Hull Repainting

[Aaron]

I am repainting my hull this winter. I was planing on going all the way to the fiberglass, but as I started sanding I noticed that there was what appeared to be a primer coat. This is a sort of burnt orange color. It still seems to be in good shape. I am doing a complete restore on this boat, so I want to do a really good job. My question is, is it really necessary to sand down to the fiberglass? I am thinking I should just take it down to the primer and paint on that. Any thoughts are appreciated.Aaron

 

[Richard Gresham]

What is it?

What's the year make and model of you boat? It could be a barrier coat in that case you don't have to go any further....

 

[Aaron]

more info

Sorry everybody...I guess I should have been a bit more specific. It is a 1971 '22. Needs lots of restoration. But hey that's what this winter is for.

 

[LaDonna Bubak - Catalina Owners]

Is the gelcoat that bad?

I'm just curious why you want to remove the gelcoat completely. Seems to me, the old gelcoat would act as the perfect barrier for the fiberglass. I would seriously reconsider going all the way down - if you paint directly over fiberglass, any nicks in the paint would allow water to penetrate the frp. Then all your work would just be creating more problems. So why do you want to remove it? Are there lots of crazing cracks? If so, you're right to not want to paint over them cuz they'll just pop right through. But a better option is to grind out the cracks with a Dremel, fill them with putty (polyest above waterline, epoxy below), sand it fair & THEN paint.LaDonna

 

[dave schilling]

Ladonna is correct! If the gelcoat is cracked, repair it DO NOT remove it. Removal will cause you serious problems later.

 

[Aaron]

Once again - More info

I Should clarify how the boat is right now. It has some terrible cracks and fading of the paint. As I have been looking into this (I called Catalina Direct) it seems that this is most probably an inproper home re-painting. Not the actual gelcoat. The only layer of paint that I had to look at was this top one. And it is one of the worst looking bit of painting I have seen. My thoughts as far as taking everything off to the fiberglass was that given how the top layer was rubbing off, I should start from the ground floor so to speak and give the boat a finish that will look good and last for a long time. Catalina Direct seems to think that this burt orange "primer coat" is actually the original gelcoat. As it stands now I think that I am better off to just remove the top layer of paint and paint onto the original gelcoat.