painting a narrowboat

A note about nb Empire

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Empire has now been sold and has no connection with C.T.S.
We hope it brings pleasure to the new owner, and that he takes a very long time to getting around to repaintig it in his own colours!

To avoid confusion, it should be noted that we did not build Empire, it`s a 1996 Johnathan Wilson shell, with a 2008 Goldsborough fit out.
The best bit of course is our paintjob!
The previous owner fell for our 1960,s livery and we were happy to let him use it as we could ensure the quality of the job and intended use of the boat. We would respectfully ask others not to use our colours or name without prior arrangment.

Intro

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As professional Boat painters we are often asked to provide details of what the whole process involves, and naturally people have a few questions as well.
Hopefully this blog will provide a few answers for potential customers, and also be useful to anyone considering doing a paint job themselves.

The featured boat is painted in our colours dated from the 1960's, when we had our own carrying boats.

Hence the rather confusing Company Name, now mostly abbreviated to CTS.

You can find out more about our history on our website at www.canaltransportservices.co.uk.

Incidentally this boat is not owned or operated by CTS. The owner has amibitions to carry freight by water, and we are more than happy to assist with the loan of our colours.

Follow the blog by scrolling down through the pictures, then click on "older posts" at the bottom of each page.

Docking and hull cleaning

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As the water is pumped from the dry dock, it,s time to sharpen the scrapers and get the pressure washer out. We can re coat with a good hull black such as Rytex or Comastic, or we can grit blast the hull sides and apply a two pack epoxy system.

Next day, 1st hull black

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At Norton Canes Dock we have one of the driest, dry docks anywhere on the UK canal system. It is under cover, heated and ventilated and provides ideal conditions for boat painting and hull blacking.

Welding and alterations

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If you want any alterations or repairs done to your narrowboat, this is the ideal time before the paint job. We have all boat yard trades on site and can arrange boat safety surveys, valuation surveys and hull surveys. This is a good time to check the propellor, rudder and anodes too.

Filler time

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Even good quality narrowboat shells need a bit of body filler to achieve a perfect finish. Some need a lot! We apply a quality automotive filler direct to degreased steel for maximum adhesion.

Building up the coats,

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The secret to a long lasting paint job is to use top quality materials on clean, dry, degreased steel. An intense amount of work has gone into getting this first "all over" coat right.

3rd gloss on panels

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High spec, quick drying base coats are applied followed by the first gloss. Each gloss coat is rubbed down with a very fine "500 grit" sand paper to acheive an excellent finish.

Signwriting,

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We get the main panels ready early to give Dave Moore plenty of time to do what he does best. The order in which each part is painted depends upon the boat and the colour scheme, but we try and keep out of Dave,s way. You can tell he used to be a school teacher!

Dave Moore is one of the founding members of the Waterways Crafts Guild.

Learn more about the Guild and the courses they offer at the link below. You can learn how to paint your narrowboat, sign write it and make a set of fenders for it too!

www.canaljunction.com/guild/

Lots more to do,

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No rest for a boat painter. Once the hard slog to get the main colours on is done, there is still lots to do. Borders, coach lines, handrails, lids and hatches, bows and sterns.....

If you want to know more about the history of canal art, the traditional colours of canal carriers, and what goes where on a working boat and what each part is called, then try these books.

The Art Of The Narrowboat Painter by A J Lewery

Colours of The Cut by Edward Paget Tomlinson

Stem to Stern by John M Hill

Borders

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That,l be the blue bits around the panels...

Masking up

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To properly mask up all the coach lines, handrails and all the details on a traditional narrowboat can take most of the day. You don,t want to be distracted while doing this as a mistake can set you back days. Hence you will almost always be greeted by our answerphone when you call, sorry about that!
We use various guides and patterns cut from hardboard to mark out the coach lines and motifs on the boat. Wax pencils, a wooden folding ruler and an old fashioned compass are the weapons of choice. Then its masking tape of various types, standard low tack in 1" and 2", a special one for the long straight bits (which I am keeping to myself), and a flexible one for the curves. All available from automotive body shop suppliers or boat paint suppliers. If you are doing the job outside you need special masking tape.

Handrails, coach lines, cants, dollies, counter bands,

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etc, etc, etc......

One from the other end....

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Looking good. Empire is a modern pleasure boat in the traditional working boat style. The cargo hold carries the owners kids, not coal!

Fittings and brassware,

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Unless there is rust showing behind the frames, we don,t remove windows or portholes, its not a good idea for various reasons. We do remove most of the smaller fittings though, then put them back on with brass or stainless fastenings and a bit of sealant to keep the rust away.

Prepare for 2nd hull blacking

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Ready for 2nd hull black, and the opportunity for a prop swap.

Job done

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Not to labour the point, but did I mention we have a very dry, dry dock?

A bit of detail

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Notice the sanded finish gunnel's with gutter and run off located below the handrail drain hole. Of course I am trying to get you to see CTS,s attention to detail instead of Dave Moore,s sign writing which everyone always asks about first!

Flooding the dock

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The dry dock at Norton Canes has a long and interesting history, enough for a blog all of its own.

The site of Yates Boatyard, it was used to build and repair the "joey" boats and "Wharf" or "Hampton" boats and the tugs. These boats were used to carry coal from the Cannock pits to the factories of the Black Country and the Walsall power station.

Yates are said to have had up to 400 boats and local folklore says that boats were built here by the mile and then cut to whatever length you wanted!

In more recent times the yard was used to film the BBC Play For Today "Atlantis" by Peter Terson. A classic piece and in my opinion an equal to the more well known "The Bargee".

Today part of the yard is home to Canal Transport Services who have been building boats here since 1964.

To learn more about the local boats, type "BCN tug" into a search engine and see what comes up.

Ready to go

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Frequently asked questions

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Q. How do you prepare the surface prior to painting?
A. Mostly with a "Dual Action" sander with a coarse then medium grit paper to cut back the old paint, feather out the edges, and provide a key for the new coatings. Rust killer and body fillers applied as required.

Q. Do you grit blast?
A. When there is a lot of rust, or a thick build of old, flaky paint, or if there is any doubt about the adhesion of the existing paintwork then yes, we blast to bare metal. And sorry, but this is usually more expensive.

Q. What type of paint do you use?
A. There are very few bad paints on the market these days. At the risk of upsetting a few people, some paints are easy to apply in all conditions and cover well, others need more skill to put on but have a better, longer lasting gloss. Horses for courses as the saying goes.
We use a good quality coach paint available both direct from the manufacturer, and locally at many yards/chandlers. It is available in a range of standard colours, or can be matched to whatever you want.

Q. Is the finish very shiny?
A. A question with the potential to wind me up as we take care to get a good, deep, gloss finish, not just a surface "shine".

Q. How long will it last?
A. There is no answer to that as it depends how you look after the boat. If you moor next to the local incinerator and never clean your boat it will not look good for long. If you keep on top of any scratches and give it a wash and polish twice a year, it will last well.

Q. How much does it cost?
A. I would need to see the boat or at least some pictures to give you a quote. Contact details on the website or call me on 01543 374370.

http://www.canaltransportservices.co.uk/