gelcoat or painting the hull

[Randy Corbin]

I have a 83 O'day 25 with some bad scratches in the hull, where the previous owner had let it rub against a concrete dock. The hull is badly faded. Is gelcoat the only way to repair this or can the scratches be filled with a filler and the hull be repainted. these scratches are through the gelcoat and in to the fiberglass. If filler and painting is the way, what filler and paint do I need to use? Thanks for any help.

 

[david lewis]

Filler and Painting

The best way to do this is to have your hull awlgripped or imroned but these are professionally applied materials and I doubt your boat is worth the investment. West Epoxy with additives is your best bet for a filler. You could try painting it but the prep work will be extensive. You'll have to sand the entire hull first then scrub it with solvent to remove sanding residue, then paint it.Happy painting.dave

 

[Don Evans]

Depends On What You Are Going To Do

If your going to paint anyways, I would just use epoxy filler. If you are going to try to bring back the shine, by using cleaning products (like Island Girl or similar), and waxes I would build it up using polyester resin, and finish with a colour matched gelcoat. You can put epoxy over polyester resin but not the other way around. If it was me, I would try using a gelcoat restorer products, and there are many, but the Island Girl products, discussed here in the gelcoat forum is getting rave reviews. Incidentally, you could post the question there and get other (better) opinions. I consider hull painting the last straw, as its a big project, with bigger costs and more can go wrong if your not up to it. Interlux makes a good paint product and has a lot of good information for the DIY'r.Don

 

[SeaShantyMan]

re- filler and painting

"I doubt your boat is worth it"... what an arrogant presumptious statement! David, any boat's value, old or new, large or small, is totally in the eyes of the owner. Have you ever read "Good Old Boat"?? You might try it, there's a lot of people spending lots of money bringing old (or older) boats back to new condition... and doing something yourself has it's own rewards, even painting, which is not that big a deal unless you're a total couch potato, or don't like to get your fingernails dirty. Just my opinion David, but your response offered absolutely nothing of value to this man's question.

 

[david lewis]

SeaShantyMan

You misinterpret my comment. The market value of an older 25 or 26 in banged up condition is probably between 3000 dollars and 6000 dollars. I question the value of a 3500 to 4000 dollar awlgrip or imron job for a boat of that vintage and value. I had a Catalina 25 for 10 years and did all the work on it myself. My current boat I do the same and I just finished building a boat so I know a little about dirt under my finger nails, thank you. I merely suggest a less expensive option is probably a better decision in this case (like a patch job and maybe topsides paint). I'm sure the owner loves his/her vessel as much as anyone.Best Regards,Dave