Painting over gelcoat - any one have regrets?

[zachduckworth]

Hi all,
I have a 1984 Islander Bahama 30 that has the original gel coat. Looking down the road a year or two I'd like to get the gel coat redone or else have it painted. I was wondering if there are any serious drawbacks of going to paint, as I sort of prefer the look and I can get my topside repainted fairly cheap in the water. I was wondering if anyone has any regrets from painting or if there are any serious considerations to be aware of (other the the $2500 for the painting...).

[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.

[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.

[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.

[Benz]

Gelcoat has an incredible ability to be buffed back to a nice shine even if decades old. Try compounding and buffing a little bit of it and see if you like it.

If you do have to re-coat, I'd use paint, since re-gelcoating is a huge and uncertain process. I've never seen a re-gel job that didn't consume countless hours in wet sanding and buffing.

[thomm225]

My boat, a 1974 Bristol 27, already had paint over gelcoat when I bought it.

It had sat on the hard unattended for 6 years when I found it in 2011 and that paint was all peeling off.

I sailed it like that for a while not knowing if I would even keep the boat since I only paid $2,000 for it and it needed quite a bit of attention.

I finally sanded the old paint down to the original beige gelcoat in 2015.

Then painted the boats topside hull with one Part Pettit EZ Poxy which is about $100/gallon. (with the roll and tip method)

With this paint though you have to repaint every few years.. Photos from 2015 and 2018

Bottom is Micron CSC

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Benz

Gelcoat has an incredible ability to be buffed back to a nice shine even if decades old. Try compounding and buffing a little bit of it and see if you like it.

If you do have to re-coat, I'd use paint, since re-gelcoating is a huge and uncertain process. I've never seen a re-gel job that didn't consume countless hours in wet sanding and buffing.

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.

[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.

[gonesail]

compounding and wax can rescue a gel coat but be aware of the thickness of the gel coat when compounding .. if it is too thin then you need to paint it.

[rslifkin]

Unless you're going to go all-in on a really good paint job with serious disassembly, etc. and spend the big money, I'd always try to restore the gelcoat first. If it's wearing through or you can't get it back to looking good, then it's time for paint. But as long as there's enough thickness left, it's amazing how much gelcoat can be brought back to life.

[ThereAndBack]

I'm in the same boat, so to speak. My gelcoat is looking old, worn down in places, porous, and has 20 years worth of spider cracks and collisions. If I'm going to go through the trouble to repair all the cracks and chips and etc, which will involve pulling all hardware and whatnot, I guess I'm resigned to a full repaint.

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. While I realize these products must be replaced regularly, they're MUCH cheaper to do and they look really good.

[Quadrille in JB]

I would be cautious if you're considering wrapping your boat. We had our 41' wrapped in Tallin, Estonia about 10 years ago by a marina tech that we had used for years. Within 400 miles of 6 kt cruising, the wrap was peeling off around the bow waterline and really took a beating when climbing up from the dingy. I've seen a lot of good looking wraps so check around and get references before getting your boat wrapped.

[ThereAndBack]

Originally Posted by Quadrille in JB

I would be cautious if you're considering wrapping your boat. We had our 41' wrapped in Tallin, Estonia about 10 years ago by a marina tech that we had used for years. Within 400 miles of 6 kt cruising, the wrap was peeling off around the bow waterline and really took a beating when climbing up from the dingy. I've seen a lot of good looking wraps so check around and get references before getting your boat wrapped.

I've heard horror stories as well as success stories as well. Seems it is the case with all options. Have heard horror stories about paint jobs too. Always have to do your due diligence and even then sometimes you'll get burned.

[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?

[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.”