread, I have just bought my first merlin 3408, and it needs so a good old rub down 
and paint, in this thread there is talk about car laquer being sprayed.  This could be music to me ears as I know a man with a large garage and spraying room etc.  I am looking at rubbing the decks down and varnishing them, but if there is anyway that they can spray this in house , it would save time effort and I am sure would be a better finish, 
can it be done ? does it look ok ,

thanks for all your help 

anthony

Dear Fatty,
It is possible to have the decks sprayed with varnish. Steve Neal now of Fibrefusion did my last boat to a glass finish.
Can't remember what he used though!

Looking forward to seeing you on the water, assume you have the acceleration and hence momentum of a small supertanker.

You might want to consider antifouling, stops the barnacles from growing as you race round the track....

About 10 years ago, I sprayed a merlin inside and out using International 2 pack paint and Varnish.  We were very pleased with the result indeed.  Clearly it wasn't as good as a professional job, but if you are careful you can get pretty close and if you want a perfect finish then you can just get the top coat redone when you are ready.

I'm just getting ready to strip and spray the inside of another merlin ...

Thanks good to know that it is a better option for me, 

Now winking Prawn "dear Fatty" I ask you is that required, I have had a work out 
tonight but sanding down my rudder,while drinking beer, Might of gone a little to far with the sandpaper,

any regarding the comment about going slow, we all have to start somewhere I just happen to 
be starting a little later in life with it all.

Car laquer is fine as long as you accept that while it's every bit as waterproof as 2 pack varnish it's not as hard wearing. Basically after 6 months or so the wearing area of the deck (where you sit) will be a bit dull.

The solution is to polish it back up with G6 car polish either by hand and elbow grease or carefully with an electic polisher.

It looks fine as long as the guy using it knows what he's doing and you're prepared to look after as i described above.

Two pack, universal clear primer and car laquer are all b*stards to strip. Single pack won't make you high as a kite and is far more suitable for solid wood - and fine for plywood. Merlin decks are a remarkably small area to work on. 

It won't be a a problem for modern Merlins but venerable boats need to let water out of their woodwork as well as keeping it out. 

Be careful spraying two pack!