what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

My boat is a 17ft long speed boat and needs a repaint on its deck as thje old paint is the wrong colour and is split in places and quite rough.
Should i rub it down to smooth to prepare for a respray / brush with something fresh? What treatment should i use? Something that is designed as a deck top coat and will stick.

I am seeking a smooth, resilient white finish.
The original deck was a tough gelcoat? blue and the offending paint was either gpr paint or some sort of nasty enamel.

Many thanks
Matt

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

Ayuh,... Sand it Smooth,+ paint it.....

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

You probably don't want smooth exactly, as that will be slippery. Also choose your color carefully, bright white glares in the sun.

Prep is everything. Get the surface level and all the dings out. Remove any trim items or mask in prep for painting.

You can cover the inside of the boat with a good deck paint, probably with anti-skid, or you can use something like marine vinyl (nautolex or similar). Some people also like to get bedliner for trucks sprayed on or rolled on, and that is tough and looks pretty good.

One more thing - if you don't get a response, don't post duplicate threads, it's frowned on here

Erik

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

hi.
thanks for all the great info.
by the way, i didn't post a duplicate thread. i posted the thread once from my pda in a field and it appeared twice on the forum instantly.
cheers

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

i painted my deck with this masonary paint, it is intended for sealing basement walls. Put a lil sand in it for grip. it is near the garage floor paint at lowes.

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

that sounds like a really good idea!
thanks

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

I think masonary paint, while very hard, is pretty brittle. I don't think it would hold up well in a boat.

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

I used Durabek recently.
This stuff is excellent.
Flexible and seals fiberglass real well.
There are a few pics in herehttp://picasaweb.google.com/pacerdude/EntireDeckReplacement89Celebrity224se#

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

Like many have said before me. PREP is everything. Beyond that a good oil based paint made for floors will be best. In this type of application rolling and brushing is preferred over spraying. You want a floor surface to have some grit to it so sand it appropriatly. Like 80 grit floor paper or something similar will do. You want it rough. Then use a roller because it will help get the paint into the rough surface. Water based paints are not good in marine applications. I'm a bit old school and I know some of the newer stuff might work but Oil and Water don't mix. That's why I strongly suggest oil based products anywhere where they may be in constant contact with water. Forgoe lowes and Home Depot. Go to a good paint store and let them help you find a good industrial or marine paint for your application.

Good Luck.

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

i used drylock masonry waterproofer.
latex based,
i think oil will hold up better, but idk
it is really thick

http://www.ugl.com/drylokMasonry/masonryWaterproofer/oil.php

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

bowman316 said:

i used drylock masonry waterproofer.
latex based,
i think oil will hold up better, but idk
it is really thick

http://www.ugl.com/drylokMasonry/masonryWaterproofer/oil.php

Click to expand...

Actually you're probably better off with the latex. It has to be more flexible than the oil. The oil-based gets HARD and I'd imagine would crack if used on a plywood deck when it's walked on.

Re: what should i use to repaint fibreglass deck ?

I wonder if spilled gas would hurt oil based more, or latex based?

I imagine it is worse on oil based.

I painted an alumium boat with oil based rustolium, and it worked fine, painted the entire boat.