Painting a hull

[scott craven]

Anyone have experience with painting old gelcoat ?
My hull is almost 30 years old and has taken a beating.
Thinking a good quality paint would be a better option than trying to revive the old gelcoat.

 

[Brian Reiber]

Following.......im having the same dilemma. I'm filling in the i/o hole and converting to a pod. I'll be repainting the stern at least. I'm thinking interlux topside paint or petite paint. Probably a lot easier than gel coat

 

[ericl]

Hi Scott. Your boat is 10 years younger than mine. At extremes they use sandpaper on badly weathered gelcoat. Highly likely the gelcoat will need to be sanded for the paint job anyway.

 

[scott craven]

Yeah, it sounds like a real labor intensive project.

 

[Wild Bill]

Any gelcote cracks? I think you really have to prep those areas. Did one in imron years back. Looked great!
I'm not a bad sprayer but not a pro, lol!
If your spraying it would be nice to have a really decent booth, spraying with fans you have to really plan the spraying with consideration to overspray so it comes out shiny

 

[bullyjack]

Gonna follow this, was just thinking about doing this as a winter project.

 

[Wild Bill]

Prep work is important, you will have to decide quality of job if you want to remove stuff or mask stuff. Removing can create additional work, not saying that's bad. The 17' I did was a one day shoot.. Bigger stuff add a day or three your going to need to walk on fresh painted surfaces. Paying someone to shoot it would be money well sent.
Never tried the roll and tip thing, not sure what I will do. Maby doesn't need to be that pretty..

 

[Reel Gone]

I have done half a dozen using Imron and it has turned out great each time. I did my dads old Double Eagle in the mid 90's and it still looked great when I sold the boat in 2010. That boat was used every weekend in the summer and he also fished winter springs steady, always trailer kept so that's a ton of launches !
Prep work and a decent garage or booth with good lighting is a must.

 

[Wild Bill]

If you shoot it it's a pretty busy day. Even 2 coats a little more than an hour shooting time, 4 to 5 pots and mixing. But works out to a long day, can't really just walk away without cleaning up and even with masks or full fresh air being around the fumes messes you up a bit and need a day to recover. Crappy environment.

 

[Goathorns]

paint doesn't stick to fiberglass. You need to use a primer between the glass and finish coat. My boat has Endura finish coat. primer was Imron? or some other brand that perhaps started in an A___, in a gray colour.
Also, when you choose your paint colour, be sure to see the sample outdoors, as indoor lighting is not the same!

 

[SteelyDan]

I painted my old black double eagle with endura epoxy primer and there top coat. Held up pretty good and still looking good when I sold it.

 

[albernifisher]

Make sure you choose a durable paint like ppg evolution, Imron or endura. They will give you the best abrasion resistance. Maybe just do all the prep work and then bring it to a shop to get sprayed , be a shame to do all the work, spend $'s on paint and materials and not be happy with the results

 

[scott craven]

Thanks for the tips all !

 

[Rayvon]

I agree with those above,not really a DIY job ,unless your decks are OK and all you want to do is from shear trim to waterline and not even then if you don't have the right equipment and safety gear.I like "albernifishers" idea,save a bit of money by doing the prep work.