new gelcoat vs paint on tired topsides?
- Thread starter contessaman
- Start date
Blueboatman
Well-Known Member
Since you seem prepared to do the work yourself, I would sand, fill and fair, spray with hibuild epoxy primer over the existing, sand again and wack on the 2 pack, paying a good sprayer for the 3 hours or so.
I did my last boat in Florida, the 2pack came from Colorwheel paints in Orlando ( Industrial, not ''Marine'' Imron), £200 for a US gallon of the stuff plus hardener plus a fast accelerator, did hull, deck and coachroof, spars , 3 coats round and round, loads left over. AND it looked fantastic..
So once you discover the cost of Awlgrip here in the UK, and if you know anyone going out to Disneyland for a holiday.....
As Sailorman says, it is the only way to go. Why waste your labour on bodging around endlessly? No kore polishing, no more chalky gelcoat, shine shine shine. If you do the spars as well( on top of a zinc primer of course) you will have one special boat.
I did my last boat in Florida, the 2pack came from Colorwheel paints in Orlando ( Industrial, not ''Marine'' Imron), £200 for a US gallon of the stuff plus hardener plus a fast accelerator, did hull, deck and coachroof, spars , 3 coats round and round, loads left over. AND it looked fantastic..
So once you discover the cost of Awlgrip here in the UK, and if you know anyone going out to Disneyland for a holiday.....
As Sailorman says, it is the only way to go. Why waste your labour on bodging around endlessly? No kore polishing, no more chalky gelcoat, shine shine shine. If you do the spars as well( on top of a zinc primer of course) you will have one special boat.
contessaman
Well-Known Member
Hi there,
thats very interesting indeed. I'm in the states regularly with work anyway. How well has this paint lasted? and do you have any pictures of the finished article?
one more season like last year and I'll move the boat to florida and paint it there
Blueboatman
Well-Known Member
Contessaman
I sold the boat some 8 years ago but last saw it 4 years ago, still looking immaculate and shiny !
Like yours it had been painted badly with one pot polyurethane. I gouged open every scratch with a hacksaw blade and filled em with epoxy, then I used SP25 high build epoxy primer ( from Colorwheel again) which stuck and sanded beautifully to the well rubbed down existing gelcoat/patches of old paint.
You may not need the accelerator for the Imron unless you have high humidity in your locale.IIRC the accelerator cost almost as much as the paint !
We hung rags soaked in MEKP ( diesel or paraffin would work) all around to keep the bugs off until the paint dried as we were spraying outdoors..
Have fun, very rewarding, but I had plenty of advice and a couple of mates who really new their spray work, though I did all the filling and fairing..And boy could they drink beer afterwards..
Incidentally if you look closely you will see that I added 2 feet to the stern and created an open cockpit, much faster better handling boat ( Standard boat was an inexpensive Pearson 26)
I sold the boat some 8 years ago but last saw it 4 years ago, still looking immaculate and shiny !
Like yours it had been painted badly with one pot polyurethane. I gouged open every scratch with a hacksaw blade and filled em with epoxy, then I used SP25 high build epoxy primer ( from Colorwheel again) which stuck and sanded beautifully to the well rubbed down existing gelcoat/patches of old paint.
You may not need the accelerator for the Imron unless you have high humidity in your locale.IIRC the accelerator cost almost as much as the paint !
We hung rags soaked in MEKP ( diesel or paraffin would work) all around to keep the bugs off until the paint dried as we were spraying outdoors..
Have fun, very rewarding, but I had plenty of advice and a couple of mates who really new their spray work, though I did all the filling and fairing..And boy could they drink beer afterwards..
Incidentally if you look closely you will see that I added 2 feet to the stern and created an open cockpit, much faster better handling boat ( Standard boat was an inexpensive Pearson 26)
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sjclewes
Well-Known Member
Awesome!I didnt know they could spray it on, thought it would be too thick.
Was that all done outdoors in the UK?
Who did it for you and if you don't mind me asking what did it cost? Is that a southerly 105? must be a similar length/cost to mine.
Finally, what did they do to the old gelcoat proir to application? remove all or some of it? I wouldnt want to add too much weight..
cheers!
the cost of the regelcoating was £3500