Last weekend it was quite windy on the GC, so of course I wanted to do something windsurfing-related, even if a lack of transport meant I couldn't actually go sailing...

SO...

I repaired some dings with epoxy, then sanded and painted the underside of my board...

BUT...

The first layer looked terrible, splotchy, more or less like a total dog's breakfast, so I masked off some of the board with tape and added a second colour, making a kind of tiger-stripe pattern. The result looks pretty ok, maybe even cool...

BUUUT...

Now the bottom of the board isn't smooth any more! The second layer of the pattern is raised up a bit (a fraction of a millimetre)...this will obviously affect the performance of the board, so I need to smooth it out. Will adding a layer of varnish, gloss or whatever, smooth it out? Or should I sand it back totally, ruining the nice visual effect?
Anybody stencilled the bottom of their board before? How did it turn out?

Sand it back using sandpaper, checking with a straight edge, giving it that blotchy 'Pro' look... apparently that makes it go faster as well

People pay extra for it you know!

hey dude, i've resprayed a few board's, on the bottom you could put a clear coat over the top, but to get it smooth with no paint edge you have now, you will have to wet and dry the bottom, use 800 grit and only sand in one direction from nose to tail not across the board, and yes the board will be a little faster, as water will stick to the non-gloss finish, and water across water is faster than air across water, there is a reason new boards are now a flat sanded finish.

quote:

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Originally posted by Wet Willy

"you will have to wet and dry the bottom"

Um...what does that mean?

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en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sandpaper

ok i have had alot of trouble with painting my boards, first thing, you have to have used a hard paint, an epoxy 2 mix type paint, very expencive, but well worth it, extremmly strong, secondly if you didnt use a top feel spray gun, and a air compressor, you will have alot of trouble, if you used spray can, your stuffed, and if you used bottom you will have a bit of a harder time. get some extrreemly fine 1200 wet and dry sand paper, and go over it, to get rid of any lumps and bumps. get a nice big bottle of car polish, and a buff for your rondom orbital sander, put it on a low rpm if you have the option, and poor on the car polish, and polish it lightly for ages, dont take of the paint, jsut even it out and make it smooth. and than you will have it nice and smooth, if you useda spray can, the reson i say your stuffed is because it will just chip of with lightest tap of sand, or seat belt, and sanding it will just come off,

hope this helps. and yes i stuffed my board up a little too, i used a top feed but a automotive paint and it is the worst paint, soo week and is just comming off witht lightest impact

2 pack epoxy paint is the best way to go, but I sprayed my board with a quality spraycan, and it seems to be fine so far - no chips or flaking. I think most of it depends on how well you prepare the surface before painting.. If you spray epoxy paint over a polished surface, it will flake and chip just as badly.

I'd suggest that 1200grit is a bit fine for what you're going to be doing Willy - I did mine with 600, and that's not fast. 600 grit will be filled by pretty much any paint, so there's no need to go finer as a preparation for spraying. 1200g will take you all week for very little gain!

Also, do yourself a favour and grab one of those hard rubber sanding blocks with the slots to hold the paper (Supercheap Auto have them, and M10 sometimes..)

Plenty of water is the secret to wet sanding.. keep a slow trickle of water running through the area you're sanding. It'll make the paper last longer, and flushes away the 'dust'

Actually, I've left my board with that almost patchy well sanded 600 grit finish going on - looks like a beast now, especially with my added little bit of V in the back section.

The other bonus of using a spray can is the lack of clean up afterwards, and how cheap and easy it is to 'touch up' any scratches and stuff later on.

I sanded it til it was nice and rough before painting, so maybe the paint will stay on, maybe not...ah, what the heck. As for the surface texture, hopefully it'll come up ok after a bit of sanding with 600 grain; thanks for the tips...

I'll take a photo before I do any more to it, and post it here, coz it kind of rocks right now!!

If you want a more simple solution you could try rubing back your first attempt and applying a nice clean solid coat out of a spray pack. From there you can add your decals using a very fine coat that won't be any thicker than a sticker. Either that or you can buy ultra fine transfers and spray a clear over the lot to fix them.

I use automotive spray paint because it is a lot less poisonous than two packs and you can work with them easily. They are not as scratch resistant as the two packs but they don't chip either and you don't need a booth or specialised spray gear. The acrylics can also be sanded back with a nice fine 1200 grit wet and dry and buffed to a nice shine if required. A good tip with wet and dry work is to add a little detergent to the water, it helps clear the paper and stops it from clogging as fast.

A good automotive acrylic in a pack is fairly easy to come across and supercheap has plenty of colours to choose from. They will also have the wet and dry. The only other advice is to use a sanding block when you sand (ask the supercheap folk).

Have fun. PS: It's not a hybrid pro is it? That's the only board I have found so far that acrylic doesn't take to.

Wet and Dry, black sand paper you buy from paint stores,supercheap auto, bunnings etc. wet with water, beer, spit or what ever else you like, rub on board till it's nice and smooth, like a baby's bum.. keep it wet for better performance, just like those special times at night with your favourite wench..