Painting fiberglass dinghy?

[Rufuschucklebutty]

I was given a tatty 8 - 1/2 foot GRP dinghy that has no value , I want to refurb it at no cost , using paint i already have , what common single part paints and primers will work well enough on GRP for a no frills finish ?

What grade abrasive is GRP prepped to before priming ?

 

[Concerto]

You could use marine paints, but any domestic primer and gloss will work fine for a dinghy of no real value. Sand the hull smooth for a good key using 180 grit paper.

I knew someone who used Dulux on their wooden Mirror and it worked almost as good as a marine paint.

 

[oldharry]

Trade Dulux Weathershield is as good as most marine paint for non critical use. Not the watered down DIY store stuff. Used it successfully many times on older boats and found it lasts as long or longer. Most trade paint is good, as good Decoraters who want to maintain their trade won't buy rubbish

 

[Lightwave395]

+1 for weathershield, although it would probably cost more than your dinghy is worth !

 

[B27]

The problem is, small scratches which are barely noticeable on gel coat are very noticeable on painted gelcoat.
More so if the paint is a contrast to the underlying gel coat.

I've had reasonable results with normal oil-based Dulux polyurethane gloss.

I personally seem to struggle to get a good finish using water based glosses. I did a rudder blade with Leyland water based recently, but I wasn't too fussy about the brush marks because I wet sanded it and polished it afterwards.

I used Aldi rattle-can acryllic paint on my Laser centreboard, that worked OK and seems surprisingly tough.

Dry sanding using something like 200 to 400 grit paper seems to work for me as final prep.


However, I would consider buying a pot of flow coat and filling the grp, then wet sanding the dinghy.

8 to 10 foot tenders in useable nick are very valuable when you're looking for a tender, people will want it at the start of a season when they've just been allocated a mooring.

 

[wombat88]

What have you already got on the shelf in your garage? Joking apart, paint etc is expensive and the dinghy wasn't.

(We had a magnolia dinghy for some years, no one nicked it!)

 

[Refueler]

Problem with many paints - is that after a while they start to crack and peel ... we've all seen those dinghys left in the corner with what looks like onion skin ...
Personally I would use a reasonably priced two pack epoxy based ... or decent enamel ....

Dulx and similar is OK - as long as you are willing to look after it ...

 

[doug748]

I have a similar proposition and think I have decided to overcoat the thing with gelcoat.......not that I have any experience of this, just saying.

As B27 has said, rigid tenders often have more value than imagined, so it could get your money back in the long run

.

 

[geem]

I have a similar proposition and think I have decided to overcoat the thing with gelcoat.......not that I have any experience of this, just saying.

As B27 has said, rigid tenders often have more value than imagined, so it could get your money back in the long run

.

Yep, our grp dinghy has had several coats of good quality two pack marine paint over the last few years. It's get used hard. Bashed on concrete docks regularly and dragged up rocky beaches. When I get home next year I will sand off all the paint and gelcoat it. It should take the knocks better and be less maintenance

 

[fisherman]

I would not bother until I was selling it. I was told at CFS to use Toplac, not tried yet. Someone else said Awlgrip

 

[geem]

I would not bother until I was selling it. I was told at CFS to use Toplac, not tried yet. Someone else said Awlgrip

Our dinghy is painted with Awlgrip. The hull of our yacht is sprayed with awlgrip. Its very expensive paint but stands up to UV extremely well. For a dinghy, that will take a lot of knocks, I would just use 2 pack acrylic from a car spray shop rather than expensize marine paint.

 

[Gsailor]

I was given a tatty 8 - 1/2 foot GRP dinghy that has no value , I want to refurb it at no cost , using paint i already have , what common single part paints and primers will work well enough on GRP for a no frills finish ?

What grade abrasive is GRP prepped to before priming ?

You have answered your own question perhaps?

Use whatever paint you have (even if you have no primer).

A sandpaper of grit that will not show through a single coat of whatever paint you have should suffice - that is even a really fine sandpaper may suffice.

Do post pics if possible.

 

[saxonpirate]

If its a tatty old dinghy that you've been given.. just a bit of TLC and a lick of any paint will make it smile..

 

[B27]

If its a tatty old dinghy that you've been given.. just a bit of TLC and a lick of any paint will make it smile..

If there's scratches right through the gel coat, they need filling.
Likewise big chips etc.
Might as well fill with gel caot/ topcoat/ flowcoat, it's the right stuff and it's quite cheap.

The scratches, staining, fading 'chalking' etc of the gelcoat that doesn't go right through can mostly be greatly improved with a few sheets of W&D paper.
Start with about 120 grit and keep going finer until you find something better to do. Finish with Farecla and wax if you like.

Painting GRP only really needs to happen when you've got no gelcoat left or blatant repairs which don't match at all.

Masonry paint can be quite good non-slip for the inside though. And the inside of a small dinghy is often seen more than the topsides.

 

[Medway Matt]

I would not bother until I was selling it. I was told at CFS to use Toplac, not tried yet. Someone else said Awlgrip

Agreed. We deliberately keep our hard tender looking scruffy as a theft deterrent.

 

[saxonpirate]

I was given a tatty 8 - 1/2 foot GRP dinghy that has no value , I want to refurb it at no cost , using paint i already have , what common single part paints and primers will work well enough on GRP for a no frills finish ?

What grade abrasive is GRP prepped to before priming ?

If its a tatty old dinghy that you've been given.. just a bit of TLC and a lick of any paint will make it smile..

If there's scratches right through the gel coat, they need filling.
Likewise big chips etc.
Might as well fill with gel caot/ topcoat/ flowcoat, it's the right stuff and it's quite cheap.

The scratches, staining, fading 'chalking' etc of the gelcoat that doesn't go right through can mostly be greatly improved with a few sheets of W&D paper.
Start with about 120 grit and keep going finer until you find something better to do. Finish with Farecla and wax if you like.

Painting GRP only really needs to happen when you've got no gelcoat left or blatant repairs which don't match at all.

Masonry paint can be quite good non-slip for the inside though. And the inside of a small dinghy is often seen more than the topsides.

B27.. I was responding in kind to the OP Rufuschucklebutty's post where.. unless I'm seriously mistaken.. he wasn't aiming for the best dinghy in the park award..