Emory Fitts:  I’ve read many, many opinions on what paint to use on a boat. Some swear by the expensive stuff like Interlux; others insist that latex house paint is perfectly acceptable. I’m not afraid to spend what I have to in order to get a good paintjob, but I also don’t want to go overboard just so I can brag about how much I spent on my paint.   Most of my ideas don’t jive with the limited colors offered in true marine paint. And I sure ain’t gonna go WAG method mixing marine paint by hand.  What are folks using on their CCRs?

Jack Pettigrew:   I used Pettit’s EasyPoxy. West Marine stocks it.  Not as inexpensive as house paint but much better for marine use.  Can be sprayed or rolled on.  As for colors, certainly not as many choices as house paint but if the boat turned out ‘nice’ it would be a shame to ruin it by using house paint.

Curt Bluefeld:   I used Interlux Brightsides and was prety happy with the finish. However, after leaving it in the water for several days the bottom blistered.  Spoke to the tech rep at Interlux and he said if you intend to leave it in the water for more than a day or two it will blister.

Emory Fitts:  I can’t imagine driving that boat for more than a few hours at a time. Probably spend most of its time on the patio.  I find it very frustrating how few color options there are with not just Interlux, but all the quality marine paints.

Chris Riddick:   I’ve heard that you can get White Brightsides tinted at most paint stores to be a color you like, but I haven’t tried it. Also, most high quality alkyd paints should be acceptable on our boats as they don’t spend extended periods of time in the water.

Emory Fitts:  I looked through the forum on the Interlux site, and someone asked about tinting, and the official response was “Don’t do it. Mix different colors by hand to get custom colors.” Um, no thanks. That stuff is waaaay too expensive to just go all WAG method.

Kim Granbery:  Hi Emory,  Gretchen and I have had good success taking Interlux White Brightside to our local friendly Benjamin Moore dealer and having him tint the Interlux with his colors. I’m also a fan of Petit’s Easy Poxy but their color selction is pretty limited. We haven’t tried local tinting with Easypoxy. My boat is Interlux, hers is Benjamin Moore…very special color. Of course a hard smooth bottom, something neither of us has, is the key to success on the race course.

Kim Granbery:    PS. my interlux boat has Petit Easypoxy on the bottom. It has spent extended periods of time in the water with out problem.

Emory Fitts:   Hmm… must have missed your responses. Oopsie. West Marine had Interlux on sale, so I grabbed 4 quarts of white. I might have to see about getting it tinted if its really possible.

Kim Granbery:   Hi Emory, When they tint the paint make sure they clearly and permanently mark the formula on the top so you can repeat incase you need more in the future.

Emory Fitts:  Now that’s some advice. I have a few different ideas in mind for the paint. Almost none are possible with off the shelf marine paint.   I’m curious now if a flake can be added with any hope for success