Need advice on removing old paint, and preparing surface (fibreglass)

[fast_boater]

Hey guys, well summers just around the corner so i pulled out the boat from storage, basically to do some minor work on it to get it ready for summer.

The boat is fibreglass, there is no carpet or wooden floor boards (none that i know of any way). The paint has started to peel and looks like crap.. Of course the fibreglass is textured so it dosnt look that great with paint here and there.

I want to paint the sides/ bottom of the inside of the boat, i've removed the seats for ease.

What would be the best way to go about painting this? What type of paint should i use? Should i just paint rite over top of this or is there something else i should do??

Also, what colour should i paint it. The paint that is flaking off is white, and the fibreglass underneath is more of a pale pale yellowish.

The boat itself is red and white, and the bench seats that are in it are all red.

I'm thinking silver, or white, but i want it to look good and cover up the ugly spaces.... What would you go with??

Also, how would i prepare the surface? I've taken a paint scraper and went quickly over the entire area, and that removed any flaking paint.. Should i take the power sander to it??? what would you do??

Here are some pics of the interior now as it sits... Let me know your opinions/advice..

Thanks- Neil


[image]http://www.snowmobileworld.com/forum/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=20590[/image]

[image]http://www.snowmobileworld.com/forum/index.php?act=Attach&type=post&id=20589[/image]

 

[oldsaltoz]

Re: Need advice on removing old paint, and preparing surface (fibregla

G'Day Neil,

The first thing you need to establish is what sort of paint (or flowcoat) has been used, otherwise you might get a reaction or it will crack and flake off.

I hope the brown marks are rust from your seat fittings and not stains from rotted timber under the glass.

As for colour I have found a very light shade of Grey to be very serviceable, shows less marks and goes with almost any other colour, looking at the finish I would also go for a non gloss finish to hide some of the lumps and bumps.

When you have established what type of coating you have we will be in a better position to advise on what type/s you can cover it with without a reaction. There are some products that claim you paint them onto almost any surface to avoid reactions, but I have no experience of this stuff, perhaps another reader may have some information on this.

Avagoodweekend.

 

[aztec]

Re: Need advice on removing old paint, and preparing surface (fibregla

agree with the "aussie" bloke,

grey is good, white of silver gives you a headach after a while in the sun (should we get any.

screwfix do a range of reasonable quality paints, have a look and see what's available.

i have used grey floorpaint with good results, but remember if you want a good finish "it's all in the prep" and... if you're going to use power tools........ there's the safety/dust aspect to consider.

good luck, steve.