Spraying Gel Coat

[driver510]

Has Anyone Tried Spraying gel coat on a hull before with a normal spray gun with large nozzle thinking of spraying my phantom. So Any Advice would help!

[OCRDA]

Use 2k car paint !!

[fullbore]

Originally Posted by OCRDA

Use 2k car paint !!

I did 2yrs ago,still on and i dont have to polish.

[simon]

I agree 2k car paint has a lot of advantages but then gel coat is better for durability. What is the crack with refinishing with gel coat? Is it practical and how would it be done?

[sterling]

It can be done ,you need to use a spraygun with the paint can on top,and use a needle and nozzle 2,5 mm or 2,7 mm ,this will allow the gelcoat to come out easy ,maybe you need to thin the gelcoat a little with styrene.
don,t expect the finish like 2K paint ,not going to happen,the finish is like an orange ,but after sanding (wet sanding ) back to P 1600 ,you can start polishing and have a nice durable surface .
For repair its perfect ,for a whole boat .........mm after a few hours sanding and polishing ,most are going to sand all the gelcoat off,and start exentrical with P 240 and use 2k because they can,t take it any longer (including me )

[Pat]

Does 2k paint keep the water out of the fibreglass like gelcoat does? I've a mate who is a car sprayer, he'd do my boat for the price of the paint and a couple of pints - but there are a few areas where the gelcoat has been nicked. Should I just fill them with Chemical Metal gelcoat filler, then a skim of isopon, then sand and hand it over to him?

[lloyde]

Originally Posted by simon

gel coat is better for durability. What is the crack with refinishing with gel coat?

paint is thin and can be scratched off where as gel should be .5 mm as a rule and you should be able to remove any scratches, marks and wet and dry then polish them out to the original look.

[sterling]

Originally Posted by Pat

Does 2k paint keep the water out of the fibreglass like gelcoat does? I've a mate who is a car sprayer, he'd do my boat for the price of the paint and a couple of pints - but there are a few areas where the gelcoat has been nicked. Should I just fill them with Chemical Metal gelcoat filler, then a skim of isopon, then sand and hand it over to him?

2k paint is not a waterresist barrier to keep water out of the fiberglass,but it depent on how long the boat ,or better the spot you want to repair sits under water.
if its under the waterline ,it will hold the water out for a couple of weeks or little more ,but eventually paint will show little bumps full of water .
if the repair is above the waterline ,there is no problem to repair with filler /bondo /polyesther putty 2k.

[larby]

I'm quite interested in this too as i was looking to sand back and re-gel the revenger over the winter.
Is this just a ridiculous task to perform? She's gonna have to be antifouled and stay in a marina, although i will be getting her out at least every 2 weeks for a good clean of drive etc.
I'm nervous of 2k as i've seen a lot of boats with little bubbles cropping up under the paint and scratches in the topsides, this led me to believe the best way would be to re-do the gel. My only other issue is all of the stress cracks she's got, which is the main reason i want to re-finish her. Would these stay out ok with new gel? Would they be more or less likely to return with 2k?
I just want her to look as clean and fresh as possible next year, but for it to be durable, what should i do?

Cheers, James

[Peterjfinch]

I used this http://www.awlgrip.com/Pages/home.aspx on Patriot and I can honestly say, the finish is as good as 2k (I used to paint cars) and nearly as strong as gell. But, it won't stain or dull with chemicals etc. Great paint, although expensive. I wanted to do this once and not have to keep touching in and this has worked for me.

Pete

[Hydrostream]

You can spray gel with a normal gun but it's going to be tedious at best! Get yourself a gelcoat gun if you want to tackle any sizable job! Also a good compressor 200L min and a good DA sander.

Shoot strait thinned gel for 3-4 coats, another 2 extra on corners and edges (extra meat to sand off as these areas will get hit hardest) then last coat waxed.

Start with 240 grit paper and finish at 1200 or 1500 on white, darker colours will need going to 2000 grit to get best result.

Cracks will need to be addressed before finish coats are applied, gel or paint.

It's a big job and on a boat that's going to get knocked about a bit, I'd take the advise and go paint, hell of a lot less hassle! Easy to repair!

Awlgrip is hard to beat! Perfection isn't too bad either!

[larby]

What about epoxy paints, such as the sigma coatings? I've always felt these are flexible, tough, waterproof and quite thick, though i've never painted a boat with them. Anyone else got experiance with them on boats?

Cheers, James

[Pat]

Originally Posted by sterling

2k paint is not a waterresist barrier to keep water out of the fiberglass,but it depent on how long the boat ,or better the spot you want to repair sits under water.
if its under the waterline ,it will hold the water out for a couple of weeks or little more ,but eventually paint will show little bumps full of water .
if the repair is above the waterline ,there is no problem to repair with filler /bondo /polyesther putty 2k.

Great Sterling, thanks. My boat lives in the driveway and is rarely in the water for more than a week at a time. I'll have to look into the Awlgrip as well, friend is a sprayer and will do it for the cost of the paint.

[Hydrostream]

Originally Posted by larby

What about epoxy paints, such as the sigma coatings? I've always felt these are flexible, tough, waterproof and quite thick, though i've never painted a boat with them. Anyone else got experiance with them on boats?

Cheers, James

Sigma is a shit finish, we painted a steel yacht with it 2 years ago and it looks shit! Doesn't flat out and god help you if you have to sand it! I painted my trailer with it and it's held up great though! Great paint on steel, not good finish = trawler paint!

Stick to two pack polyurethane, Awlgrip, Perfection, Imron, etc.

[sterling]

Eppxy is a good barrier ,and great for underwater ,and will not let water thru ,but you can,t use an epoxy as a top layer ,because it will not hold its color ,for example white turns out to be yellow after exposed to uv and infra red ( sunlight) after some time .
if covered by a urethane/polyurethane or an acrylic paint its ok for above the waterline ,but if used under water the top layers will let water thru,but not further than the epoxy paint .

[larby]

Cool, knew there'd be a reason for it not being the perfect solution! Looks like i'll be painting with 2 pack then!

Cheers, James

[Pain]

We spray Gecoat^!
Look,

[Pain]

sorry

[larby]

Did you rub off all the original gel coat, or just spray over the top of it?

James

[Pain]

1. Cleaning orginal Gelcoat with aceton
2. Sanding
3.Cleaning with aceton and styrol
4.Spraing Gelcoat to 1000my.
5.Sanding to 4000
6. Polishing
Sorry for the bad english.
Rrgards,
Kai