Kush Paint Co.

[S/V Laura Ellen]

I just picked up some primer and bottom paint from Kush Paint Company (Roseville, MI). The price was extremely competitive with the major vendors (approx $70/gal). I was able to get a traditional bronze coloured bottom paint.

http://kushpaint.com/

Has anyone used Kush paint?

It's hard to believe that Laura Ellen is ready for paint!:)

[Bob Cleek]

I haven't heard of Kush Paint Co., but it is likely very good stuff. Making paint is really a rather simple enterprise. You buy the raw materials, put them in a pot and stir 'em up. The ingredients aren't that expensive, relatively speaking. Much of the cost of "marine" paints or "coatings" as the industry now calls them, is the ADVERTISING. Indeed, many manufacturers (e.g. Flood's Penetrol)sell the same product in a "regular" label can and in a "marine" labeled can, with the "marine" can costing more. The smart guys shop around. Smaller paint companies, usually with commercial customers, don't waste money on labels and slick advertisements, and so are able to produce a superior product at a substantially lower price. Kirby's in New Bedford and Smith's in Richmond, CA, are good examples of this fact.

Flood publishes the SAME MSDS for "Penetrol" and "Marine Penetrol," i.e. it's the SAME stuff: http://www.flood.com/NR/rdonlyres/7A400345-EB85-4D9A-8247-A89002F53064/115/PenetrolMarinePenetrol.pdf

http://images.westmarine.com/large/161984.jpg

"Marine Penetrol" $28.88 a gallon in the WasteMarine catalog.

http://images.acehardwareoutlet.com/Products/1009497.JPG

"Penetrol" $23.98 a gallon at Ace Hardware.

[redbopeep]

Bob,

You'll just get to pay one price now. The folks at Flood are "officially" getting out of the Marine industry. No more marine products from them, period.

[Bob Cleek]

They are to be commended for their honesty... if that was actually their motive. I suspect they discovered that separately stocking and packaging "marine" penetrol just wasn't worth it.

[blackwidow]

I have been building a sea skiff since spring.now im to the painting stage asked around at boat stores in my area about paint etc.couldnt get a straight answer out of any body ,I live right by kush paints two streets away so i stopped in there with a piece of marine grade birch tlked to diana hemenway she told me what primer to use ,what ratio to thin it for the first coat ,second coat etc.so far every thing seems fine.primers 27.95 gal top coat around 31.00 a gal. custom colors may take a week or so mix up.

[Dan McCosh]

Kush has been a standby in the Detroit area for a half a century. Unfortunately, the recently stopped making their own bottom paint, still do traditional enamels and varnish.