Instalation of Clearcoat

[Denis Carriere]

Had my 1976 Cat 30 re gelcoated. Will be applying two coats of Clearcoat.Does anybody have Pros & Cons. Thanks

 

[Ron]

Can only give you my experience

I had my hull painted blue about seven years ago. The yard thought it would be a great idea to apply two coats of clearcoat as the final layer. Looked great for about four years then sun started to take it's toll. Started peeling like snake skin. The result was that was last year I had to have the whole boat repainted, even though the blue paint looked great. Obviously, when I repainted I did not even consider using clearcoat. I am in Texas where there is a lot of heat but I would not use clearcoat on a fiberglass boat under any circumstances. That's my story.

 

[Brian]

Gel coat or Paint, not both

Don't bother, your done for now. For the most part clear coat, urethane, is for use over paint, as in basecoat/clearcoat. Gel coat can, and should, stand alone. The horror stories are because the prep system required for the clear is not transparent. A proper clear over paint job can outlast Gel coat but with new gel coat forget about it.