Advice on painting fibreglass please

[aquaholic]

I have a 10" thick band of blue along the side of the boat which I thought was in gelcoat, however it now turns out that it had been painted proffessionally. Problem is there are some really bad marks and cracks to the paint and it needs redoing. Cant afford to have it done properly this year due to new sprayhood,mainsail, upholstery etc so was thinking of doing it myself.
Now I am quite good with a paintbrush but would like to know the best way to go about it to get a nice finish.
Any hel appreciated.

 

[Csail]

Blue masking tape and a foam brush.

 

[oldsaltoz]

G'day Neil,

First you need to find out what sort of paint was used, not all paints are compatible one over the other, some are difficult to touch up as well.

Hope this helps.

Avagoodweekend......

 

[Csail]

Or you could use vinyl.

 

[BAtoo]

Have done this twice - on different boats - hand sand it down until you loose the damaged areas and have a finish that you are happy with; mask off above and below; then apply a decent paint system - the primer should take care of the potential paint incompatibilities. Available pot sizes will probably mean a one-pot type; I used International pre-kote and toplac & the finish is good.

 

[wooslehunter]

If you intend to mask, there's a technique to putting on the tape.

Do not try to stick it down bit by bit. Stick down the end & then stretch out th elongest bit you can control. Then stick that down. Go back & rub down the middle. That way, you get a good line & it's fast. Trying to put is down bit by bit will result in a wobbly line.

Trick shown to me by an ex-Westerly guy. I tried it & was amazed how wobbly the original boot top was on my boat.

 

[Caer Urfa]

Suggest sand down as already suggested and use International 'Toplac' with a primer below it,should come up well and last and you can 'touch up' if required.
Feather edge your paintwork with your brush for a nice finish or use a roller as suggested.
Mike

 

[ark]

I would use vinyl masking tape available from automotive refinising suppliers.Expensive but will provide a nice sharp line and will not "pull" the new paint the way ordinary masking tape sometimes does.

 

[aquaholic]

Thanks for all your advice, have spent the last couple of days machine polishing and waxing the boat and it has come up better than expected. Will still need doing so I got a quote and it came in at around £400 which i though was very good, think I will leave it till mid-season when the coffers are a little less empty. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif