want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

[neat]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

I am not trying to get into an agruement here. Clearly there is a difference in quality between a 2 part linear poly paint and a glorified enamel. The fact is is that while Brightsides is one of the best one part paints it is not nearly as durable as a 2 part like Interlux perfection or Awlgrip. The 2 part paints are harder and are much much more difficult to scratch up.

I think of all the work required to prep a hull for paint and then money spent on the paint itself....to me it boils down to simple decsion and that's to go with the better paint. It may not fit everyones buget, that's fine go with something else. It WILL look great for the time being.

That is exactly why I went gelcoat route.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

nice job there neat. beautiful in fact. your making me lean towards gel coat. thanks

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

I'll be rolling on some gelcoat on my hull. I am not too worried about if it is not perfect (nobody but the fishes will see it) but I am hoping that it comes out good enough to use the same technique on my floor. Actually, I am going to be thickening the final coat on the floor with abosol so I can get a textured finish so it isn't going to matter if it is smooth or not.

Once I can get a warm day or two I will be attempting it.

I figured, at around 100 per 1/2 gallon for Interlux perfection...and 50 per gallon for gelcoat...I might as well give the gelcoat a try. Worse case...I thicken my gelcoat a bit and then have to go back and add a coat or two of paint...

-JMW

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

sounds good mr will. please let me know how it turns out. very much interested.

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

I am not trying to get into an agruement here. Clearly there is a difference in quality between a 2 part linear poly paint and a glorified enamel. The fact is is that while Brightsides is one of the best one part paints it is not nearly as durable as a 2 part like Interlux perfection or Awlgrip. The 2 part paints are harder and are much much more difficult to scratch up.

I think of all the work required to prep a hull for paint and then money spent on the paint itself....to me it boils down to simple decsion and that's to go with the better paint. It may not fit everyones buget, that's fine go with something else. It WILL look great for the time being.

It had been a long day and i was feeling a bit snappy....sorry for the sniper post......When you speak of 2 part poly's and durability, are you refering to paint adhesion or a marring of the surface aka the loss of sheen over time?

 

[andy6374]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

Well the question of adhesion also brings the primer into the equation. But an example of durability might be something like:
A boat is tied up at a dock slip and it is rubbing against a piling. The permanant damage done would be far worst to the brightsides then say to Awlgrip. Awlgrip (or perfection) is so hard that the rubbing of the boat against the piling and the results scratches won't really damage the surface and usually just wiping it will get rid of the scratches. You won't be as luckly with brightsides.

The gloss of the paint...I not really sure. I've seen one part paints that look great and just as good as a 2 part paint after a couple of years in the sun. If you lucky and don't ding the boat up every now and then...you might not notice the difference.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

but i guess a good sanding is in store for gelcoat. what about primer? is there primer for gelcoat?

 

[andy6374]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

Nope, but you'll want to remove the paint and then rough up the fiberglass

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

how about a brand name? a good brand name for gelcoat, what would you all recommend?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

If you think you really want to try and gel coat it then here's some info. There are only a few companies that actually make gel coat, I would say most of them you have never heard of. The companies that you can buy from online or at a local store (of any type) are not made by them. They buy gel coat from from somebody else, then repackage it into smaller sizes and put their name on it. You don't really know what you're getting because some will frequently change suppliers looking for the lowest price. After saying all that though, most will work OK. Use a patchaid type product with the gel coat, it will be much easier to get good results.

I sell gel coat for a living and can get all I need free, even then I buy paint when I need to refinish a large area or do a complete hull or deck.

 

[andy6374]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

My local fiberglass seller (warehouse) carries gelcoats by Ferro.

www.mertons.com carries all you will need. Joe the owner is extremely gracious with his time over phone. Just tell him what you are doing and what you think you might need.

 

[Boat Joe]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

Food for thought.

 

[Boat Joe]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

Just figured I would stick my two sense in here. You’re just not going to be happy trying to re-gel an entire boat. Gel coat was meant to be applied in the mold when it is the inside layer not the outside. I wrote over a million dollars in fiberglass repair estimates following the hurricanes seasons of 04 and 05, worked with numerous repair yards and many professional painters/gel coaters, and not one of the boats that had gel coat damage to the point of needing an entire refinish were re-gel coated. All were painted, no matter what the age or condition.

 

[tallcanadian]

Re: want to gelcoat my 76 sunray bowrider

i appreciate everyones input. gives me lots to think about. i just want my boat to look the best i can give it.