I am painting on a polyurethane boat buoy. What type of paint can I use. Is priming involved?

Hey, Rose, you shouldn't have to prime UNLESS the buoy has a sealer (if it's real shiny). You can paint it with acrylics, then seal the entire buoy with a clear sealer. You can actually use a cheap clear spray paint (Wal-Mart brand about $1.00) to seal it. Put about 2-3 coats all over, waiting in between each coat for drying time. Good Luck!

Hi,
I asked a couple of boat owners about this. They said you cannot paint on a polyurethane buoy. They said the paint won't stick. If it is PVC, you can sand it to get "good tooth" for grip, then use a vinyl or enamel paint.

I guess I should have asked if this buoy would be an 'ornamental' or if you planned to actually use it. I have used acrylics and sealers on polyurethane items many times(I am from a small fishing village in south Louisiana) BUT only on ornamental items not on ones that would be placed in the water or actually used on the boat. If it is ornamental, simply heat seal the acrylics after a good 48 hours dry time. Use a low powered heat gun.
Hope this helps...
Pjd189

Thanks to everyone for their input on painting buoys. I first tried outdoor latex paint but because of the high pigmentation of the red color it has taken weeks to dry and is still tacky. I am now priming the others first, painting w/acrylic paint and will seal them. I will let you all know how that works. I'm not anticipating any problems. They are going to be used as decoration and not on boat or in water.