How to Paint the Bottom of Your Fiberglass Boat - DIY

In most boats, eventually you'll have to strip and replace the paint on the bottom of the boat. Today we're stripping the paint on the bottom of a boat and replacing it.

Step 1: Prep the surface, sometimes a light sand and clean is all you need
Step 2: Tent and tarp beneath the boat
Step 3: DIY sanding can take days OR you can hire a professional geoblaster
Step 4: Fill chips or cracks
Step 5: Wash the hull with fresh water (especially after blasting)
Step 6: Choose paint type
Step 7: Apply two-part epoxy
Step 8: Figure out how much paint you need (length in feet x width of your boat x .85, since the bow curves in and it's not a perfect rectangle = approx. square footage / 60
Step 9: For a crisp line, use painter's tape along the water line or the extent that you're painting
Step 10: Do the final coat in the morning in order to complete step 11+12 the same day.
Step 11: Do the thumb test to see if it's tacky enough for a thumb print. Making sure it's tacky will help the first coat of micron chemically bond together
Step 12: Apply first coat of micron
Step 13: Wait at least 16 hours (check can for instructions)
Step 14: Touch up any spots you missed if you were using a roller
Step 15: Apply second coat of micron the following day or months later
Step 16: Needs to dry for 16 more hours before splashing

Now you're done! The good news is you won't have to do this again — for years.

This segment was featured in episode of the season.
To watch full episodes online, go to www.PowerBoatTV.com