Painting tired GRP

[ponapay]

Any advice would be welcome as to what is the best paint or method to use to cover the very tired, scratched and marked white GRP on my 35 year old much used Nicholson.

I would be quite happy to take the boat almost anywhere in UK, but preferably in the North, if reccommendations are that work be done professionally.

I have seen a number of sparkling 'new' paint jobs on similar boats. Is a good DIY task or does it require environmental control to get the best result? It would be for the hull and topsides, which are now polished, in some spots, through to the sub-strata.

 

[steve28]

Its not a recomendation as such, but i had my boat sprayed with awlgrip in the middle of a field (tented but not heated) in march. The result was and still is fabulous. People are always commenting on the finish saying how good it looks now its been polished, in actual fact its lucky to see a wipe over with a damp cloth once a year.
I have to say the preparation was worth the trouble and hours of prep, priming then flatting back is the key to the finish.

since then (1999) my friend has also painted his using the same paint but rollering and then foam brushing, his result is identical although its blue.

steve

 

[yoda]

Having seen the results and price for re-gelcoating I would recommend it. A chap by the name of Spencer Fleet is I believe the guy who does it but another forumite JOHN_MORRIS_UK, can probably give you more details.

Yoda

 

[Stemar]

IMHO, a DIY job is likely to be inferior to a professional one in apperance for a couple of years (and from less than 20m away).

Five years down the line the DIY will look better because the pro job will have 5 years of UV damage and dings, but you could afford to redo the amateur job, so it'll look loads better.

The secret, as the estate agents almost say, is preparation, preparation, preparation. Then roll it on and tip it off with a jenny brush. If you get runs or insects sticking to it, ignore them until it's thoroughly dry. Most of the insects will brush off and leave no significant trace. Any that do, plus any runs can be sanded (wet & dry 240 grade then progressively to 1000 grade, used wet) then polish.

Just accept the fact that you will know - and therefore see - every imperfection. No one else will and the pro job will have just as many imperfections, but you can't see them nearly as much as your own

 

[sailorman]

if you intend to spray in "White" suggest you choose very carefully as an older boat that is "whiter than white" looks totally wrong imho. /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif
just look around @ other white boats & u will see many shades of white.
when my boat was done after much concideration we chose "Awlgrip" Off-white, it is a great paint & colour still as painted 5 1/2 years ago by Foxs in Ipswich. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif
you can do no better then Awlgrip imvho

 

[kandoma]

I agree with Stenmar in his replay. I have painted my own boat several times during the last 25 years. Its not too much work, the imperfections by roller and brush go away during the first year.
If you can not afford awlgrip, you can use international 2 part. But only if its offwhite. I have painted the inside of my dinghy with offwhite international and it was good for many many years. The red intenational on the outside was fading after one year. I have changed over for red awlgrip and it is now in the 8. year, the same as the mothership. But now it is starting to fade again at the exposed places. The last time, I paid around € 200 for one kilo. I needed two kilo plus reducer for my 30 ft and the dinghy and still had some left.

It takes several weeks for the paint to fully cure. So be carefull with your fenders.

Peter

 

[Avocet]

re-gel coating???? Could somebody tell me more please? I could be in the market for some of that!!!!

 

[H4B]

If you earn lots, pay some one to do it.
If not then it can be DIY, but, and I speak from recent experience, it can be stressfull . I rollered on( ANZA rollers for 2 Pack) and layed off with jenny brushes. I found it very difficult to eliminate application marks (tramlines). I am not entirely happy with finish but it looks better than it did. Very shinny and good from a few meters but up close not so good. I learned alot doing the job , the cock pit of a Fulmar ,specially about planning the job. Do not attempt to do too much at one time , painting fatigue sets in and you cant afford to be slap dash with 2 pot paints.

Good luck.

 

[Evadne]

I too have always painted my own topsides. I use 1-pot, "Toplac" and find it lasts for about 5 years before another coat is needed. This is usually because of staining, so annual cleaning and polishing may prolong this. Being on a swinging mooring I don't need to worry what she looks like from 15m away, as anybody that close is worrying about other things, such as avoiding action. (Our rubbing strake is the same height as most marina pontoons, so we don't have to worry about looks when we go on holiday either).