Paint question....PreKote as a top coat

[FairweatherDave]

As a cheapskate I am finishing a West's epoxy grp repair to my old Wayfarer . The decision was to paint the patch I repaired with one pack polyurethane. I have lots of PreKote which is the matt undercoat so I am giving it a couple of coats of that. But I am reluctant to shell out for the Top coat on a half squarefoot repair...... I am not interested in top sailing performance or appearance...... But I want the PreKote to work in terms of durability/Uv etc. Any thoughts /knowledge welcome.

 

[ridgy]

What do you want anyone to say, probably not many have tried prekote as as a long term topcoat but you can be the first and report back.

Probably it will look like shit and not last very long but you probably already knew that. I would at least throw some exterior gloss over it if there was a reasonable colour match available.

 

[VicS]

As a cheapskate I am finishing a West's epoxy grp repair to my old Wayfarer . The decision was to paint the patch I repaired with one pack polyurethane. I have lots of PreKote which is the matt undercoat so I am giving it a couple of coats of that. But I am reluctant to shell out for the Top coat on a half squarefoot repair...... I am not interested in top sailing performance or appearance...... But I want the PreKote to work in terms of durability/Uv etc. Any thoughts /knowledge welcome.

Abrade the surface, Apply a suitable primer, if necessary. Then 2 coats of Pre Kote and finish with a good quality exterior gloss paint as ridgy suggests above

Check with International whether or not a primer is required ... probably not.

 

[FairweatherDave]

Thanks both. I'm still dithering.....exterior gloss might be an idea but I guess the nub of my question is is that any better than more coats of PreKote. The PreKote is a good colour match and the repair is pretty hidden anyway. (what is the difference between undercoat and top coat apart from appearance?)

Bottom line is I am reluctant to spend £20 plus on 750ml of Toplac paint when I will use maybe 100ml absolute max.

 

[MADRIGAL]

Thanks both. I'm still dithering.....exterior gloss might be an idea but I guess the nub of my question is is that any better than more coats of PreKote. The PreKote is a good colour match and the repair is pretty hidden anyway. (what is the difference between undercoat and top coat apart from appearance?)

Bottom line is I am reluctant to spend £20 plus on 750ml of Toplac paint when I will use maybe 100ml absolute max.

You can get International’s one-part polyurethane Boot Stripe paint in little 250ml tins. They don’t do as many colours, but they do make it in white. I’ve used it on my Wayfarer over Pre-Kote and it matches my 50year-old GRP fairly well. I think adding UV resistance is worthwhile after going through the bother of the epoxy repair. It’s remarkable how you can keep these boats going.

 

[FairweatherDave]

Thanks Madrigal, I like that idea. But can't find anything available on the internet searches I have done so far. I guess contacting International directly would make sense, their website doesn't list it.

 

[rib]

Thanks both. I'm still dithering.....exterior gloss might be an idea but I guess the nub of my question is is that any better than more coats of PreKote. The PreKote is a good colour match and the repair is pretty hidden anyway. (what is the difference between undercoat and top coat apart from appearance?)

Bottom line is I am reluctant to spend £20 plus on 750ml of Toplac paint when I will use maybe 100ml absolute max.

As I under stand it matt will not offer the same water proofing as semi or gloss. Well it didn't when I had a stove enamelling business 20 years ago for 20 years ?

 

[FairweatherDave]

Just sent this to International............

Hi
I am after 250ml of white toplac to complete a very small repair on my dinghy hull. The area is less than 1ft by 6 inches and buying 750mls seems crazy. I have already applied 2 coats of PreKote and have loads of that (from another job) . Any suggestions? Cosmetically I am happy to just to apply 3 or 4 more coats of PreKote if that would be a durable solution. I use the dinghy 3 or 4 times a year absolute maximum as we usually sail a bigger boat.
Best wishes

See what happens on Monday morning!

 

[rib]

Just sent this to International............

Hi
I am after 250ml of white toplac to complete a very small repair on my dinghy hull. The area is less than 1ft by 6 inches and buying 750mls seems crazy. I have already applied 2 coats of PreKote and have loads of that (from another job) . Any suggestions? Cosmetically I am happy to just to apply 3 or 4 more coats of PreKote if that would be a durable solution. I use the dinghy 3 or 4 times a year absolute maximum as we usually sail a bigger boat.
Best wishes

See what happens on Monday morning!

3/4 times a year.. Why bother at all ??

 

[FairweatherDave]

3/4 times a year.. Why bother at all ??

Simple. I love sailing my Wayfarer when the opportunity arises and want to maintain it "adequately". Towed from Brighton to Devon and Fowey this year. Dreamy locations if I ever escape the Solent in my big boat one day , meanwhile not so hard if you drive down west. (Not sure the trailer did the boat so much good this time, hence the repair......)

 

[Pasarell]

PreKote has perfectly adequate water proofing properties but is is not sufficiently UV resistant. Pigments are not designed for air exposure and will degrade and change colour. The resin will also degrade and become friable. Overcoat with a suitable topcoat and you remove these problems in the future

 

[MADRIGAL]

Here is the International product I was referring to that comes in 250ml tins. It is Brightside Polyurethane, not Toplac, but I have used it over PreKote and it still looks great three years later:

Brightside Boottop & Striping Enamel
Finishes
Premium Single Part Polyurethane
PRODUCT DESCRIPTION
A high quality polyurethane finish that is in a convenient size to paint boottops and accent stripes. Brightside Boottop & Striping Enamel contains a fluoro microadditve which makes it easier to clean and better able to resist waterline staining. The fluoro microadditive also increases the abrasion resistance of...