I'm about to refurbish an old and tired looking Starboard speed (wood version). It's the first time I've done this and it would great if I could have a few pointers.

the first thing i'll do Is remove the foot pads, sand smooth with an orbital sander.

what I'm unsure about is what type of paint to use. I planning on spraying it (rails too) in a dark blue. Is 1k Acrylic spray good and tough enough?

Or, am I better hand painting it with a top coat epoxy resin (with colour pigment added) the sanding it smooth? I was thinking this would be much tougher than acrylic spray paint.

Graphic and clear non non slip would added to finish it off.

two pack urethane marine paint is harder than epoxy I think, anyway that's what I use

Brilliant, thanks, i'll look into two part marine paint.

Timely thread, I was just wondering what I can use instead of spray cans. I hate the smell and it rarely looks right when I do it. I did not even think of marine paint. May be because it seems to come in "big yacht" containers costing $100+ at the local marine store.

Any thoughts about using "racing paint", like this: www.westmarine.com/buy/west-marine--fw-21-slick-coat-racing-paint-quart--P015024003?recordNum=7 ?

Another question - do you use the PU paint directly on the fiberglass, or with primer (Pre-Kote)? I'm looking at instructions on how to use this stuff, and they recommend pre-coating fiberglass. The pre-coating stuff seems to be epoxy, though.

advice ... not advise

Single part marine works nicely.
this would be done with a spray gun / compressor, AFAIK. IT can be brushed and result is nice.
i use regular spray , shaker can paint for most graphics, just get the better ones.

if your painting over wood some primer is desired

Those wood Starboards had awful issues with no proper top coat over the wood.
Unless its the best example ever, it really needs a proper scraper / sanding job (like 80gr disk on a 8"bugger/ grinder all over, not a finishing sander) then a good soaking of resin into the wood and then a sand back flat (ie: block it) with 120- 180 - 240 wet. Now its sealed right and flat we can talk paint.

I agree 1K acrylic is fine and its what many boards have but do you mean you are proficient with a spray gun? If so I'd do 2K as its way tougher and not much more expensive
If you are restricted to rattle cans I'd rethink as they will always be patchy unless you're real good-and maybe do mohair roller and thick ish paint (knowing you may have to compound it if you want it real nice)

Remember you are going to add a kg here unless careful......

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Mark _australia said..
Those wood Starboards had awful issues with no proper top coat over the wood.
Unless its the best example ever, it really needs a proper scraper / sanding job (like 80gr disk on a 8"bugger/ grinder all over, not a finishing sander) then a good soaking of resin into the wood and then a sand back flat (ie: block it) with 120- 180 - 240 wet. Now its sealed right and flat we can talk paint.

I agree 1K acrylic is fine and its what many boards have but do you mean you are proficient with a spray gun? If so I'd do 2K as its way tougher and not much more expensive
If you are restricted to rattle cans I'd rethink as they will always be patchy unless you're real good-and maybe do mohair roller and thick ish paint (knowing you may have to compound it if you want it real nice)

Remember you are going to add a kg here unless careful......

I was originally going to use an aerosol can for 1k acrylic, I was considering 2k as well, a local company makes 1k and 2k aerosols to order in any colour. But I'm now thinking the marine two pack urethane paint will be easier, it looks similar to floor paint, very tough and hard wearing and can be bought cheaply in the UK.

i looked up YouTube clip of a guy hand painting a boat with marine paint, so I'm even thinking of cheating and using a brush. I'm not after perfection, just quick and simple refresh.

Roll n tip method will give a good result. Just use the right amount of reducer they recommend.

Peter, yes the undercoat specified on the PU I]that I use is epoxy, so the PU goes over the top of the sandwich without a problem. I usually use the epoxy undercoat on new builds, because it has a filler in it, that helps fill any pitholes and unevenness. But if it's a refurbish situation, a wet and dry of 400grit will give a nice spray finish.
And of course, spraying 2 pack PU isn't very healthy!!! Wear all the protective gear recommended. And make sure your wife's loft window is closed!

Yes proper respirator for 2pack it is seriously toxic stuff.

If going to just use a brush, a roller is far more likely to give a nice flat result....... use a short mohair (foam rollers work well but not with 2K which dissolves it as you go)

I started the refurb today. Sanded the deck back (picture shows when I was only half done). Dyed the foot pads black. The underside has had negative rocker filled and faired out, and epoxy resin painted by my local board builder.

Two pack primer (grey) and two pack polyurethane top coat (dark blue) on order, i'll Paint it next weekend . I'm going to use a roller because my spray gun skills are non existent.

For the non slip, I was thinking of using two pack polyurethane clear, then sprinkling acrylic dust (out of a salt shaker or similar). Does this sound ok?

2 pack clear acrylic seems to be OK, I've used it on my last 2 or 3 boards, and I think it's fine, hard to tell because I always wear booties on those boards, and they grip much better than bare feet.

Thanks Decrepit, I might use 2 pack clear acrylic, especially because it costs less the 2 pack polyurethane in the UK.

Quick question if it's ok? Will acrylic react if put on top off polyurethane?

Woops, silly old fart time again, I haven't used 2 pack acrylic, only 2 pack urethane, sorry mate.

Two pack epoxy primer done, used a mini mohair roller. The finish is very slightly mottled, but I should be able to wet n dry it nice and flat before the top coat goes on.

Almost done, just needs sanding, then graphics and non slip.

Sanded and graphics done, it looks way better than expected, I'm pretty stoked. Non slip next

Lookin shmick
ps : that's one steep hill your living on .

Great job, I bet you're real happy.

I'm really pleased, I can't justify (or afford) 2 grand for a new board, so a refurb made sense to me. Plus, its kinda fun too, great distraction from daily life.........

The good thing is, I have plenty of left over materials to do my over old SB speed boards, so the W49 is next on the list and will get some TLC next week. But this time I'll have a go at sorting out the negative tail rocker myself. I'm sure I'll be back on here asking for more advice!!!

p.s, thanks every body for the tips and pointers, it really did help me.

That is an awesome job

Looks amazing. How come just about everyone who re paints/ re ferbs/ re stores or re graphics their boards end up with a better looking design than the manufacturers do? Half the boards look like cheap running shoes with confused colours and hideous patterns?
Or is it just me?!

I think my OCD has kicked in. Two more boards to do, W53 & W58. I fixed the negative tail rocker on the W49 myself, wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be.

Has this added much weight?

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Ben1973 said..
Has this added much weight?

A little bit. I weighed both boards without foot straps before sanding the original non-slip off. Re-weighed them afterwards and they'v both gained about 400 grams, I thought they would be about 800 grams - 1 kilo heavier, so pretty pleased.

Epoxy primer, PU top coat and PU clear coat all sanded back a lot so I guess this has helped with keeping the weight down a little. I guess the heaviest coat is the PU/non-slip.

But to be honest, I'm not a top speed sailor, just an average so the weight gain won't really effect me, it might actually help to keep the board down a little bit more when it's wild. The biggest gain for me will the negative tail rocker repairs.