paint or gelcoat

[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.

 

[Jim Willis]

Gelcoat is cheaper if you can use it

The anwer depends upon the color, whether fading is just chalk or pigment fading, how much gelcoatis left on the hull etc. You may find some of this from the depth of the scratches.If you can, restore the gelcoat using our products and/or conventrional compounding to unveil true color and condition of the gelcoat.Then do (or get done) a color-matched repair This can be done cheaply By constrast, repairs, weet sanding and a full LPU professional recoating could be $5-8000 dollars.If the whole hull had to be done, gecloat could still be a lot cheaper and a finish coat of clear LPU (like some new Hunter boats) would be would give similar results and cheaper.Try alternative # 1 first. If you could e-mial me with description, color, and (ideally) photos) this would be better.Can reach at Islandgirl-info@hawaii.rr.com What do you other guyes think?RegardsJim WillisPS our company e-newlsletter has a full artilce on gelcoat repair. we can e-mail this to you or it will be here on this forum as a permanent posting within a week or so.Ev

 

[R.W. Landau]

how deep?

Randy,The first question is how deep into the lay-up is the scratch? The lay-up is structural. You will need to do some more difficult patching.If it is minor, patch with epoxy materials, you will find many in the major stores. The interlux brightsides one part paint is easy painting and has looked good for three years so far. A two part maybe stronger. If you do it the whole deal would be less than $500. I painted a 23' for less than $250. I used a hvlp sprayer (you can buy something like it for $150) for the topsides and rolled the deck. It was less than three gallons.r.w.landau

 

[Justin - O'day Owners' Web]

Scratches

Randy -As RW suggests, check out the laminate. Is the lay up really scarred, or just revealed? If its really gouged deeply I might want to reinforce it, depending on its location.Then its up to you. You can do color matched gel coat repairs without too much trauma, but single part LPU paint isn't all that expensive. If you did the prep and paint, then RW's estimate is about what I came up with when I thought about painting my boat, if you were planning to have it done then Jim's about right. It all depends on how much work you're willing to do.Justin - O'day Owners' Web

 

[Chris M]

How did it go?

I'm facing the same dilemma on my boat: paint or gelcoat? Which way did you go? I'm not able to spray my hull and was wondering which looks better when applied by brush. Which holds up better? All input is welcome.

 

[mark v.]

hey chris!

gelcoat does not brush unless your appling it to the surface of a mold where it will leave a smooth surface on the exterior of whats being built. that said there is a aerosol sprayer called a preval west marine sells them as do some paint supply houses. mix the straight gelcoat with aceatone thin it to the consistancy of milk and lightly catalyze with m e k catalyst if you over catalyze you will get porosity in the gelcoat when it cures. after you spray on the gelcoat wait about 5 minutes for the aceatone to flash off and then spray p v a -poly vinyl alcohol its green and it will wash off with water when all is finally cured then do your wet sanding have fun!!