Considering painting vs. Gel coat

[divendish]

Hi all,

I recently acquired a 1997 232 Gulfstream that needs some TLC. The paint is rather shot and looks bad from the port to the stern. After some reading, it seems like paint is the best option for DIY in terms of price, time, and my lack of experience with sanding/painting.

Has anyone here been happy with having paint on your GW instead of a gel coat?

At this point anything will look better, but I also have reservations with using paint since I don't know anyone firsthand who has paint on their boat.

 

[trapper]

Has it been painted before or are you painting over gelcoat? I have not done my boat about but just finished sanding down the gelcoat on a fibreglass rv and applied Rustolium Top Side with good results. That was over ge

 

[Rph1225]

I have been using Total Boats top side paint for a few years over gelcoat with great results. Make sure to use an epoxy primer for anything on the hull sides or the decking. However, you can use the Total Boat single primer for all else. Here is a T-top box I painted with it. I have used it many times on other boats and it held up great. Plus touchups are super simple.

The only thing I do is wait about 30 days after painting to wax it.

 

[Hookup1]

I have a 1997 268 Islander that I did a big makeover two years ago. AwlCraft 2000 Brightside Off White Revisited is what I call "Faded Grady White". Excellent match. Hull done in a custom AwlCraft 2000 color. I did all my own work. Never painted before. Came out great.

Paint is not for everyone but gel coat isn't for me.

 

[Sardinia306Canyon]

I saw a lot of boats with bad paint jobs where paint is flaking off after a while and i believe that gelcoat bond much better to gelcoat that paint does. But spraying gelcoat needs a lot of experience, particularly the mixing with the wax to avoid a horrible sticky mess so i absolutely don't recommend that for a non expert in gelcoat use.
The key for a good bonding for paint on gelcoat is a absolutely perfect preparation, sanding and then degreasing. And the use of the highest quality paint for marine use and they are usually (very) expensive.

Before i sold the BW 23 Outrage i had the outside hull it sprayed with gelcoat and the person who did it did a awesome job and it turned out like new.

Chris

 

[Hookup1]

The paint is rather shot and looks bad from the port to the stern.

Need clarification. When you say "paint is rather shot" do you mean paint or gelcoat? Refinishing the hull and having it look good will come down to proper preparation. If the paint or gelcoat is not adhered well its going to have to be sanded off and filled.

I called several glass guys about refinishing the hardtop. Could not get anyone to engage. Decided to do it myself. Probably would have been too expensive to have someone do this work if I could have found someone.

My hardtop was in bad shape. Gelcoat chips along the edge. Topside badly weathered, dried out and chalking. I took the edges and bad spots out with a belt sander or air grinder with green disks to get to the substrate. Filled with Awlgrip epoxy fairing compound. This take time in that you have to wait until the next day to sand and apply more. Easy to put on but harder to take off so several thin layer buildup better than a heavy one. Sprayed Awlgrip primer then AwlCraft 2000 finish coats. Sprayed non-skid on hardtop - looks like factory did it!

I never painted anything before. No shop or overhead cover. All done outside. I watched Frankie Bushong on several YouTube videos spraying Awlgrip and 3M AccuSpray PPS system with a big compressor. As the hardtop progressed and I convinced myself I could do this I did the aluminum tower, console bubble and hull. The hull was easy other than taking the striping off. A few spots to fill but it was in good shape.

Some of my boating friends have used AlexSeal paint that can be rolled on and had very good results. Whatever paint finish you use make sure it is "reparable" meaning you can sand out a defect and re-paint and wet sand to blend. Not all paints work this way (AwlGrip-NO AwlCraft 2000-YES AlexSeal-DON'T KNOW). I had a few paint runs that I sanded out that look perfect. I wet sanded the hardtop underside to bring the finish up to a gloss car hood like finish. 3M Trizact sanding/finishing. I'm not a pro but I do have a lot of free time.

As Chris said in the above post - if you do gelcoat, especially a large job, find a pro to spray it.

