How to Paint Topsides
- 1). Clean the boat topside with liquid soap and water. Use a brush to remove stuck-on dirt. Apply a wax remover with a soft cloth and strip the paint of all wax. Rinse the boat with water when finished. Allow the boat to dry.
- 2). Cover the rest of the boat with plastic sheeting. Hold the sheets in place with masking tape.
- 3). Sand the topside with 80-grit sandpaper to smooth the surface and prepare it for painting. Follow the sanding with a wash of acetone applied with a soft cloth.
- 4). Roll on the primer with a paint roller. After rolling out a 3-by-3-foot section, use a regular paintbrush to smooth the rolled paint. Cover the entire topside with one coat of primer using this method. Allow the primer to dry for two hours.
- 5). Sand the boat with 400-grit sandpaper. Apply three coats of primer, sanding between each coat.
- 6). Paint the topside with regular marine boat paint using the same roller and brush technique outlined in Step 4. Allow each coat to dry about three hours before applying the next coat. Two or three coats should be enough to apply proper coverage. Allow the paint to dry for three days before applying a gel coat or other paint on top of the base color. Remove the plastic sheeting after the final coat has dried for two hours.
