TOPIC: Interlux "Perfection" paint

I am in the process of painting my '59 Dorsett Catalina and thought I would pass along some info that might be of help to anyone using "Perfection" paint from Interlux.

This is the third boat I have painted with the product and I have always loved the results. I use the roll & tip method with two coats of finish over two coats of primer. The final result looks like gelcoat and seems to wear just as well. The photo below is of a 28' LandNSea that I did five years before the picture was taken.

My plan is to paint the Catalina hull dark blue and the topsides white. I started aft with two coats of the recommended primer, Epoxy PrimKote, on the transom and splashwell, followed by the first coats of finish, Sno White above and Royal Blue on the transom. The splash well looks great but I quickly ran into a coverage issue on the transom: The Royal Blue would not cover the bright white of the primer. After several coats with little success, I emailed Interlux tech support and quickly received responses from two of their techies. Bottom line was that coverage is an issue for people that are doing roll & tip with dark colors and there is no cure other than multiple coats. (At $100/qrt, not an attractive option!)

They did say that I could try their "Pre-Kote" product under the dark blue. It is not the recommended go-to primer when you are using Perfection, but they said it would work and, most importantly, it comes in gray. I have ordered enough to do the hull and will update this post after I have given it a try.

If anyone else has already solved this problem I would love to hear how they did it. I tried painting the Royal Blue directly over clean and freshly sanded gelcoat but the results were not good. The surface remained very rough and dull after it dried.

I've used the Interlux Perfection on my Century bottom and side panels. (the black on the sides and bottom) It came out ok but I was not really impressed. The bottom was African mahogany treated with CPES. It did have the rough finish and it was glossy but since it was on the bottom it wasn't that much of a concern to me. Painting on the side was over sanded fiberglass. Sanded with 600 grit w/d, no primer and it turned out smooth.
That being said in my opinion, you know what is said about opinions, the cost of the product does not justify the results. I've found that Rustoleum enamel with a hardner additive gives the same hard gloss shine and durability at a fraction of the cost. If you have deep pockets go for the Interlux and extra coats. For practability (?) go with the Rustoleum.
The Tomahawk is the glossy result of Rustoleum with hardner. No sanding or polishing on the lower. You can see the reflections.
It was all roll and tip.

Thanks for the reply, Away. I can see the results in the pictures and they really came out well. What "hardener" did you use? I did a Google search and found all kinds of suggestions to add to the Rustoleum.

I used Primekote over my old sanded and resurfaced hull as well. Several coats on the bottom per Interlux, sanding, faring and filling pin holes along the way. I alternated tinted primer between coats to ensure coverage, then Snow White. Turned out great. On the topsides it took 3 layers of Primekote and I tinted as well. Picture shows West Systems blue tint added to Primekote prior to mixing in Part B for second coat. Maybe try the blue tint under your dark blue. You can put more in to make in darker, it is very concentrated so add it a few drops at a time. I have 3 videos posted of the hull prep under Lake n Sea in the forum or on the Lake n Sea web site. Working on the prime and paint video now. Top coat color is mixed to match original sea foam / stratocaster guitar / '57 Chevy green thx

I have painted a number of fibreglass boats and outboard motors with PPG car paint. I use their gray epoxy primer, and Omni paint. Omni is a catalyzed polyurethane paint, one shot deal, as opposed to a color coat/clear coat system. I recently saw a Bluejay sailboat that I had restored in 2003, the paint was still shiny. YMMV. I've gotten comments from other boat guys who think that Awlgrip is the only game, they don't know squat.
Larry

Larry,
I used Valspar hardener from Tractor supply with the Rustoleum and came out good and hard. I can't get to my network drive right now to post a pic sorry.

Bob

Very timely topic as I am working toward painting my 61 Buehler, whites sides, red top. I have been following the plan laid out by Jamil Mehdi in the research category of this website but now it looks like there are some more flexible options out there. Is there another plan that ya'll are following or is the Mehdi plan good but just use a different type paint?