If you own a marine boat, you must constantly maintain it to keep the boat in good working condition; part of that means using the right boat paint. You'll need to continually paint marine vehicles as long as you own them. The boat's bottom painting is especially important for keeping your boat looking nice.

When you begin boat painting, the first step is finding out which type of marine paint is right for your vessel. Consider the type of boat, whether it's fiberglass, wood, etc., as well as which boat paints will match your existing color scheme, and the quality of the boat bottom paint. Finding the best boat paint will require you to examine:

1. The color of the boat paint.

2. How long the boat paint lasts.

3. What material a paint is best used for.

Action Steps
The best contacts and resources to help you get it done

Find a boat paint directory that offers a variety of colors

Boat bottom painting is not only important for maintaining a boat, it's also important that the color you choose matches the look and style of a boat. Getting the right color scheme will help the boat look its best out at sea. Different colors can also help commercial fishing and other industries that need a color that hides the boat bottom.

I recommend: You can choose from a variety of marine paints from Pettit Paint and Blue Water Marine Paint.

Choose a contrasting color for boat bottoming painting

One of the biggest reasons why bright colors are used for painting boats and boat bottoms, is that it makes it so much easier to tell when you will need to repaint. Choose a contrasting color from that of the season before, so when the old paint begins to show through, you know that it's time to paint the bottom of the boat again.

I recommend: There are many different bright colored boat paints available from Epifanes and iBoats if you need to choose a different color from last season.

Match the type of boat paint to the material of the boat

Choose a boat paint that is made specifically for the type of boat that you have. This means you not only have to consider the material the boat is made from, you also have to consider the type of work the boat will do. A racing boat needs a different type of paint from boats that mainly cruise.

I recommend: At places such as ePaint and YachtPaint.com, you can choose the type of boat bottom paint you need for different materials and different functions.

Tips & Tactics

Helpful advice for making the most of this Guide

• •  Remember to prepare the boat properly before painting it. This means you must strip the old paint, sand, and wash the bottom of the boat before a new coat of marine bottom paint touches the boat's underside.