Gell coat repair Vs paint job

[unbusted67]

I am coming to the end of my boat's gel coat life. When I bought it the previous owner and run into the dock so many times the whole side of the boat is pretty chowdered up.

I am looking into my options. I am wondering about value vs paint job. Are boats that have been awl gripped worth less than boats with their original gel coat? I will probably sand, then roll and tip awlgrip if I do repaint. Is re gel coating an option if I were to do it myself?

What are some of the things I need to consider?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

I am coming to the end of my boat's gel coat life. When I bought it the previous owner and run into the dock so many times the whole side of the boat is pretty chowdered up.

I am looking into my options. I am wondering about value vs paint job. Are boats that have been awl gripped worth less than boats with their original gel coat? I will probably sand, then roll and tip awlgrip if I do repaint. Is re gel coating an option if I were to do it myself?

What are some of the things I need to consider?

What area of the world do you sail in? How long does a sunbrella awning last in full time use where you are?

[neilpride]

If you choose paint say good bye to gelcoat for a long time unles next owner want to regelcoat again, expensive in labour, my vote is for awlgrip , a good awlgrip job can last for many years in top condition, i prefer Gelcoat , is more durable, you can buff out , easy to repair, but regelcoat a decent size boat is a pain in the ass, even i see in trinidad a crew of 5 doing a complete gelcoat job in the topsides of a 35 footer in a couple of weeks..

About roll and tip awlgrip i recomend you rent a compresor and buy a spray gun, with some practique you can get a decent job, if you are not well skilled in roll and tip or dont want to risk the spray job, shoot the primer and do the prep job, let a profesional to spray the Awlgrip...

Awlgrip is a very expensive stuff , if you choose roll and tip be sure to do it well.. lol.

Regelcoat is labour intensive, sand sand and more sand, but gelcoat is cheaper and more durable. Good luck ....

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

What area of the world do you sail in? How long does a sunbrella awning last in full time use where you are?

Northeastern USA but plans to cruise down South.

[unbusted67]

Sorry for the misspelling in the title. It is a white gel coat. Could I just try to repair? How much Awlgrip would I end up using on a 35 ft boat?

[neilpride]

Could be 2 quarts of topcoat for each side, not sure really, but before you need to sand the gelcoat , fix the scrachtes and dings , more sand, Primer , and finally when the topsides are smoth and free of defects , shot the top coat, actually you can fix the gelcoat to, but we dont know how bad looks like, a pic could be nice....

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

Northeastern USA but plans to cruise down South.

Do nothing, cruise down to Trini and have her Awlgripped there. In Panama is a guy who normally paints aircraft but he is also painting boats with AlexSeal. Very good alternative in the West Caribbean.

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

Do nothing, cruise down to Trini and have her Awlgripped there. In Panama is a guy who normally paints aircraft but he is also painting boats with AlexSeal. Very good alternative in the West Caribbean.

That sounds like a pretty classic me-type money saving strategy. Sail 3,000+ miles to save $600 dollars on a paint job!

[o_q]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

That sounds like a pretty classic me-type money saving strategy. Sail 3,000+ miles to save $600 dollars on a paint job!

Perhaps reasonable if you plan on going anyway.

[colemj]

Originally Posted by neilpride

About roll and tip awlgrip i recomend you rent a compresor and buy a spray gun,

and an external breathing apparatus and sufficient protective gear.

Mark

[neilpride]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

That sounds like a pretty classic me-type money saving strategy. Sail 3,000+ miles to save $600 dollars on a paint job!

No idea how is the situation in trini now, but in the past there is huge diference in price, never mind i paint the stern of my boat there few years agoo and the problem is not the cost, is the weather , rain , humid conditions, moisture in the air, you can be crazy there waiting for a good day to spray paint, i think you got a Cal 35, i will say close to that, 3 or 4 quarts of 545 epoxy primer, 4 quarts of topcoat, include all the funy Awlgrip things like the Spray converter , reducer, etc... if you do yourself, you save big $$$$....

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by neilpride

No idea how is the situation in trini now, but in the past there is huge diference in price, never mind i paint the stern of my boat there few years agoo and the problem is not the cost, is the weather , rain , humid conditions, moisture in the air, you can be crazy there waiting for a good day to spray paint, i think you got a Cal 35, i will say close to that, 3 or 4 quarts of 545 epoxy primer, 4 quarts of topcoat, include all the funy Awlgrip things like the Spray converter , reducer, etc... if you do yourself, you save big $$$$....

Sure but coming south doesn't mean you can't do it yourself anymore if you want.

I always assume that people here want to go cruising and the OP even said so when I asked... South he said and the options I gave are right there, South.

Yes you can have trouble with the weather in the tropics for painting your boat. You can also do it outside the rainy season, when the weather is much better for painting than it is in NE USA.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by unbusted67

That sounds like a pretty classic me-type money saving strategy. Sail 3,000+ miles to save $600 dollars on a paint job!

You just wrote you have plans to cruise South?! I was just trying to help, sorry.

[unbusted67]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

You just wrote you have plans to cruise South?! I was just trying to help, sorry.

Oh no don't apologize I was just making a joke. It sounds like a plan I would come up with. Great minds think alike!

[Cheechako]

How do you use your boat? does it really matter if the topsides are perfect or not? How will you feel the first time you scrape a big scratch in the Awlgrip? If you use your boat a lot, just get some matching gel coat and repair the dings. If she's a dock queen to be admired every weekend by the other dockies.... paint her shiny dark blue!