refinishing over gel coat

[bostonwhalermontauk1965]

Hi
I have an old 1965 boston whaler with gel coat that is crazing cracking and a little bubbled. I was going to use dura glass to fill with, then hit it with high build primer, and finaly finish inside and out with single stage urethane.(NASON) . Sound like a good plan? Anything i should do differently? Will the single stage urethane hold up to foot traffic on inside for a while? Thank you all in advance with any direction you can steer me in. I am a car guy with more experience with metal. My dad has owned this boat since i was literally born and I am now 41 and he has passed. I am restoring it now to take my family which includes my wife and 7 year old boy and two 7 year old nephews who will now enjoy a ride on granpas boat soon - Thanks again Paul

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: refinishing over gel coat

Hello BostonW...

Regel it.. Keep it origional for the value.

You talking about the Blue inside..or white outside ?

Pics please

YD.

PS. There are plans for the Mohogany console online if you had/have need to replace.

 

[bostonwhalermontauk1965]

Re: refinishing over gel coat

I am refering to both inside and outside actually - the blue in and white out. Thank you for the info - Yes - i actually had naughtical lumber in michigan make an original new console and seat for this boat - and am dying to fasten them in (both) however - but the holdup is re finishing the hull The new mahogany pieces are awesome - they came out like works of art!!!! Mike Stennat of Naughtical Lumber of Michigan is a magician and true wood working artist - Paul

 

[bostonwhalermontauk1965]

Re: refinishing over gel coat

I am more afraid of re gelling myself than i am spraying urethane as i have painted cars before - and i am not sure i can afford to have this done professionally - although i would love to

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: refinishing over gel coat

I dont think looking back i would ever use a single stage paint on a boat again...If you take into account all the prep time its insanity to use a single stage...Two part paint are by far a superior paint in terms or durability and finsh quality...

Now theres a opinion...

 

[bostonwhalermontauk1965]

Re: refinishing over gel coat

Hello BostonW...

Regel it.. Keep it origional for the value.

You talking about the Blue inside..or white outside ?

Pics please

YD.

PS. There are plans for the Mohogany console online if you had/have need to replace.

Hey - I just heard rumors about gel coat prices!!! LOL Do you want to front the $ for the project - because I cant re mortgage my house just to re finish a 17 foot boat - (Laughing)

 

[Boat Biz]

Re: refinishing over gel coat

I am more afraid of re gelling myself than i am spraying urethane as i have painted cars before - and i am not sure i can afford to have this done professionally - although i would love to

Re-gelling can be a lot more work than 2-packing, and if Re-gelling keep in mind that Gelcoat is a layer of pigmented modifed polyester resin.

Polyester Resin when not reinforced with fibreglass is brittle and this is why often older boats have star cracks or stress cracks in Gelcoat that have not travelled further into the laminate.

To apply more gelcoat over existing increases the film build of un-reinforced poyester and increases the risk of more cracks.

Also - to re-gell, Gelcoats dont give an off the gun finish. You have to wet sand and buff it up to get a glossy surface like new. THe finish you get depends on how much wet saning and buffing you do and is very time consuming to get a high quality finish.

Gelcoat is desgined to be applied into a mould, then laminated onto to create the boat.

If you do attempt gelcoat repairs, use flowcoat, it is essentialy Gelcoat with Wax in Stryene solution added that makes it cure without a sticky surface to laminate onto. THis can be useful for isolated repairs.

It is far easier to prime and paint with a good paint system, but if you dont want your cracks to re-appear you have to repair them all 1st. If cracks are Gelcoat stress cracks it is an easy process, if cracks are uniform covering entire surface it can be gelcoat breaking down and while this is rare, it would require removal.

Tow pack is (generaly speaking) more abrasion resistant than 1 pack and a high quality 2 pack will hold it's gloss and shine for longer than the oringial gelcoat did.

MArine 2 packs are more abrasion resistant than Auto paint so consider this in your choice. If the 2-pack is more work than you would prefer there are some high quality 1pack systems around and the next best thing.

If you select a product supplier for a complete system they should have technical back up to assist with any questions. If you use a mixed scheme and have a problem you will own the problem.

 

[bostonwhalermontauk1965]

Re: refinishing over gel coat

Thank you very much for this info!!!!!