Is it paint or gelcoat???

[89 resorter]

I am wondering if there is some test that I can do to determine if the finish on my Coronado is paint or gelcoat. I have had my suspicions that the finish might be paint since it is a 25 year old dark blue boat with no signs of oxidation. The overall condition of the boat would also not lead me to believe that the PO was the type to spend a lot of time taking care of the finish.

 

[sphelps]

Re: Is it paint or gelcoat???

If your not worried about messing up the finish you can place a rag soaked in acetone on it . If it,s paint it will bubble up if gell coat it won't . You need to leave the rag on for awhile .

 

[Trooper82]

Re: Is it paint or gelcoat???

If your not worried about messing up the finish you can place a rag soaked in acetone on it . If it,s paint it will bubble up if gell coat it won't . You need to leave the rag on for awhile .

Yup...if it is good and soaked it will start bubbling pretty quick if it is paint...how i found out mine was painted..but not anymore

 

[89 resorter]

Re: Is it paint or gelcoat???

I thought acetone might do the trick but I only tried to rub a small area with a little bit of it on a rag. I will try the acetone soaked rag trick this weekend to see if I'm dealing with paint or gel.
Thanks for the help