Thoughts on painting GRP boats

[CPD]

I am sure I have read a post on here that suggested that once you start painting a GRP boat, then it becomes a regular job to maintain the appearance. Is this because especially in high wear areas, the piant wears away and loses it's appearance, or am I missing something ?. Does the same argument (if it exists) apply for the hull (rubbing fenders etc)as well as the topsides, or have I got the whole thing wrong ?

 

[Leighb]

I think it depends entirely on how it is done. My boat had a professional respray done at Foxes over 10 years ago by the previous owner, still looks great, apart from some scuffing where we had a close encounter with a pontoon last year /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif

 

[Keith 66]

A lot of people think painting a grp boat is wrong or devalues it in some way. Often a tired looking or faded GRP boat can be bought back with a cut back & polish, the trouble is after a few times the gelcoat will get thin. Once the glass starts grinning through the gelcoat through over polishing or wear you really have little choice.
If you use two pack its expensive one pot its cheap. But then polishing & waxing once a year is the same time as sanding down & slapping on a coat of Dulux. It all depends on if the boat warrants the expense. For example our Sabre 27 is getting new windows etc, if i leave the tired old gel alone she will still look old, give her a real birthday and her value will reflect what we are spending on her.

 

[nimbusgb]

My personal take on this based on refinishing several aircraft from gel coat to paint is as follows.

Paint has moved on a long way in the past 20 or 30 years. Two pack paints are superb. Automotive finishes are nothing short of incredible. Even cars that live outside 365 days a year in UK conditions can be made to look stunning with very little effort. Paint can be matched and patched more easily than gelcoat.

The sailplane industry is moving away from gel finishes that deteriorate so badly with age, UV and stresses and adopting polyeurethane and other paints. These results in immaculate finishes. Given the option I'd order a new boat in epoxy layup with NO gelcoat but a 2k or similar 2 pack paint.

That having been said the real key is in the application. Paint spraying is a skilled task and even I would have to admit that you need a shed or very good tent and an expert spraygun driver. Temperatures, preparation, solvents, paint viscosity, airgun selection and a host of other variables make it a difficult task.

The results can be spectacular however.

 

[Squeaky]

Good afternoon:

Other people put me off painting my yacht for twelve years before I finally decided to do it myself. Over all it took 18 days preparing and one day to put on 5 coats plus another day to do the water line.

That was in 1994 and it still looks good but I have having it repainted professional this summer including the coach roof and cock pit which were not done last time. I got a great quote from a local company to do it during their "slow" time in the late spring.

My view is that you should have it painted if you think it needs it and if you can afford it - don't worry about what others say.

Cheers

Squeaky

 

[vyv_cox]

In Greece at the start of last season we were in a yard at Preveza. The owner and his wife from a boat nearby, a 42 footer, were re-gelcoating about half of the hull on each side to repair fender and berthing damage. They had ground the old gelcoat back and were applying new gelcoat by roller. They then sanded it back to flat, which was not a great deal of work, then progressively sanded with wet and dry, then polished.

They were painting some parts, e.g the cockpit and some of the coachroof, with two-pack paint. They told me that they were finding the gelcoat far easier to work with than the paint. If a mistake or blemish was made with gelcoat it was easy to grind it back and repair, whereas it was not anything like as easy with paint. The time involved was nearly the same.

I saw the finished job, which looked superb and virtually indistinguishable from a new boat.

 

[noname]

I repainted our last boat with International Brightside a single pack paint,my reason for the single pack being that if conditions changed two pack is expensive and you have lost approx £100.
With single pack paint you just put the lid on!
The results were equal to the finish i used to obtain with spray equipment when i worked in the auto refinishing industry.
Like most good results follow the manufacturers instructions,they provide a very helpful booklet.
Take time with your preparation this is what gives you a good finish,i only applied one topcoat intending to apply another at a later stage due to time constraints.
I sold the boat last year and the surveyor remarked on the condition of the "gel coat" enough said?
That was after 4 years on a swinging mooring etc.
If you would like any advice i am happy to discuss.

 

[William_H]

I repainted my 25 yo boat with 2 pack urethane many years ago. I repaint every few years. I always brush it on as I understand fumes from spraying can deadly.
My problem is that there are always scratches from dinghy, jetties or other boats on the topsides and the deck tens to be damaged or worn. It is nice to not pain too much about scratches or filling old holes from new fittings. It doesn't look brilliant up close but always looks good from a distance. I find it a joy to slap on some new paint s you would on a wooden boat.
The down side is that deck non skid pattern becomes filled with paint and you have to start adding non skid granules to avoid a slippery surface.So don't start painting until you have exhausted all the cleaning and polishing options for the original gel coat. olewill

 

[Tranona]

It does depend on the boat. an older low value boat does not justify a professional job. Hand applied 2 packs can be difficult to apply successfully. However single pack such as Toplac are easy to apply. They give an excellent finish, certainly better than a tired faded patchy gel coat and are durable. I coated my sheathed Ply hull with dark blue Toplac when it first came out over 10 years ago. Put in a lot of effort in preparation, but painting is only 1 hour a coat. Easy to touch up as even my colour does not seem to fade. Have only recoated once since then.

 

[Lakesailor]

I've tried to find my original post, but This One is the only one that comes up. Scroll down to the piccies.

One pack, use a foam mini roller, thin up to 10% depending on temperature. Do not feather-off with a brush as the manufacturers suggest, just run the almost empty roller lightly over the paint film before recharging the roller.