Matching and Rolling on gel coat?

[Condor1970]

I am going to add coat of blue gel coat to the sides of my boat. There's just too many scratches, and so much oxidtion, that even after multiple wet sandings, and polishings, it will not match with the original color when the pinstriping was removed.

I have decided I might want to try and roll it on with ahigh density foam roller. Possibly even tip it off with a fine hair brush. Any of you guys done this with success on the side of your boat?

or, is spraying really the only way to get a smooth finish?


Also, here's a pic of my boat. Which Fiberglast gel coat do you guys think would match the best?

http://www.fibreglast.com/category/colorgelcoat

I was thinking the RAL-5002, Ultramarine Blue. What do you think?

 

[Grub54891]

Rollin and tipping may work,it very seldom comes out perfect,even when spraying. Most I've seen/did required wetsanding and buffing to get it smooth. On a large area it's a bit tough to not have a slightly wavy look when done,but it can be done. Grub

 

[Condor1970]

I know I will probably have a bit of wet sanding and polishing to do, but nowhere near what I've been doing to no avail.

I did read somewhere that using a very high density foam roller, can give an almost mirror like finish when super thin coats are rolled on. Is this true?

Also, what do you think of Ultramarine blue? Do you think that is a close enough match?

Found this pic of Ultramarine Blue powder coating. Looks pretty close to the gel coat.

 

[tpenfield]

You probably should try a test of the application method. Spraying and sand with 2000 grit is usually the preferred method, due to the application time and ability to get a smooth continuous surface.

If you were only doing a small area, then rolling and tipping may be viable.

 

[Condor1970]

Yeah, I was just looking at the Styrene thinner to see how much I would need to thin it. Probably a full 5% that it allows to get a smooth spray. Then, some wet sanding and polishing.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Think about paint. Gel coat won't cure properly with "super thin coats". Gel coat needs to develop some exothermic heat to cure properly. A minimum of 12 mils is needed but 18 mils would be much better. Remember that gel coat is just polyester resin with some thixotropic fillers and pigment in it. Those thix agents are what allow gel coat to stay on a verticle surface in thick enough layers to actually cure. Paint will cure in thin coats and can give you a nice smooth shiny finish. I promise you won't be happy if you use gel coat in thin applications.

 

[Woodonglass]

Yup GS is correctamundo. Spraying GelCoat is not even close to spraying paint. It must go on to the thickness of a Penney (18 - 20 mils) and It ALWAYS goes on like Orange Peel and requires LOTS of Sanding...and then LOTS more sanding and Polishing!!!! I'm NOT a Gelcoat expert by any means, just passing on what my research and knowledge gained here on the forum has taught me. Again it's NOT like painting!!! (I am a fairly decent Painter) Gelcoating is a totally different technique. Do some research and I think you'll see what I'm talking about. Lots of examples right here on the forum.

 

[Condor1970]

What kind of paint would be best recommended then?

 

[greenbush future]

I think any of the darker colors are gonna be the one's that will show the most imperfections, and eventually fade, putting you back in the same boat again- "no pun intended". LOL. Red is the absolute worst to try to keep nice looking, while white and all of the lighter color s are better at hiding the scratches and fading issues. I am not a expert but I've owned 2 red boats and both were really tough to keep looking good. White and yellow go well, baby blue is nice on a boat too.

 

[Woodonglass]

That also depends. Price is one of the Main concerns. I painted my boat with this...Paint Your Boat with Tractor Paint and it's held up GREAT for 3 years. Lot's of others have done the same with the same results. There a lot of other Choices too..Pettit Easy Poxy, Interlux, SuperMarine etc... Some are not recommended for Roll n' Tip and others are. You'll need to do some research and decide on your investment level.