your opinion's count. gel coat

[chaddemler1980]

k guys i keep hearing mixed reviews. we gonna have a survey today only, which ever opinion wins i will do it... and have pics posted to show. got the 84 crusiers inc boat 22' gel coat is faded. i was going to repaint the ugly brown paint with a nice red but was worried about it being unprotected and worried if i could a gel coat rejuvenator over the paint, also worried it would blend well and leave raised edges that would look bad. also need to redo the bottom coat "below waterline". what should i do..

1. sand the ugly brown and paint over it with petit paint and then rejuvenate the gel coat with Presto gel coat rejuvenator, or marine penetrol. if the edges are raised adda pinstripe maybe to help blend it.

OR

2. strip old gel coat off, paint with the petit red paint, re gel the boat.


remember i wnat the boat to be back in the water by mid may at latest.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

where are the pictures.

 

[chaddemler1980]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

i mean once i get an answer to how i should do it i will post some pics.

 

[oops!]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

dont strip the gell coat..!!!!!...yer askin fer trouble

just sand the oxidation off the gellcoat...and repaint......search threads for paint..immeron...(sp?) is a standard choice.

the reason td asked for picks....is..... they let us help you !

 

[Bondo]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

we gonna have a survey today only, which ever opinion wins i will do it...

Ayuh,..... What if I Don't like options 1 OR 2,...??......

Option #2 is actually 2 options in itself,......
Gelcoat is Sanded in preperation for Paint,.....Not Stripped Off....
And,.....
You wouldn't be throwing More Gelcoat over the Paint you just put down,.....?...

I Vote for Sanding the Whole Danm Boat,... Striping it with Tape wherever you'd like,....
And Shoot it with a Quality 2-pt Urethane paint,.... Wet Sand it, Polish it,+ Wax it,......
Then,.....

Go Boating.......

 

[chaddemler1980]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

hmm good point above. i will clearify. yes two problems. want to repaint the brown stripe to a red one "this stripe is only about 1 foot wide" so it does not cover much of the boat. second is the gel coat is still in good shape but is faded.. slightly chalky.

option 1 was to sand the old painted stripe and repaint just the stripe. and then use just a gel coat rejuvenator on the faded gel coat and over the new paint. thats it. Can i put gel coat over the NEW paint and old gel coat.


your option i need more clerification. are you saying repaint the whole boat? the red stripe and rest of it... cuz the boat doesnt look painted look like it just gel coat over white fiberglass. are you saying sand entire boat even top side that dont really need anything? if i didnt then i think it would look off compared to bottom half of boat.

 

[chaddemler1980]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

again the part i want to paint is only a little foot wide stripe? dont think i really want to sand entire boat... no time for that i think. what do i put over the new paint if anything? that why i asking if that penetrol or presto will work cuz then all i got to do is sand over the old "stripe" prime, paint, and then do entire boat with penetrol or presto "including new painted stripe" and all will be well.... I THINK?

 

[jameskb2]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

How long you gonna keep it?

It sounds to me like you don't have any paint on it now at all. I think you're saying (difficult to tell) that the hull is currently gel coat with a colored gel coat stripe.

Gel coat is polyester resin that is pigmented. It's usually about the thickness of a dime. It's not paint, it's part of the fiberglass construction.

So, if your gel coat is "chalky" as you said, I'd try to clean and restore it with whatever product these guys recommend, since I don't know what's best for that. Then, if you want to change the stripe color, I'd mask off and sand the striped area only, and paint it the color you want.

I've seen some pretty nasty looking gel coat come back to like new with the right products, and the right tools / effort. It's work, but worth it.

My .02 worth.

 

[chaddemler1980]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

yes the paint stripe is part of the gel coat... and it does come back to "life" i just hate the color. so i think i will sand the painted part and re paint. but do i need a coating over the top this new paint... if so can i paint first and then rejuvenate the gel coat with a certain product. rather than rejuvenate first and then paint. just seems more sensible incase of paint runs or something.

 

[jameskb2]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

Well, the paint itself, if a good product, will hold it's own against the weather.

The paint has to stick well too. I'd do the gel coat restoration first. Don't wax or use a wax product on the stripe. Sand the stripe with 200 grit by hand, one of those little sanding blocks. You just want to scuff it up good so the paint will hold on and not peel off. Mask it off well, I doubt you'll get any drips, but if you do, wipe it off quick with that rag you put in your back pocket. The gel coat finish is very durable, and if clean, restored and waxed, the paint won't stand a chance.

With the new fresh paint, you don't want to be using gel coat cleaner, buffer and wax over it. That would probably ruin the paint.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

I think the problem is people are a little confused as to what you saying, you keep saying the stripe is paint, then say it's in the gel coat, then you want to paint it and put gel coat over it.

If the stripe is in the gel coat, and you will be able to tell because there should be no ridge at the edge of the color, then it's gel coat. If you don't like the color, tape it off and paint it. If there is a ridge, then normally it is paint. Most people don't use pinstripe tape to hide the ridge because the tape has about the same ridge as the paint, they use the tape to hide a poor tape (crooked or sloppy) line from the masking portion of the job.

The rest of the hull is a different issue and handled in a different way. There are a bunch of products on the market designed to "restore" gel coat, some work better than others. The biggest factor in getting it to look good again is removing the oxidized layer at the surface. It may take just some buffing with coarse compound, but will most likely need some sanding, there are other methods to remove it, but basically you're still sanding it off, just with other products. None of these steps or products should be used over what you may have just painted.

 

[cbear34]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

Not sure about painting your stripe. But as far as getting your gelcoat shiny this is what I was advised to do for my boat, chalky bergundy gelcoat.
Using an orbital buffer,
1. Start with 3M marine rubbing compound
2. Buff with 3M Finesse-It II glazing compound
3. Buff with a good coat of wax, Meguiars Flagship wax
This is what I am going to try.
People I have talked to say this process worked for them to bring the gelcoat back to a nice shiny finish. When I do this I will post before and after pics for comparison.
Good luck with your decision!

 

[Bondo]

Re: your opinion's count. gel coat

and then rejuvenate the gel coat with Presto gel coat rejuvenator, or marine penetrol.

Ayuh,.....

I also think that you're confused about just how Good these things work,.....
Painting a coat of Penetrol over the Gelcoat Isn't going to do much to rejuvenate the Gelcoat,.....
It's got to be Sanded, Polished,+ Waxed........