How to Paint a Boat Bottom

Painting your boat's bottom is important for both the appearance and the durability of your boat. Here's how to choose an appropriate color and do the job so that your boat will last for years.

Things You'll Need

• Sander
• Paint
• Paint tray
• Roller
• Pressure washer

Instructions

1. Clean the boat bottom while it's still wet. If you let the slime and growth dry to the bottom of the boat, you will have a much harder time getting the bottom clean. Use a pressure washer to clean the bottom. If any paint chips off in the process, use the pressure washer to remove the rest of the flaking paint.

2. Strip the old paint. Your new paint can only be as strong as what it's covering. If you're applying vinyl paint, strip all of the old paint. Vinyl paint can lift the old paint.

3. Sand the bottom. Use 80-grit paper in a random orbit sander. This will give you a smooth boat bottom without causing any damage. Avoid using a belt sander, which can damage your boat bottom by making it flat.

4. Wash the boat bottom again to remove any paint or dust that is clinging to the bottom.

5. Stir your paint and fill a paint tray. Use a roller to apply the paint to the bottom. Attaching an extension on the roller will make it easier to paint the bottom. However, anything that's longer than 3 feet will probably be more of a nuisance than a help.

6. Have the boat removed from the stands so that you can paint the spots that were holding the boat up.

7. Allow the paint to dry before you use it again.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a color that contrasts with the color you used last year. This will help you recognize when the bottom needs to be repainted.

• Never move the boat from the stands by yourself. You could damage yourself or the boat.