Urethane pant

[earnies2]

I have a 1999 hurricane deck boat the sids above the rub rail and the back and engine cover are badly oxidized i've tried wet sanding ,buffing and waxing it's still dull,is it possible to spray new gelcoat or can i paint it with automotive urethane automotive paint,if i can paint it is thier any special prep or primer i would need???????

 

[Grits]

Re: Urethane pant

You can do either. Gelcoat is more forgiving. You will have to sand and buff the gelcoat. I have bought gelcoat from Mini Craft. They can most likely match the gelcoat on your boat. They can also take you through any additional prep if necessary. I think you can shoot it with after sanding to about a #120.

I used Imron made by DuPont on my sailboat twenty years ago. I am going to redo the hull and this time I am going to shoot it with gelcoat. It will probably be more work but I feel I will outlast me.

In my opinion, It is easier to repair gelcoat if you get a ding. There has been many post on this subject. I think either way is good. Whatever you do, get the surface perfect. Even with gelcoat, it is hard to cover up dings if you are spraying it. Something else to consider, paint will only be about 0.004" thick, if that, and gelcoat will be 0.020"+ in thickness.

Out of curiosity, what grit did you use wet sanding?

Good Luck,

Grits

 

[earnies2]

Re: Urethane pant

I used 1500 wet than compound than polish with a buffer it looked ok but than dulled out again,the po had a stroke and did'nt use the boat for 5 years yet every year he had it tuned winterised , wrapped and stored than in the spring he took it home and it sat in his yard. that is why it has 158 hrs on it it runs great the interier is mint just the parts that was'nt under the cover are in bad shape...... thats why i was consedering paint.....I've never worked with Imron but i've sprayed uerthane and accrilic enamel on cars,trucks and equiptment i've never done paint on fiber glass before? I was thinking about 2 part uerthaine and clearcoat over that. I wonder if thier is a website with info on gelcoat or paint on fiberglass I'ts a nice boat and i woulnt want to mess it up.........but on the same turn boating seson in boston is so short i dont want to spend it sanding,buffing and waxing...........

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Urethane pant

Don't start any painting yet. The reason it only lasted a short time is because you didn't get the oxidation off and the oils in the buffing compound, plus the wax hid it for a while.

You need to start over with the sanding, 1,500 grit won't do much to an oxidized gel coat surface. Start over with 600 and just do a small area to start with and get right before going any further. Sand it with 600 and then buff it, many times you'll be able to buff out 600 grit scratches, if you can't, go finer, but most of the time you don't need to go all the way to 1,500, 800 or 1,000 usually does it.

When you get the small area looking good then do the same thing to the rest of the boat, it will cost much less than painting and you'll be on the water a month or so sooner.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Urethane pant

Ayuh,.....

And,.. If Ondarvr's Idea doesn't work out,....

I've shot Many, Many boats with an automotive 2pt. urethanes,....
With Excellent Results,... Both above,+ below the waterline, on both Trailer Queens,+ Dock boats.....

While Regelcoatig Is possible,....
That's Not what the stuff was designed for,+ it's Way More Labor Intensive than Painting.....

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: Urethane pant

I thought you had to buff a new gel coat job to get it to shine.

 

[earnies2]

Re: Urethane pant

Would it be possible to sand the gelcoat down and clear it with uerathane clear?????

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Urethane pant

Yes, but you will be wasting your time and money. Clears tend to turn yellow from UV light, you won't notice it as much over a dark color, but over white it can be very noticable. If you want to paint, use the color you want.

The first step needs to be going back to sanding and buffing to see if what you have can be saved.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Urethane pant

I thought you had to buff a new gel coat job to get it to shine.

Ayuh,...... You Do,...

But that comes After the Many Hours of Sanding it Smooth...........

 

[TheWoodCrafter]

Re: Urethane pant

Ayuh,...... You Do,...

But that comes After the Many Hours of Sanding it Smooth...........

Why is that? Orange peel?
The stuff will not lay flat?

 

[blackpearl76]

Re: Urethane pant

i painted my boat with paint midnight blue came out beutiful 3 years ago still looks like it was done yesterday

 

[jomac]

Re: Urethane pant

Using a automotive epoxy primer/surfacer over gelcoat is best and probably recommended by most paint manf. Find your local Auto Paint suppler they'll will tell you what best options are depending on which brand of urethane paint u choose

 

[earnies2]

Re: Urethane pant

I was looking into spray in truck bedliners and found a site called rattlrgaurd and saw some boats that were done...it looked interesting....maby i'll do the back of my deck boat with a blue spray liner does any body know if this has been done????

 

[Grits]

Re: Urethane pant

earnies2,

If you started with 1500, it is much to fine. Personally, I would start with 400 or even with 320 with what you described. I would go finer than 600 before you buff. I can buff 600 but, in my opinion, you get a better finish by sanding up to 1000 or even fifteen hundred. Hutchins and Dynabrade both make water sanders. If you have a lot to do, they are worth the money. I just bought the Hutchins Waterbug III. The have two versions of the six inch DA, one for marine and the other for automotive. The automotive is less aggressive and I went with it because it gives me a more versatile tool and I feel it will be aggressive enough. I have used my IR DA for wet sanding by using wet/dry sandpaper with a squirt bottle. I have a lot to do on two or three boats and to me it was well worth the money.

In my opinion, you will not have to repaint your boat. As mentioned about, it does not sound like you got all the oxidation off.

Be careful when using the coarser girts on gelcoat. If you have a scratch that is questionable, repair it with gelcoat. Do not keep sanding and end up going all the way through.

Gelcoat, after spraying, has to sanded and buffed. It will not lay down well no mater what you do. Shooting it with gelcoat is the most labor intensive but in my opinion, it does give the the best and most durable finish.

Imorn is a two part urethane. I have used it on cars, boats, and even machine tools with great results. Nasson, a DuPont brand, also makes similar products for about half the money. I am not sure it is not the same juice. I think they call it their Full Thane Urethane. I have had very good results with it also. I do not have anything over three years old with the Nasson product on it so I can not speak of the long term durability. I have an old Tracker I am planning to paint with the Nasson product. I will use an epoxy primer sealer on it first. My Tracker is aluminum; however, I would do the same thing if it were gelcoat.

Good luck and keep us posted.

Grits