Awlgrip · Interlux · Pettit · Bradenton, FL
Boat Painting and Refinishing in Bradenton, Florida
Blenker paints and refinishes boats in Bradenton at its family-owned yard on the Manatee River, 2504 88th St Ct NW: Awlgrip topside and finish systems above the waterline, Pettit or Interlux bottom paint below it, and general painting and refinishing.
Hauling for bottom work is done on the travel lift the yard owns, and fiberglass, gel coat and collision damage can be repaired before it is painted over. Send the length, the surfaces you want painted and two photos, and ask for a written quote.
Why Blenker
Where Blenker stands out on paint work
Three named paint makers
Blenker applies Awlgrip topside and finish systems, Interlux and Pettit. Ask which product suits your hull, and have the product and the number of coats put in writing.
Its own travel lift
Paint below the waterline needs a dry hull on blocks. The yard does its own hauling, pressure washing and re-launching, so the bottom job stays in one place from start to finish.
Repair and paint at one yard
Ask for any fiberglass, gel coat, collision or transom repair to be priced in the paint quote, so damage is fixed before it is covered.
Coating work beyond a full repaint
Ask about a single panel, a boot stripe or a touch-up as well as a full repaint.
Pricing
Get a quote for your boat
The boat's length, what you want painted, and a photo of the surface.
Before you agree to a price
What a written paint quote should spell out
Have each of these named line by line before the first coat:
- The surfaces: bottom, boot stripe, topsides, deck or a single part, and the area of each.
- The system: maker and product (Awlgrip, Interlux or Pettit), any primer or barrier coat, and the number of coats.
- The prep: washing, sanding, filling, fairing or stripping, and how extra prep found mid-job gets approved.
- Repairs found under the old finish, each on its own line and agreed before it is done.
- Masking, hardware off and back on, and any part painted off the boat.
- The color: its name or code, and how a match or a color change is handled.
- Labor and materials as separate lines.
- Haul, block, re-launch and the pressure wash if the boat comes out, and the charge for extra days on the blocks.
- Tax and every fee, each on its own line.
How a paint job goes
Photo, haul, prep, paint, launch
A full repaint goes through every step below; a single panel or a boot stripe leaves out the ones it does not need.
Photos and the goal
Send the length and type, the surfaces to paint (bottom, boot stripe, topsides or deck) and the color you have in mind. Two photos fit on the quote form: the whole side, and a close-up of the worst spot.
Haul and block
Bottom and below-the-waterline work starts on the travel lift. The boat is lifted out, set on blocks in the yard and pressure washed down to the old surface.
Repair and prep
Ask which repairs and surface preparation the paint quote includes. Damage should be repaired before paint goes on, because paint hides damage without fixing it.
The paint system
The coats named in the written quote go on: an Awlgrip system above the waterline, Pettit or Interlux bottom paint below it. Each product's data sheet sets its own coat count and dry time.
Back in the water
When the paint has had the dry time its data sheet calls for, the travel lift lowers the boat back into the river.
Questions about marine paint systems
How much does it cost to repaint a boat hull?
The price follows the hull's length and shape, the surfaces painted, how much prep the old finish needs, and the system and coats chosen, Awlgrip topsides among them. Attach photos of each surface to the quote form and ask for the job priced line by line.
Is it better to gelcoat or paint a boat?
Neither is better in every case. Faded gel coat that is still sound can often be compounded, polished or repaired, while a painted system such as Awlgrip suits gel coat too worn to restore, or a change of color. Send close-ups of the gel coat and ask which route the hull needs.
Can a fiberglass boat be repainted?
Yes. A fiberglass hull can be repainted once the gel coat is cleaned, sanded and primed for the system going on. Ask which preparation and paint system the yard recommends for your hull.
Which marine paint goes on which part of the boat?
Antifouling bottom paint goes below the waterline, chosen for how the boat is used and where it is kept, and a topside system made to hold its gloss in sun and salt goes above it. At Blenker that means Pettit or Interlux on the bottom and Awlgrip on the topsides; ask for the exact product by name in the written quote.
- Below the waterline
- Bottom paint (antifouling). Covered on the bottom jobs page.
- Above the waterline
- Topside paint and finish systems, such as Blenker's Awlgrip topside and finish systems.
- Anywhere else
- General painting and refinishing; call with the length and what you want.
Does old topside paint have to be stripped before a hull is repainted?
Usually not. A sound topside finish is normally sanded so the new coat can grip, while paint that is peeling, cracking or will not bond with the new system comes off first. Ask whether the hull needs a sanding or a full strip, and get the prep priced separately.
Can non-skid on a boat deck be repainted?
Yes. Worn non-skid is usually cleaned, sanded and recoated with a deck paint that carries grit, mixed in or scattered onto the wet coat, so the deck grips underfoot again. Send a photo of the deck with the quote form and ask for the deck as a separate line.
Can an aluminum or pontoon boat be painted?
Yes, with coatings made for the metal: bare aluminum takes the primer the paint maker specifies, and the bottom paint must be one its maker approves for aluminum, because ordinary copper bottom paint corrodes the metal. Before you book, check with the office at (941) 794-5500 that aluminum is a hull the yard paints.
How long does Awlgrip last?
An Awlgrip finish lasts according to the prep beneath it, the sun and salt it sees, and how it is washed and cared for, so the figure differs from boat to boat. The maker's data sheet for the exact product gives its own guidance.
How hard is it to paint a boat?
Applying the paint is the short part of the job; preparation takes most of the work. Old coatings are sanded or stripped, damage is repaired and faired, and two-part topside paints such as Awlgrip are mixed and applied in the clean, dry conditions their data sheets call for.
Related at the yard
- Bottom jobsHaul, pressure wash, bottom paint and re-launch.
- What sets bottom paint cost in FloridaAblative against hard paint, coats, prep and how to compare quotes.
- Fiberglass and gel coat repairSurface repairs come before paint.
- Boat detailingFor a faded finish that may not need paint, and what to ask about a detail.
- Haul-outThe travel lift and its published rates.
- Published ratesEvery published line, with an estimator.
Get a quote
Tell us about the boat
The boat's length, what you want painted, and a photo of the surface.
Tell us what your boat needs.
Call the office during Mon–Fri 9:30am–4:00pm, or send the quote form with your boat's length, type and what it needs.