Which paint

[Laysula]

I want to paint the steering pedestal on Laysula. It's a glass fibre one from Solimar and the gel coat is starting to look very thin and shabby.. Question is, which paint shall I use? One pack, two pack, International, Hempel or another manufacturer.? Ideally I would dismantle it and take it home to do in the workshop but it's not really practical so it's going to have to be done in situ. I intend to brush paint it and I am not the most skilled of painters so any tips on which paint and painting will be most gratefully received.
Steve

 

[Tranona]

Plenty of information on the International and Hempel sites on how to use their products. Personally for a small one off job in situ, I would use Toplac. Challenges you will have are forst preparing the GRP - flatting down and degreasing then getting an even finish over such a relatively fiddly item. In my experience Toplac is easy to apply by the less than perfect paintbrush holder.

 

[pvb]

Preparation is the key - strip everything off it, sand, prime, take every precaution. However, as a wild card suggestion, why not spray it with automotive aerosol paint? The purists will scoff, but it could give you a decent result.

 

[Refueler]

Preparation is the key - strip everything off it, sand, prime, take every precaution. However, as a wild card suggestion, why not spray it with automotive aerosol paint? The purists will scoff, but it could give you a decent result.

Yep ... I second that ....

Only thing - I suggest avoid the Enamel version spray cans ... the paint tends to run if not done in very light coats .. I mean extremely light coats ..... needing lots of coats to get a full body finish. Ask me how I know .... I use Auto cans for finishing models ... example :

If you do want to go Brush ..... then International do a two pack paint designed for brush and actually advise in the instructions not to use spray gear. I painted my Alacrity with it ...... no brush marks at all ...

 

[Daydream believer]

Just do not do what one of our club members did on the deck of his boat when he decided it needed painting
He used the left over blue erodable antifoul paint
He did not sail the boat as he got fed up doing the jobs it needed to get it ready, so another member bought it not realising what had been done.
Took him ages to get it off when he took the kids for the first sail

 

[Stemar]

Fill any dings with car body filler. No, it isn't as good as gelcoat filler, for one thing, it's the wrong colour, but it'll do the job just fine, and doesn't carry a marine price tag. Then it's preparation preparation, preparation. Then more preparation. I'd then give a coat of High build primer and a final rubdown.

For the finish, I'd be inclined to use something like this: Rust-Oleum Painter's touch White Satin Multi-surface Decorative spray paint, 400ml | DIY at B&Q. The trick is to apply several light coats, only building up to a good finish on the final one.

A satin finish is more forgiving of inexpert application than gloss, and how glossy is your boat anyway? On mine, the satin matches much better than gloss!

 

[Laysula]

Thank you.