Painting My Baja

[trey912]

I got a 202 islander that I bought as a project. The old owner didn't take care of it at all. The get coat is cracked and there are gouges and such in the gel coat too. I was read on here about some paints but none of them said they could be used below the water. Would it be better just to re gel coat the boat or us a marine grade paint?
The boat will be trailered after every use( I live less then a mile from the lake) The longest it would be in the water is 48 hoors if I camp out for the weekend. What whould be the best way to go about painting/re-gelcoating the boat?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Painting My Baja

Welcome to the iBoats Dry Dock!

That is a topic of BIG debate here on the forum. Lots say Gelcoat...LOTS say paint. Bottom line is what you feel comfortable with and most familiar with if you're gunna be doing the work. Since it is a trailered boat you can use so called Top Side paint. It is rated for below the waterline as long as it won't be in the water for more than 3-5 days and in your case it won't. Pettit Easypoxy is a popular choice here on the forum as well as the Interlux products. Yacht Doctor and Ondarvr are the resident GelCoat experts. You can Gelcoat the boat but In my opinion there is a bigger learning curve than painting but Yacht Doctor says it's easy so having never done it myself I yield to his opinion. Again either way will yield good results. It's totally up to you.

 

[trey912]

Re: Painting My Baja

It will be my brother doing it. He owns an automotive restoration shop and has done a ton of custom auto paint jobs. He said he can spray anything as long as he has the specs. You said I can use top side paint as long as its not in the water for more then 3-5 days. What if I have it out for a few hours a day three days in a row trailering it home at night? What paint would be the best to use below the waterline? I don't want bottom paint that is not smooth.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Painting My Baja

Well hey, Tell him to shoot it with Imron then. You can leave it in the water for a week if you want. It'll look great and last for a LONG time. Make sure and prep it REALLY well by washing it wil TSP(Tri Sodium Phosphate, Get it at Lowe's) Sand and prep just like any other fiberglass body work. Use the correct primer and shoot it.

 

[trey912]

Re: Painting My Baja

AWESOME. Sounds like a good plan. Thank you for all the help. When its done I will post pics. It will probabaly take 2-3 weeks to get the time to do it.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Painting My Baja

Post some Before and After pics and some details on the prep work. Painting is ALL about the prep.

 

[trey912]

Re: Painting My Baja

Ok, Will do.

 

[NSBCraig]

Re: Painting My Baja

Hey if your brother has a shop!!!

He can use any paint. Many, many boats are painted with auto paints from the factory, it's what all the big money go fasts get.

You can use a base clear, do a metallic, do custom work... the possibilities are endless. Go flashy or subtle.

You are in no way restricted to using a marine specific paint.

 

[trey912]

Re: Painting My Baja

Really, Cause I just got off the phone with him and he said he dont want to spray imron. He dont like it. He has painted some jet skis with auto paint and it worked out fine.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Painting My Baja

You can use any autopaint you want. I just like Imron but it is nasty stuff if you're not set up for it. Some iBoaters have used these products with good success.

http://www.tcpglobal.com/hokpaint/

 

[emilsr]

Re: Painting My Baja

Definitely post up some before and after pics. We really enjoyed our 202 Islander.....shame that the previous owner didn't take care of that one.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Painting My Baja

Gel your bottom problems..or create a nice yearly Bahaha problem with paint..

Imron is with Awlcraft .. Gel is the toughest around.

Without Pics its hard to suggest what you need to do or applications..

YD.

 

[BWT]

Re: Painting My Baja

something to keep in mind with the prep work, you had mentioned that there were cracks and gouges in the existing gel. Gouges are more than likely a straight forward fix but depending on the number and severity of cracks they require a different approach so they do not re-surface through your new finish. Pics will be important to determine what you'll need to do.