: Hi, my friend is refinishing a fiberglass kayak for his senior project in
: order to graduate from high school. He is having some trouble finding
: cheap paint he can use. He doesn't want to spend more than $100 I think,
: so I was wondering if you had any ideas about how he could paint it, or
: some cheap brands of paint. His email address is
: natureboy2002@hotmail.com if you have any ideas. Thanks so much!!

Boat paint goes for about $20 to $25 a quart, and a quart should cover the boat with two coats and still have some to spare. your friend does not need those special, expensive, "hull" paints. The paint we commonly use is designated as a "Topsides" paint, and sometimes it says that it is not designed for use below the water line. Not to worry. Those warnings apply to boats that are left in the water all the time, like BIG boats. With kayaks and canoes that are stored dry between uses the topsides paints are just fine and last several years.

Or, for about the same price you can get a quart of fiberglass resin and the coloring agents to tint it. Since most fiberglass boats are made with polyester resin, you can use a polyeaster based gelcoat. The polkyester resins are pretty resistant to UV light, so they don't require additional coating with paint or varnish to preserve them (unlike epoxy). Consider getting two different tinting colors and making up one with some of the resin for refinishing the hull and use the other with the remainder of your resin for the deck.

There are basically two types of polyester resin. One is called a "laminating resin", and that is the one you don't want. Polyester resin won't completely harden in the presence of air, so when building up layers ( laminating) things it is usefule to keep the surface a bit tacky. When more resin is applied it excludes the air and the new resin can bond to the older layer. The final layer that goes on, however, has some wax or styrene plastic, or both dissolved in it. As the polyester resin sets up the wax and styrene float to the top and seal out the air, allowing the resin to harden completely. Wiping down the finished surface with a solvent-dampened rag gets rid of the wax. You want the type of polyester resin that is for finish coats.

If marine paints are not easily available, you can use exterior polyurethane-based paints on fiberglass. Check the local hardware store or paint store for these. They are sold in cans as small as half pints (8 ounces) so you can get small quantities for trims or pinstriping if you wish without going broke.

Some people have had good luck with automotive paints. The local auto supply store will have more colors than you can believe. Spraycans can give you a lot of convenience and variety, but they may be the most expensive way to buy this stuff, though.

Hope this helps.

PGJ