Existing Finish - Minor Cracking

[MadsBoat]

Hi guys... I am working on my first restoration. it is a 1973 18' Sierra Mark IV Cuddy Cabin. The stringers, bulkheads, and transom are all items that are on the list for replacement. The existing finish on the boat is actually in great condition for the age of the boat. Once some of the oxidation is removed it will shine up really well I believe. The boat does have some cracks in the finish that I would like to address, since the boat is getting the full overhaul and probably a bigger engine too. How should I go about repairing the cracks and drill holes pictured? Also, what is the best method to bring the existing finish back strong??

 

[MadsBoat]

No Title

Here are a few more pictures. I had to build the cradle to actually get my garage shut... the trailer was too long.

 

[Woodonglass]

Hey MB, Looks like you're well on your way to a successful restoration!!! Good job on the Cradle!!!:thumb: As far as bringing back the Gelcoat and fixing the holes and spider cracking that's gunna be a bit more problematic. The biggest issue is color matching. As you can readily see the sun has done a job on the gel and it has faded badly. Especially where the hardware has been removed you can see the original color as compared to the exposed portions. I sincerely doubt you'll be able to get the color to restore back to anywhere close to the original shine a lustre. Then trying to fill the holes and cracks with a color to match...well that's gunna be nearly impossible to do and make it blend with the rest of it. That's why the majority of the folks doing restorations opt to just give the boat a total paint job. Fill in all the blemishes, sand and prep and finish her off with a nice coat of paint and she'll look brand new. You can attempt the Gelcoat restoration if you want but...It's not the route I'd recommend. IF you do the SOP is to use a dremel tool with a v-gooving bit to groove out the cracking and then clean em out with acetone. Then mix up some gelcoat paste to fillem in. The holes can be filled with "Kitty Hair" (Thickened resin with glass fibers) and then sanded and faired and sprayed over with Gelcoat. Again, the toughest part is to color match the gelcoat and even the PRO's consider this to be and ART FORM.

But I'm just an Old Dumb Okie so you want to take that into consideration!!!!!:doh:

 

[MadsBoat]

Thanks Woodonglass... I am not shy about painting the thing! in fact I would love to make it look brand new! However, the one area I buffed looked pretty good - probably lighter than the original color - but pretty good anyway. Please share with me the sequence and products you would recommend to do this. Also, do you see any value in keeping the original color? I do not intend to do the interior as it was originally, so I don't know that keeping it all original will really matter.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Agree with WoG, the color matching will be a challenge. If you insist on gelcoating, the is a company here in Seattle called Gel Coat Products, they do color matching but they will need any thing that has the color on it like a hatch cover or anything. They will match it and ship it to you and of course it will going to cost you.

Painting would be easier but not necessarly cheaper specially if you use good marine paints. if you are thinking about changing the color, I strongly encourage you to. Which route you want to take now?

 

[gm280]

MadsBoat, first of all it is your boat and you can paint it any color you wish, inside and/or out. There is no law stating you have to go back with original color(s). So you select what you want and go forward. I can tell you that all that gel coat is long gone and will probably have to come off for a good paint finish to work. JMHO!

 

[MadsBoat]

I think its decided then... Looks like she is getting a new color. I'm going to need some advice on how to make it SHINE!!

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Our expert member here in the forum on the paint subject is zool, I am sure he will drop by and chime in soon.



In paint - as you sure know - preping is everything. You will be spending most of your time preping for the top coat. From the look of the gel in your picture, I would say it was cracked becuase it was put down too thick. I think you will need to sand this down a bit otherwise it would crack again when the hull flexes and of course, it will ruin your new paint job.

Do you have spray equibements or you will be rolling and tipping?

 

[MadsBoat]

I will purchase the equipment that I need... I have an airless graco sprayer for home interior work. I guess I will need to purchase a gravity feed HVLP or something?

 

[Woodonglass]

It's kind of a PITA to spray oil base paint with Airless equipment but...I know a guy that paints show cars with a Graco set up!!! They are AWESOME!!! So it can be done but the clean up is painstaking and timely. I think a good compressor and HVLP is MUCH easier. Up to you. There are a LOT of choices when it comes to paint. Both in Quality and Price. Again up to you in which way you want to go. I'm a C.O.B. and used Rustoleum with Hardener and liked the results. Others have used the two part High dollar Marine Paints. Some have used the Epoxies. They all work!!!

You don't have to remove all the gelcoat just need to repair the bad spots and get everything nice and smooth so you can lay down the paint. As with anything it's ALL about the prep!!! Boats are NOT like cars. There's really no added value in trying to keep them Original. They are just an OLD BOAT soooo just make her the way You want her and the value will be all yours!!!!

 

[DeepBlue2010]

You don't have to spray at all of you don't want/prefer to. I was just asking to know if you have any preference based on the equipments you have. There are good quality paints out there that are designed for rolling and tipping/rolling method. They yield a fantastic results you can?t even tell it is not sprayed on.


What budget you allocated for this job? The reason I am asking is that there so many options with cost/qualities that vary all over the place

 

[MadsBoat]

I would prefer to keep it reasonable. However, I would like to know what kind of $ spread we are talking about. I would happily spend the money to get a better product. And I always need an excuse to buy a new tool or two or three... When it comes to painting anything I'm a bit of a perfectionist. I will create a controlled paint booth in one of my garages and will sand and start over if I don't like it. Unfortunately, this makes most of my projects take twice as long as they should.

 

[Woodonglass]

This might be of interest to you...Paint Your Boat with Tractor Paint...Say What!!!

It's what I did with my boat and several other members have use this method as well. It's inexpensive and yet yields a very durable and high gloss finish. Very good on above the waterline but works very well below the WL too as long as the boat is NOT left in the water for extended periods of time. I suspect your boat Might NOT be a Trailer Queen like mine so you may need to investigate a more suitable paint for the hull IF you need to paint the hull. The Gelcoat on the hull may be A-OK an not need to be painted.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Unfortunately, the good marine top coats I am familiar with such as Awl Grip and Inerlux Perfection are not easily sprayable without very specialized equipment (full body suit with dedicated air supply). The Chemicals in them ? if vaporized and inhaled ? can mess your brain beyond recovery, this is no exaggeration.

I would start by estimating the surface area I would like to cover, just a rough estimate of X square foot
Then go to the different paint manufactures and see what is the process they recommend in terms of priming (# of coats) and Top Coat (# of coats), thinners, reducers, solvents, etc Then see how much quarts/gallons you will need (add 20%). Sand papers, rollers and other paint supplies are pretty much fixed coat that will not vary per paint brand name so you just treat those as constant.

For example, a gallon of AwlGrip snow white on Amazon is $180 while the same color Perfection is 130

A very rough estimate based on the second picture in your second post, I would say this job will be around the $300-$500 mark with roll and tip method

 

[Woodonglass]

Based on the same pic, using the Rustoleum paint and a good 5hp 60 gallon compressor, an good respirator and goggles, you could paint the topside of your boat for around $200. Maybe less. Thats including Primer and Sanding supplies.

 

[MadsBoat]

this is helping a lot guys! I sure appreciate your time. I must say, I'm not familiar with the roll and tip method. can you tell me more... or point me towards another thread, just for my information.

 

[DeepBlue2010]

Just youtube it man. A video is worth 1,000,000 words

 

[MadsBoat]

I'm impressed!! youtube is amazing!!

 

[MadsBoat]

I have watched a lot of Froscoboaters stuff in the past...

 

[Woodonglass]

The link I provided has a LINK in side of it that shows videos of the "Roll n' Roll" technique which I find to be even better than the Roll n' Tip method.