Painting over gelcoat - any one have regrets?

[StoneCrab]

[QUOTE=

One other option has cross my mind though. I've seen other boats use wraps for the hulls and faux teak over the non-skid and deck areas. [/QUOTE]

Wraps like cars get which can be printed with a design?

Who makes wraps big enough for a boat?

[Nicholson58]

Originally Posted by Snowgoose35

Provided you prepare the surface correctly and use a good quality paint there is no down side. A two pack paint will be as hard as gelcoat and can be polish the same. Single pack isn't quite as tough but is easy to repair if scuffed and both should last a decade happily.

I agree. Two component Awlgrip is our preferred.

In Trinidad at Power Boat in 2018, we paid $4500 US exclusive of materials for topsides of our 1984 Camper & Nicholson ketch using the new form Awlgrip. This is repairable unlike old Awlgrip. With ours, we were told do not wax or polish.

[Mauruuru]

I had a 30' Oday years ago that had some decking delamination which I fixed by drilling about a thousand holes and epoxying it back together. Afterward, the deck was painted with a 2 part paint-don't remember which one but it worked great, covered the repairs and allowed me to keep the non-skid non-skid.

[Noahr]

Originally Posted by Geoff54

I have to be a dissenting voice

One part paint, like awlcraft or perfection, just isn’t as hard and durable.

I know some people paint but not me!

Both Alcraft and Perfection ARE TWO PART PAINTS.

[Mickeyrouse]

Originally Posted by StoneCrab

Wraps like cars get which can be printed with a design?

Who makes wraps big enough for a boat?

I’ve seen lots of big hi-speed power boats with wraps…. not meaning the “passengers.”

[JohnHolland]

My gelcoat came back nicely aftrr removing cracked and scratched awlgrip, with 180, then 320 grit on my orbital sander, then final polish with a buffer. I did end up painting with one part Brightside over 2 coats of primer, roll and tip method, as the un-painted gel coat appeared dirty and uneven fairly quickly, even after waxing. The paint looks great, now 3 years old.

[zachduckworth]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

If you let it go for 6-12months on an otherwise relatively new boat, I agree. Very good chance you can recover the gel coat.

On a 20-30yr old boat or one that has not been kept buffed & waxed for a long period, you may get great results initially but because the gelcoat is so degraded it won't last long.

We did the topsides on a prior boat with 1 part enamel and loved the results. 3yrs later when we sold, it was still shiny (with nothing but occasional washing) and if there was a chip or scratch, it was very easy to touch up...Not so with 2 part paints, so while they will resist chips and scratches better, if you actually use the boat, you can expect them to happen.

Paint or gelcoat, you results will like any other painting project be mostly a product of prep work. That was probably 90% of the work when we did the topsides.

My gel coat is so buffered out on the hull that in one or two patches I can see the fiberglass color through it.

[zachduckworth]

Originally Posted by Nicholson58

I agree. Two component Awlgrip is our preferred.

In Trinidad at Power Boat in 2018, we paid $4500 US exclusive of materials for topsides of our 1984 Camper & Nicholson ketch using the new form Awlgrip. This is repairable unlike old Awlgrip. With ours, we were told do not wax or polish.

That is gorgeous.

[Sailing August]

It was a disaster for me on my old Columbia. Tried it years ago. Today I would purchase a cheap Harbor Freight 100 psi compressor for $100 and a Harbor Freight spray gun for $30 and spray gel coat. I've seen others do it. Low cost and a much nicer finished product. Its not hard. The people I witnessed had zero experience and it tuned out very nice. May have to adjust the size of the spray gun oriface (Brass) by drilling it out only slightly bigger.....but that's it. The rest is just spray like you would with a rattle can. Wipe it down between coats....two coats should do it. Very affordable and much better finish.
I intend to spray my own gel coat on the hull sides below the hull stripe on my old Irwin 46. For less that $500 will have it looking very good again.

[subdude]

I found this discussion in a search for re-gelcoat vs paint. My '85 C&C was raced hard in SF Bay before retiring to cruising life here in the PNW. PO had the boat completely redone in 2011, which included painting the decks and topsides. In the last couple years I've noticed raised lines in the topsides paint where I assume stress cracks in the gelcoat had been filled and faired. The reverse transom had seen some UV and needed attention so I made a project this haul out of painting only that plane. The previous paint was a very hard automotive paint--Sterling--which is incredibly durable but impossible to DIY repair. I opted for Alexseal on the transom as an experiment. It's supposedly very easy to affect DIY repairs (chips, blemishes, etc) with this paint, which appeals to me. If the transom wears well, I'll probably do the entire topsides next haul out. Spendy, but boat bucks cheaper than attempting a regel.
My next boat will not be painted!

[Don C L]

An older thread but since I am in this process now: If you can restore the old gelcoat, do it! I have held out as long as I could but 60 year old gel coat needed attention. Not only was the gelcoat cracked, there were places where chips of it had popped off. After A LOT of scraping and chiseling old paint layers from the previous owner, and then filling and fairing and sanding and priming etc, I was finally able to get the first coat down of Brightside, which has now been discontinued by the way. My only regret is that I should have gone over the entire boat with a thin coat of west system epoxy with a filler to fill all the hairline cracks and pin holes. But still, after two coats of 2-part primer, then rolling and tipping the paint, so far it is beautiful. I know Brightside is fairly durable and is easy to repair. Still another layer and non-skid to go, and toe rail and trim, but at least the old surface is sealed up. Spraying a new gelcoat wasn't really possible in my own situation, and I had a couple painters warn against it. That was the deck and house. The topsides got sprayed with awlcraft. And yes the paint job cost more than the boat!

[svtickles]

Our 2009 model boat was painted at the factory, awlgrip over gelcoat in flag blue. It looked very nice and after paying for a professional cut & polish in the spring this year looked quite good in some places - mirror like. But was soon covered in the very salty water from the Med and didn't seem worth the trouble. Only good if someone is going to sell their boat (which I was contemplating at the end of 2023).

Due to an unfortunate event in 2024, we are getting the entire boat painted with awlgrip again, courtesy of a third party insurance company. It's been primed light gray for a dark grey colour which we hope will give the boat a more modern look. I'm replacing the blue cloth fender covers with neoprene black. Will definitely look different! Will share later if that was a smart decision.

[barnakiel]

I have painted polyurethane paint over gelcoat and it looks good. Does not peel off or anything.


So probably when the paint is good then it all ends up well.


Re older gelcoat restored - yes, but only while it lasts. Old gelcoat can get so worn out that it will nearly expose the lamination. Time to prime and paint.



b.

[JPA Cate]

When we had this boat repainted, we had the painter use automotive LP, a greyish white called "Chevy White". It is over 10 yrs. old, now, and it is still shiny. No waxing has been done on it, ever. Color us happy campers.

Ann