Repaint

[Soundings]

I need to do some work one the boat this year, one or two digs and few star crazes need attention. Colour matching of the gel is probabluy out and I am leaning toward a general repaint. Repainting always seems to be seen as something of a poor answer to the problem with re-gelling bing promoted as the best way (but at what cost I wonder). Anyway, does anyone have any particular views, mine is a 1980s boat that is in pretty good nick but is now in need of a "mid-life" tidy up. Would/could not a "proper" paint job suffice and make the boat look fresh and good?

[C.Ricko]

how often are you in a rowing boat looking at the hull in detail? because If the gel is good every where else then why repaint.. superstructures are seen all the time by everyone, hulls are not.

also, if it is white then the chances are it is a Scott Badder colour and should be ok.

[Soundings]

It is the superstructure, Clive, and it is a light/pale green. Actually it may have already been repainted once but to a very high standard (spray even). The hull just needs a good clean and will look fine, although the addition of some stainless steel corners to the stern would help protect the corners (if you see what I mean).

[MBA Marine]

It is the superstructure, Clive, and it is a light/pale green. Actually it may have already been repainted once but to a very high standard (spray even). The hull just needs a good clean and will look fine, although the addition of some stainless steel corners to the stern would help protect the corners (if you see what I mean).

If you do paint it then pay a little more and use 2-pac it will last much longer and dont be in a rush to get the paint on as its the prep that matters. Also shop around for your paint (or ask someone in the trade to get it for you) will cost you double from the wrong places.

[Guest]

If it has already been painted, don't use two pack unless you're certain the original is not conventional (single pack) paint.

If it is, then two pack is quite likely to partially craze it, then set rock hard.

I've seen the consequences on a friend's boat a few years ago. He had to physically abrade every bit of it off, then use two pack again, over the bare gelcoat. It took him months to rectify the problem.

If you're unsure, it's best to do a small trial area first, and wait for it to cure, just to be safe.

[MBA Marine]

If it has already been painted, don't use two pack unless you're certain the original is not conventional (single pack) paint.

If it is, then two pack is quite likely to partially craze it, then set rock hard.

I've seen the consequences on a friend's boat a few years ago. He had to physically abrade every bit of it off, then use two pack again, over the bare gelcoat. It took him months to rectify the problem.

If you're unsure, it's best to do a small trial area first, and wait for it to cure, just to be safe.

Very, very good piont.

Use a paint stripper first and take it right if its gonna be a thourough job. otherwise yes definatly a small test or single pack but it wont have the lifespan

[teadaemon]

Given the cost of even a DIY paint job if you want to do it properly, if the boat is in original gelcoat then getting the damage repaired by a professional (who should be able to colour match any colour), followed by a compound and polish is probably the most cost effective way forward.

If the boat has already been painted (and you don't know for certain what paint was used) then all of the previous paint will need to be removed as part of the prep work (it might be possible to find some sort of primer that provides a barrier layer, but given the possibility of future damage and touch ups, that could be storing up a whole load of problems). This would have the advantage that you could choose whatever colour you liked.

I was a little dubious about full gelcoat replacement, as it's basically painting the boat with a thick (by paint standards) layer of polyester resin (which does not bond chemically with the cured GRP underneath, unlike the original gelcoat). Having said that, yesterday Jason at Ludham Bridge showed me a boat where his team had done a full gelcoat replacement on the superstructure and the results were very impressive indeed - perfect, shiny gelcoat that looked like it had just come out of the mould. It's an expensive option, but then so is a full repaint.