Hull Sealing & Painting

Hull Sealing and Painting

A hull's paint and sealing system does more than look good — it protects the underlying structure from water ingress and general wear. Sawley's Auto and Marine carries out epoxy-based hull painting to help extend the working life of a vessel's hull.

Cruiser hauled out for hull painting, waterline masked off ready for the new coat — Hull prepped and masked for sealing and painting — click any photo to enlarge

What's Involved

Hull sealing and painting starts with the vessel hauled out and the hull surface prepared — this means cleaning, sanding back the existing coating, and repairing any damaged or bare areas before anything new goes on. An epoxy-based coating system is then applied to seal the hull, providing a barrier against water and general wear before any topcoat or antifoul goes on over the top.

Why Epoxy

Epoxy coatings are valued in hull work for their strength and water resistance, and are commonly used as a barrier coat beneath antifoul on both fibreglass and timber hulls, as well as for general hull sealing and protection.

Which Vessels Suit It

Hull sealing and painting is relevant to most vessel types, particularly older hulls where the existing barrier coat has broken down, or timber vessels where sealing against water ingress is especially important.

Where We Work

Hull preparation and painting are carried out with the vessel hauled out at Wallaroo Marina.

When to Consider It

Signs it's time to look at hull sealing include blistering or peeling paint, visible osmosis blisters on fibreglass hulls, or a barrier coat that's simply reached the end of its working life. Addressing it before damage spreads is far more straightforward than dealing with it later.

What to Expect

Because hull sealing involves surface preparation as well as coating, it's usually planned in alongside a haul-out for antifoul or other hull work rather than as a standalone job. Many customers combine it with Propspeed on running gear during the same haul-out.