Flow Coat resin paint for the cockpit

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

http://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/p-1267-white-flow-coat-top-coatinclusive-of-catalyst.aspx

Has anyone used this resin based paint, Flow Coat Top Coat, for painting grp?. I am looking for a hard paint to paint the cockpit which is badly stained and it has been painted in the past by others.

 

[PlankWalker]

Flow coat is not a paint but a polyester resin gelcoat, with a wax additive to make it go off when exposed to air, as opposed to a standard gelcoat which needs to be between a mould and lay up resin, with air excluded to go off.

Like all polyesters it must not be painted over conventional paint, all traces of paint must be removed from the cockpit before the surface is degreased and lightly abraded.

Horizontal surfaces can be painted quite thickly, as its a chemical cure it will leave a fairly flat surface.
Not so with vertical surfaces as it tends to sag if applied to thick, thin coats can be overcoated after curing has started but the surface must be finger tacky.

Plank

 

[vyv_cox]

We were with a Swedish couple a few years ago who replaced the gelcoat on their hull, a 38 ft Beneteau, using flowcoat. They were also refurbishing the cockpit. Their original intention was to flowcoat that also but they told me it was a dreadful job so they changed to two-pack paint.

 

[prv]

I've just finished refurbishing my binnacle, filling all the old cutouts and holes from years of modifications (and then cutting my own holes ). As part of this I thought to paint the whole thing with gelcoat (with added wax) to cover all the filled holes and give a uniform surface. It's done now, but it really didn't work as I'd hoped. Not a single area that I painted was good enough as a finished surface, all had to be heavily sanded back to get a flat result (and then smoothed and polished). As painted, everything came out wavy or streaky (although I didn't have any problem with runs as Plank describes).

Maybe if I'd seen the tip on your linked page about adding a little resin, things might have been better.

In summary, flowcoat is great for bilges, inside lockers, etc where it seals everything and gives a hardwearing wipe-clean surface, but don't expect to reproduce the original surface finish of a moulded deck or cockpit, at least not without a great deal of work.

Pete

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

Thank to all for the replies

 

[Kelpie]

If I can slightly hijack the thread...

My Wanderer dinghy has a removable plywood plank as a thwart. It's time it got some TLC and I was wondering about sealing it with a layer of gelcoat, to avoid the need to varnish it annually. I can remove it from the boat and lay it flat to avoid any runs etc, and to reach both sides. Would flo-coat be a good contender for this job?

 

[vyv_cox]

Gelcoat is relatively brittle, and cracks when the substrate bends, the usual cause of stress cracks on decks and cockpits. Flow coat is nearly the same stuff, so will probably behave the same. Your thwart will probably bend a bit, which I suspect is likely to crack the coating.

 

[Tranona]

If I can slightly hijack the thread...

My Wanderer dinghy has a removable plywood plank as a thwart. It's time it got some TLC and I was wondering about sealing it with a layer of gelcoat, to avoid the need to varnish it annually. I can remove it from the boat and lay it flat to avoid any runs etc, and to reach both sides. Would flo-coat be a good contender for this job?

Waste of time. Not only is it brittle, but unlikely to adhere to wood, so as soon as it cracks water will get underneath and lif it off. What's wrong with good old fashioned paint? or if it has nice grain a porous woodstain?

 

[Lakesailor]

Flowcoat: rubbish

Even aerosol paint was better:

 

[vyv_cox]

Flowcoat: rubbish

Almost every decent surfboard is made using flowcoat built up on foam and grp. The finish on most of them is at least as good as the aerosol paint, illustrating that technique is critical.