Over whelmed newbie

[Tomsawyer1968]

Hey guys I'm fairly new to the fiberglass boat restoration scene. I recently purchased a 1968 Tom Sawyer 16 ft runabout. The boat is in decent mechanical shape and runs well. I am a fan of older boats and love the classic lines. However I am researching refinishing ideas for my failed gel coat. I am aware of the many options of paint and gel coat systems but I am having issues deciding which option would be the best. The boat would have to be taken down to bare fiberglass on the top sides and bottom due to crazing, spider cracks, and dings. That in its own right is a daunting task. I am no stranger to hard work and I am more than capable of putting in the time required to get her sanded down. The boat came from the factory with all white gel coat and in the effort to keep things original I'd like it to remain that way. Where I am feeling over whelmed is the death by Google and forums of the many options for accomplishing this task. My major questions fall in the initial step of what to do after the boat is back to bare glass both above and below the water line. Can gel coat be applied directly over bare fiberglass with no primer or sealer between the glass? Is gel coat just a one step process over the bare glass? This would make since due to it being applied first from the factory in the original mold. I understand that a sprayed or rolled gel coat used as a top coat takes a lot of elbow grease to get it worked down and smooth. Due to that reason I have considered paint. But I have issues with longevity when it comes to paint and the difference between bottom paint and top paint. As i said I would like the boat to be all white when completed. Most bottom paints don't appear to be very glossy and I'd like to avoid a boot stripe around the bottom to transition from the bottom paint to the top paint. Also cost becomes a factor with the paint idea due to the various primers and barrier costs needed to seal the bare fiberglass below the water line. Any help setting me down a workable path would be appreciated. I have attached a few pictures of the boat to give a feel of what I am working with. I can include more tomorrow with close ups of the crazing and fails gel coat if needed.

 

[Woodonglass]

Most of the crazing appears to be on the top cap. If that's the case I'd sand it down to bare glass and then Paint it. The new Paints are very durable and Very HIGH Gloss. Hows the Deck, motor mounts, stringers and transom Any signs of soft spots or decay. I suspect you have an OMC powerplant and it's antiquated. If you ever do need parts or service it might be problematic.

 

[Tomsawyer1968]

Thanks for the reply. Yes there's crazing on the top deck. The hull was at one time painted with what is possibly anti fouling paint. Could be exterior house paint. Who knows. However the hull both above and below the water line has crazing and spider cracks. Not as severe as the top. They're really fine cracks. You can barely feel them with your finger nail. The transom appears to be solid. I repaired the swim step and when I bored the holes bigger for the mount I got clean dry wood back out. No circular stress cracks around the out drive either. As for the stringers I'm not sure the deck appears solid. At the close of this season the deck is coming out for inspection. I'm expecting to find a few minor things but hoping for the best. From what I can tell the motor mounts appear to be in good shape. It has the original mercruiser 140. When I bought it there was a no spark issue and that was resolved with standard tune up parts. The original owner had the motor ran through some years ago. All cylinders have good compression. Rebuilt the carb and it's running strong. This was going to be an interim boat but each time we take it out we fall for it more and more. There's very few boats on the river like it around here and we get plenty of compliments. It's going in the garage here in a few weeks for the off season and I'd like to get it refinished. Do you not recommend trying to re gel coat the fiberglass?

 

[ondarvr]

That type of crazing is a nightmare to fix, and doing an entire topside is the worst, you won't get it to look right without mega hours of work. It would be easier and cheaper to find another boat you like and fix it up. Use this one while fixing the next one if you want to be on the water right away.

 

[Scott Danforth]

only way I know to get rid of the crazing is to grind down to good glass and build up from there.

 

[Tomsawyer1968]

I'm not afraid of the work. The boat will be stripped down and in the garage for the next 4-5 months. I've got heat and plenty of sand paper and my elbows are in good shape. Can I get your thoughts on this paint straight over the bare glass after the proper etching primer. I haven't heard of it but it's supposed to be good for above and below the water line.

http://www.bottompaintstore.com/top...utiongallon-by-supermarine-paint-p-12347.html

 

[ondarvr]

You don't need etching primers on glass, but will need an easy sanding high build product to try and get the surface back to looking even close to correct. I don't think you understand how hard it is to sand off all the gel coat and keep the surface even close to the original shape with all the contours of the top side.

Try sanding a spot down to the glass on a concave radius without messing up the surface profile.

 

[gm280]

Okay I read all the comments. But I am not going to say don't do it. I am a "you can do it" type person myself. I am presently sanding down a bottom hull of a tri-hull project boat. Yes, the gel coat sands hard, but not impossible. And if you really like your boat, then go for it. If you have the proper sanding equipment and really don't mind hard work, you can make it look like new. It is not impossible to do and many others have done it quite successfully. What you are trying to do is sand down to remove all the crazing and stop once it is gone. And feather everything smooth. Then shoot some high-build primer and sand that smooth to give you a base to shoot the paint on. I like using a two part primer and then using guide coat, I can flat board the primer for a very smooth finish in prep for the top coat.It would look amazing. If you want to see my projects, click on any of them listed below and take a look. But I say if you like your boat, it can be refurbished. JMHO

 

[ondarvr]

There can be several reasons for crazing, the most common are over or under catalyzed gel coat, thick gel coat, or a combination of these, if the catalyzation wasn't correct all of it needs to be removed, if it's just too thick, then the cracked portion needs to be removed. Look at the contours of his topside, each needs to be sanded down without messing up the profile, that's not easy to do, then the surface needs to be rebuilt (re-shaped) with primer to the prior dimensions and profile. I'm not saying it can't be done, only that it can involve a great deal of work, more than what most people may expect or want to do. That's why I say to try a spot where there's some detail that needs to be saved and see what's involved, then make a plan from there.

 

[jbcurt00]

Try adding some paragraphs to your posts.

Makes reading/following it much easier

And makes it easier to quote you about 1 specific part of your post, for clarification or answer a question.