 

[divendish]

Need clarification. When you say "paint is rather shot" do you mean paint or gelcoat? Refinishing the hull and having it look good will come down to proper preparation. If the paint or gelcoat is not adhered well its going to have to be sanded off and filled.

I called several glass guys about refinishing the hardtop. Could not get anyone to engage. Decided to do it myself. Probably would have been too expensive to have someone do this work if I could have found someone.

My hardtop was in bad shape. Gelcoat chips along the edge. Topside badly weathered, dried out and chalking. I took the edges and bad spots out with a belt sander or air grinder with green disks to get to the substrate. Filled with Awlgrip epoxy fairing compound. This take time in that you have to wait until the next day to sand and apply more. Easy to put on but harder to take off so several thin layer buildup better than a heavy one. Sprayed Awlgrip primer then AwlCraft 2000 finish coats. Sprayed non-skid on hardtop - looks like factory did it!

I never painted anything before. No shop or overhead cover. All done outside. I watched Frankie Bushong on several YouTube videos spraying Awlgrip and 3M AccuSpray PPS system with a big compressor. As the hardtop progressed and I convinced myself I could do this I did the aluminum tower, console bubble and hull. The hull was easy other than taking the striping off. A few spots to fill but it was in good shape.

Some of my boating friends have used AlexSeal paint that can be rolled on and had very good results. Whatever paint finish you use make sure it is "reparable" meaning you can sand out a defect and re-paint and wet sand to blend. Not all paints work this way (AwlGrip-NO AwlCraft 2000-YES AlexSeal-DON'T KNOW). I had a few paint runs that I sanded out that look perfect. I wet sanded the hardtop underside to bring the finish up to a gloss car hood like finish. 3M Trizact sanding/finishing. I'm not a pro but I do have a lot of free time.

As Chris said in the above post - if you do gelcoat, especially a large job, find a pro to spray it.

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I believe it's gel coat but haven't tested it yet to confirm. I still need to conduct some tests with sanding/rubbing alcohol.

I saw your post; you did an amazing job and are an inspiration to paint!

I also want to fix my hardtop, it's in a little better shape than yours was but there are a lot of chaffed edges on it.

I was under the impression that AwlGrip could be sanded and buffed, so it looks like I need to do more reading or consider the AwlCraft 2000.

Spraying isn't an option for me, I will be limited with rolling/tipping.

 

[Hookup1]

AwlGrip can be sprayed or rolled. From what I read below they don't recommend sanding or buffing the topcoat. AwlCraft 2000 must be sprayed and can be sanded and buffed. You won't be using AwlGrip HDT.

Do not use traditional waxes on any AwlGrip topcoat finishes. Traditional waxes break down rapidly. The residue can cause the finish to appear yellow, plus it attracts dirt. This creates the need to maintain the wax, increasing overall maintenance. Traditional waxes which contain no abrasives probably do little harm to the coating, but offer no benefit. Use Awlcare Protective Polymer Sealer 73240

Awlgrip topcoat only (G/H Line): Regular applications of Awlcare will help temporarily seal and restore shine to painted surfaces that have become porous due to age or mistreatment, helping to maintain a satisfactory appearance until there is time to repaint. Do not use polishing compounds on Awlgrip G/H Line topcoat.

Awlcraft 2000 and Awlgrip HDT: Awlcare Protective Polymer Sealer will help maintain the gloss on these finishes with regular applications, especially those which have been buffed or polished. Remember, Awlcare is only applied and buffed by hand. Never apply or buff Awlcare with a machine.

Maintaining an Awlgrip Finish | Awlgrip

Maintaining Awlgrip topcoat, Awlcraft 2000, Awlcraft SE basecoat/clearcoat or Awlgrip HDT

www.awlgrip.com

AlexSeal is another paint to consider.

https://www.alexseal.com/fileadmin/user_upload/Alexseal/Downloads/Care___Maintenance_Instructions/TDS_Alexseal_Care_and_Maintenance_2022_engl.pdf