Painting my National 12

[simon leach]

Hi, I am restoring my 12 its a chinadoll, the prievous owner painted the hull badly so i am sanding it back to wood to paint in colour. 
Im unsure of the type of paint i need?
Do i need to seal the bare wood? or will under coat do this?
What would be the best make/brand of paint to go for that will not cost the earth?
any hints and tips would be greatly received
Many thank Simon

[Interested Party]

Anything from the local hardware store or B&Q and the like, is not going to be hard wearing enough for painting a boats.
Modern exterior paints are now far too soft and entirely useless for boats, even if they are for fresh water use only.  Although in 'days gone by' I have painted boats with normal gloss paint.  But that was some years ago.
So you have to pay your money and get some proper marine paint.  Last stuff I used from from a firm called Hempel, I think.  But none of them are cheap.
I did not take it all the way back to wood, as the paint underneath was only faded and not extensively damaged.  I used a roller to apply the paint, which was good enough for my needs.
I would recomend looking to the Classic and Vintage Racing Dinghy Association website (CVRDA) as they have some useful guides on painting and varnishing.
Good luck

[Tim Gatti]

Hi Simon - I would echo Steve Hawkins' advice and go for a good quality marine paint - there are a number to choose from - International, Hempel, Sikkens.  They all have their individual product ranges and paint systems and I would go for one of these and stick with their recommendations.
If you are stripping it back to bare wood you have two options:
1. Apply manufacturers' recommended primer to the wood, followed by undercoat and then gloss coat
2. Instead of primer, seal the bare wood with several coats of a low-viscosity epoxy resin (see West, SP, MAS Epoxies products) Once this has thoroughly cured, rub down and apply undercoat then choice of top coat.
You can apply using a brush, although often now paint is applied with a roller and then 'tipped off' with a disposable foam brush.  I have also got very good results using a paint pad.
Do make sure you follow all manufacturers' instructions to the letter.  (You can use low density filler during the undercoating phase to smooth out any superficial surface damage)
Good luck
Tim