Gelcoat vrses Paint

[jason_haha42]

With the new Gel Coat blistering under the boat's where they stay wet from the trailer bungs thus just not liking water. Would it be better to paint and if so what paint Alexseal is the only one that looks like it has bright colors but it says topside only. Does topside mean above the water line or above the primer? So do I gel coat the bottom and paint the top? I want to change my 1977 Baja from beige to white with a deep water blue metal flake wrap around it. How do I prep gel coat for more gel coat can I just ruf it up and spray over it or does it have to be removed and reapplied?

 

[alldodge]

With the new Gel Coat blistering under the boat's where they stay wet from the trailer bungs thus just not liking water. Would it be better to paint and if so what paint Alexseal is the only one that looks like it has bright colors but it says topside only. Does topside mean above the water line or above the primer? So do I gel coat the bottom and paint the top? I want to change my 1977 Baja from beige to white with a deep water blue metal flake wrap around it. How do I prep gel coat for more gel coat can I just ruf it up and spray over it or does it have to be removed and reapplied?

:welcome: to iboats

Blistering is caused by water penetrating the gelcoat. Only way to fix the blister is to break it open and dry it out. Once dry it can then be resealed with epoxy resin ad then regel coat. Your saying that there are only blisters when the bunks are? If this is the case you have a real bad gelcoat application and sounds like it's just a matter of time before the whole boat needs redone

Top side is above the water line

 

[ondarvr]

I'm a bit confused by your question. You talked about new boats blistering, but isn't yours a1977? If yours is from 77' and hasn't blistered, then don't worry about it, if it has, the answer is the same, it's not worth the time and cost of fixing it.

Paints are not a solution to blisters, and depending on exact paint, don't hold up as well as gel coat under water. Blistering is normally caused by the resin, not the gel coat.

Carpeted bunks are one of the worst environments for a fiberglass laminate, it is wet for very long periods of time with very high humidity much of the time. This may lead to blisters if the hull is susceptible to them.

If you want your boat to be a different color, then paint it, re-gel coating is not a quick and easy project, if you keep the boat on a trailer paint will hold up fine.

 

[Woodonglass]

Welcome to iBoats!

Pics always help us to help you. Photobucket is the best way to load your pics into iBoats Copy and paste the IMG Code into iBoats.
Do you know if the hull is painted or Gelcoated? It's gunna be important to know for sure.

 

[jason_haha42]

Thanks for all your feed back. The boat is Gel coated and it is fine but faded and an ugly yellow wanting to redo it in white with a blue stripe. I like Alexseal paint not sure if they have anything for the underside(under the waterline). I tried posting pics it says invalid file data any suggestions? Im not familiar with photobucket is it free?

 

[proshadetree]

If you boat stays on a trailer paint is the easiest way to achieve your desired results. Gelcoating can be preformed like it has a few times here but is very labor intensive. I have a 1974 sidewinder that I will regel when time and money meet up. This boat will not be for sale and how much time or money I invest is of little importance to me as I have owned her for many years. How long you keep your boat and the cost will be the deciding factors.

 

[jason_haha42]

http://s1380.photobucket.com/user/jason_chastain1/library/Ranger Boat/1977 BAJA?sort=3&page=1

 

[proshadetree]

You are right a color change will do wonders for that boat. It has great lines. Hope you post the results here

 

[Woodonglass]

Jason, copy and paste the IMG Code right into your iBoats post just like this...