Paint Vs Gelcoat (older boat)

[wscotterwin]

Hi All,
I am not a newby to Gelcoat and I even have some mad skills at fiberglass repair but.....
I bought a 28 year old (white) boat that was built in Ft Myers FL. It's a Brewer 44.

The boat has spent considerable time in both FL and in the Baja of Mexico. Needless to say the Gelcoat has gotten the "chalky" look and I know from experience how hard it is to get that shine back and keep it. I am refitting this boat for extensive cruising and I want it to look nice(er).
I am not very familiar with the paint products out there although I've heard about awgrip . (We will keep it white either way)
So, Questions:
1. Paint or re gelcoat? Benefits? Cost difference?
2. If paint, which products? The boat is currently in Ensenada Mx so I have the ability to get different products down there vs the communist State of California.
3. Should I consider keeping the existing Gelcoat? If I get it polished out will it be a problem in short order?
Thanks in advance for your thoughts.

[wscotterwin]

A Few Pics...

[Dulcesuenos]

We opted for repainting on our cat. We used Interlux perfection. Easy to roll and tip.
Doesn't need buffing and waxing. Very durable and easy to find.
Gelcoat needs buffing and waxing and it's a never ending process to keep shiny especially after a couple of years.

[jkindredpdx]

Originally Posted by Dulcesuenos

We opted for repainting on our cat. We used Interlux perfection. Easy to roll and tip.
Doesn't need buffing and waxing. Very durable and easy to find.
Gelcoat needs buffing and waxing and it's a never ending process to keep shiny especially after a couple of years.

Hey Dulce, How many years since you painted the Interlux Perfection? Did you use that on the hull? Deck? Cabin?

Thanks...

[wscotterwin]

Thank for the Info.
How does the Interlux product compare to the Awlgrip product? My painter/fiberglass guy in Mexico seems to prefer the awlgrip. His work is great and his price is even better....

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by jkindredpdx

Hey Dulce, How many years since you painted the Interlux Perfection? Did you use that on the hull? Deck? Cabin?

Thanks...

We painted last September still looks great. Our friends did their cat 3 or 4 years ago and it too still looks great.

[Dulcesuenos]

Originally Posted by wscotterwin

Thank for the Info.
How does the Interlux product compare to the Awlgrip product? My painter/fiberglass guy in Mexico seems to prefer the awlgrip. His work is great and his price is even better....

I've roll and tipped both, the awlgrip does seem to be slightly harder / more durable when fully cured and it definitely has a higher gloss / shine. Not to say the perfection isn't shiny it is very shiny. If you have am good awlgrip guy, you can't go wrong

[Maxsonsmith]

Originally Posted by wscotterwin

My painter/fiberglass guy in Mexico seems to prefer the awlgrip. His work is great and his price is even better....

We are currently in Ensenada and looking for just exactly such a person. Can you share his information?

[wilparis]

If I'm not mistaken:

The role of the gelcoat is to protect the fiberglass from the sun and the water...

The role of the paint is to give a "finished" and shiny look to the hull...
Thus, no wonder the gelcoat ends up with a "chalky" look if not painted...


So may be the choice is not between "gelcoat or paint", but rather which paint to spray on the gelcoat...

[pcmm]

Originally Posted by wilparis

If I'm not mistaken:

The role of the gelcoat is to protect the fiberglass from the sun and the water...

The role of the paint is to give a "finished" and shiny look to the hull...
Thus, no wonder the gelcoat ends up with a "chalky" look if not painted...


So may be the choice is not between "gelcoat or paint", but rather which paint to spray on the gelcoat...

Well you're sort of correct, in the case of an older hull.

The Gelcoat (when new) functions to protect the fiberglass AND to provide a smooth shiny finished surface. Gelcoat can last for decades as the finish. It is generally more durable than paint as it's applied thicker. It can be buffed pretty heavily to bring it back, but like all finishes you can only do this so many times before you run out of gelcoat to sand and polish.

Painting is generally what people do once the Gelcoat is "too far gone" Regelcoating requires a lot more sanding and buffing after the fact to get a shiny polish looking surface. paint correctly applied over a well prepped surface can look as good or better than gelcoat. Both are a lot of work. From the OP's pictures, the gelcoat looks decent! Mine is alot more beat up and has far more gelcoat patches in it (time to paint next year!)

[Jim Cate]

FWIW:

Our boat is not FRP so no gel coat issues... painted from builder. After many years the original paint was pretty well gone, and we had her repainted. The painter (in the pittwater area of NSW, Australia) said he was happy to use Awl... but that he had found that automotive LPU finishes had better gloss retention and were easier to touch up if needed, AND were much less expensive. We went with automotive and have been happy with it. Now 8 years old, beginning to lose some shine, BUT we have done zero maintenance. We're full time cruisers, very seldom in marinas, so not even freshwater washdowns.

Worth thinking about...

Jim

[kenbo]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

FWIW:

Our boat is not FRP so no gel coat issues... painted from builder. After many years the original paint was pretty well gone, and we had her repainted. The painter (in the pittwater area of NSW, Australia) said he was happy to use Awl... but that he had found that automotive LPU finishes had better gloss retention and were easier to touch up if needed, AND were much less expensive. We went with automotive and have been happy with it. Now 8 years old, beginning to lose some shine, BUT we have done zero maintenance. We're full time cruisers, very seldom in marinas, so not even freshwater washdowns.

Worth thinking about...

Jim

Very sound advice. Have done the same and would do so again.

Ken

[Don C L]

Originally Posted by Jim Cate

FWIW:

Our boat is not FRP so no gel coat issues... painted from builder. After many years the original paint was pretty well gone, and we had her repainted. The painter (in the pittwater area of NSW, Australia) said he was happy to use Awl... but that he had found that automotive LPU finishes had better gloss retention and were easier to touch up if needed, AND were much less expensive. We went with automotive and have been happy with it. Now 8 years old, beginning to lose some shine, BUT we have done zero maintenance. We're full time cruisers, very seldom in marinas, so not even freshwater washdowns.

Worth thinking about...

Jim

I wonder, can you roll and tip those paints?
I had my old boat sprayed with automotive paint LPU many years ago, and it was great, but I believe, at the time, that paint could not be rolled on.

[Jim Cate]

Originally Posted by Don C L

I wonder, can you roll and tip those paints?
I had my old boat sprayed with automotive paint LPU many years ago, and it was great, but I believe, at the time, that paint could not be rolled on.

Don, that's above my pay grade to answer with confidence. However, from my own experience with R&T using LPU that was allegedly good in that application, I would hazard the guess that this paint is not suitable. But ask someone who actually knows something about the subject... always a better idea!

BTW, the brand name was Pro-Tec IIRC. Don't know if it is available outside of Oz.

Jim

[Suijin]

According to the manufacturer you can roll and tip Awlgrip but not Awlcraft. I believe Awlgrip is basically the same as Imron and that Awlcraft is acrylic but I may have it wrong.

Awlcraft will give you the hardest, best looking finish but is not as buffable and repairable as Awlcraft. I’m sure you can find an automotive paint that is largely equivalent to Awlgrip and cheaper, with some research.

That said, if you’re paying someone to do it the cost of materials is a fraction of the cost. Your best bet is to find a good painter and let them use what they recommend instead of insisting the use a product they are not familiar with.