Yet another paint question

[SkiprJohn]

minaret,
I have epoxy patched spots on gelcoat. Is there any special primer required before the Imron is sprayed on?
Will use Imron because I got it at a yard sale for $10 a gallon (no activator).
kind regards,

[minaret]

Originally Posted by SkiprJohn

minaret,
I have epoxy patched spots on gelcoat. Is there any special primer required before the Imron is sprayed on?
Will use Imron because I got it at a yard sale for $10 a gallon (no activator).
kind regards,

I prefer 545 as a primer for most topcoats, but it's not cheap. Good prep and primer is critical for a quality finish. Be very careful using paint that may be past it's shelf life. The shelf life for many paints is often no more than a year. It may appear to cure fine but then not have the longevity it should. It's not worth saving a little money given the amount of time and money put in to good prep and primer, unless it's a very small project and you only care about saving some money on it. JMHO. Use new paint and follow the instructions for whatever you use carefully, using that manufacterers recommended primer. They are all a little different...

[bstreep]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

I worked on my boat with a professional painter who will argue that Imron is the best all round paint for boats.

I don't doubt this. However, from personal experience, we are pretty happy with Interlux's Perfection, rolled and tipped. And we are complete amateurs.

[SkiprJohn]

Thanks minaret,
Bargains are sometimes not real bargains but I'll try to use it anyway. Got plenty to do touchups when I need to.
kind regards,

[Blue Stocking]

Originally Posted by bstreep

I don't doubt this. However, from personal experience, we are pretty happy with Interlux's Perfection, rolled and tipped. And we are complete amateurs.

--And I have NO problem with your comment
I have seen pro's paint a boat 3 times to get it right.
My guy could be wrong.
I don't doubt that your boat looks great

[SkiprJohn]

Blue Stocking,
Did you use Dupont primer, i. e. 545?
kind regards,

[RonaldJ]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

--And I have NO problem with your comment
I have seen pro's paint a boat 3 times to get it right.
My guy could be wrong.
I don't doubt that your boat looks great

I've been folowing this discussion with much interest, but you just hit on my worst fear... and I'm no Professional!!

[bstreep]

Originally Posted by Blue Stocking

--And I have NO problem with your comment
I have seen pro's paint a boat 3 times to get it right.
My guy could be wrong.
I don't doubt that your boat looks great

Like I said, I wouldn't be surprised if the pros like a different product than amateurs - they will always get a better result than we will, and they know how to apply the best products.

We had 1 run that took 3 different final coats, to get it right. That certainly didn't make us happy, but it happens. First time we had what we thought was perfect painting weather, but it was desert-dry, and we had solvent entrapment. Second bad one we had a fog/dew roll in unexpectedly, and ruined the finish. UGH.

But, overall, we are very pleased with Interlux Perfection, and the tech support (THANKS JAY!) has been overwhelmingly great.

[CnC40sailor]

Originally Posted by bstreep

I need to put the process into a blog. This has been a 2 year project: First year was grinding, filling and sanding all of the gelcoat cracks. 2nd year was painting. Really, we only paint when the weather is right, and Corpus Christi is the windiest city in the US. And no painting in the summer or winter. So, we've probably spent 10-12 weekends in painting. The white is 2 coats of Primekote (sanding in between), 2 coats of Interlux Perfection. Non-skid is Perfection: 1st coat has Intergrip, second coat has no Intergrip and 50-50 with Perfection Flattener. All rolled and tipped (actually, for the finish coat, we found just rolling with a good foam roller gave us a good finish - slight orange peel - with no tipping).

I just wish that 3M had come out with their new 2093 tape when we started. This product is well worth the cost: 15 days in the sun, and a GREAT edge - better than the automotive green tapes!

A few more pics:

When you were filling the gel coat cracks, how hard did you work to get the colors to match knowing you would just paint over it?

[bstreep]

Originally Posted by CnC40sailor

When you were filling the gel coat cracks, how hard did you work to get the colors to match knowing you would just paint over it?

We did absolutely nothing: We used Marine Tex, as it is UV stable, and we knew it would be exposed for a while. It's expensive, but easy to work with (except that it gets on EVERYTHING) and can be moved into place and smoothed with a wet finger.

[CnC40sailor]

I think you and I are on a misunderstanding, or I am just showing my inexperience with fiberglass/gel coat. The cracks you filled, how did you get the filling substance to match the color of the original gel coat?

[Cheechako]

a Pro in Seattle painted my 44 footer with Imron. It was fabulous paint, very rugged, didnt chip or scratch easy and stayed looking great. What was really great about it is if you had to touch up a repair.... it is hard ans sandable like gel coat.... you could blend it in.
Regarding automotive paint; My guess is that it isnt used due to the volume required and cost. Auto paint is expensive ! When I had my Mustang painted in two colors. The painter needed only one quart of each color. The paint was over $300 a quart! How well do you think auto paint holds up with dirt, rocks, grime and 70 mph winds? Pretty damn good really!

[bstreep]

Originally Posted by CnC40sailor

I think you and I are on a misunderstanding, or I am just showing my inexperience with fiberglass/gel coat. The cracks you filled, how did you get the filling substance to match the color of the original gel coat?

We painted the entire deck - so we didn't worry about matching the gelcoat color. I think it would be very difficult to grind out very many cracks and fill them with a color-matching product.

[CnC40sailor]

As I thought, it would seem to be a huge waste of time to try that if it was to be covered with paint. Not to mention the difficulty in matching the color of the gel coat (you really see how arduous it is when you look at my boat, hence the reason we are having it painted)!

[Aloha_float]

I was in the paint manufacturing biz for 7 years and developed a coating that was / is superior to awl grip. I am very familiar with DuPont imron blend. While Imron is a very good paint, the resins to blend is completely different combination. You will get better results working with awl grip than you will with imron