Paint or Gel coat

[Jofly]

I just got a new boat and the gel coat is cracked all around the edge. I have been searching the net for the right way to fix it and its 50/50. Paint or gel coat. My plan is to sand the spiderweb of cracks in the gel coat out, fixing dings and dents and filling old screw holes with filler. Then prime with a heavy sandable primer and paint with a 1 part like toplac from interlux. I just plan on doing the top cap and a stripe on the side just below the cap for now. Well i probably wont do anything till this winter or next spring. Is this the right thing to do, or sand the cracks out and regel coat? What are your thoughts????? emoScratch

 

[NRG]

This is not an easy fix in any case.. Gel Coat can redone .. it is not cheap to have a boat resprayed your looking at prob depending on who and where done 1500 - 2500 to respray a top cap with gel coat, not a DIY job unless you have some experience and like sanding alot.

Paint is not cheap either but is easier to DIY than gel coat, again with proper equipment, and proper protection of your lungs and skin on both ..

Ive painted my boat and many others .. I use Epoxy Primer, base / clear .. clean the boat very good, first with pressure washer at a car wash, then when that dries, use degreaser, wash that off, then wipe down with wax and grease remover from a body shop supply store or from Oriely's a couple of the stores one in soddy and one down in Rossville sell Auto paint and supply will custom mix etc.

Then sand with a DA palm sander, sand smooth with 80 grit, used marine tex to fill small holes bigger holes over and 1/2 inch use fiberglass.. any spider cracks the sanding didnt get you can fill with body filler, sand all smooth again with 80 grit.. prime with epoxy primer, and paint base / clear

Its a big job in either case .. lots of man hours , but done right will last 15 yrs .. I can help you with what to buy .. just too much to type on here .. I even have enuff epoxy primer to do your boat Id sell ya for a small fee and body putty and other supplies I have left over from my shop at a much cheaper price than you can can get at a body supply shop

 

[Jofly]

Thanks, I may take you up on the supplies. So how far down do I sand? I can look at the cracks and the go deep. Should i do an inital sand and then gouge the remaining cracks out and fill with a filler? Or if some cracks are left behind will they be alright. I dont mind doing all the sanding and work myself, I rather enjoy it. I am definetly leaning toward paint though. Thanks NRG!

 

[NRG]

Jofly - 4/8/2010 7:59 PM

Thanks, I may take you up on the supplies. So how far down do I sand? I can look at the cracks and the go deep. Should i do an inital sand and then gouge the remaining cracks out and fill with a filler? Or if some cracks are left behind will they be alright. I dont mind doing all the sanding and work myself, I rather enjoy it. I am definetly leaning toward paint though. Thanks NRG!

The cracks most likely are just in the gelcoat.. you can sand all the way down to the glass to remove the deep cracks.. you will just need to feather out the places you sand to blend them into the rest of the gelcoat .. you can also skim coat with filler, and then block sand with a auto body foam sand blocks the boat to blend all in.

Just make sure the cracks are just from years of baking in the sun just gel coat damage .. and not the underlying fiberglass that has cracks.. other wise the cracks will spread and come back over time .. if you sand down to the glass and the glass is not cracked then you are ok .. you dont need to sand the whole boat down to glass just the crack areas.

If your near me you can bring the boat by my house and I will tell you step by step what you need to do to proceed .. take lots of notes lol .. or bring a voice recorder I live in Soddy Daisy.

 

[Jofly]

I live in Ringgold, when I ready I'll look you up and drop by with a thick note pad. Like i said i probably wont do anything till winter or early spring. Maybe strip it down and gut it this winter and do most of the sanding and prep work then when it warms up paint it. Thanks again for your advice!!