I can't decide whether to paint my boat or not.<br /><br />I don't like the dark mustardy top deck colour but it's very serviceable.<br /><br />I'm a lot less keen on repainting since I revived the finish. The gelcoat was chalky but I've revived it well enough by rubbing it back with 1200 wet and dry and cutting and polishing it. It'll look a lot worse after 15 minutes on salt water. The differences in colour in the picture are from reflections. <br /><br />
<br /><br />The only reasons in favour of painting it are to get a colour I like and to clean up the hull, which isn't too bad for a boat of its age (35+ years).<br /><br />Against that is the probability that it won't be as resistant to knocks and scuffs as the current finish. I also won't get the same level of finish as the current one without an awful lot of work as I've done some auto painting and antique furniture restoration and know what it takes in preparation to get a really good finish (I'm not saying I got really good finishes, just that I know what it takes!). It's also hard to get the sharp edges on colour separation that's there at present. I could avoid that by doing the top deck in one colour but I like the current two tone arrangement.<br /><br />I've read the recent threads about repainting and don't have any problems with the painting part of it, although I'd spray it rather than roll and tip. <br /><br />What I'm particularly interested in is whether anyone has painted their boat and later wished they hadn't because the new surface didn't hold up in service or had other problems? If I revive it a bit more and fix up a few blemishes and take care of it there's probably no reason this finish won't last another 35 years.<br /><br />Any thoughts welcomed.