Paint vs. re-gelcoat ???

85ChrisCraft	I am considering options in restoring my boat, I have looked into Awlgrip, but would also like to know if anyone knows anything about re-gel coating or has an idea of the cost.	2002-11-07
WaltCorwin	I've just dragged home a 1984 Chris Craft Scorpion 21' Center Console 200 Merc OB. It was sitting on the trailer for approx 3 years after what looks like a pretty hard life of fun, fishing, and owner-fabrication. But I've been stricken by the style of the hull, and intend to have this 'project boat!' looking perfect again by summer. I've heard the cost of a professional repaint over gel coat is outrageous because of the prep work involved, Hazmat licenses required, etc. After talking to a friend who's now approx 2 years into the construction of a (nearly finished) 48' epoxy-over-wood houseboat, I'm much more optimistic that I can actually achieve good results relatively inexpensively painting the entire boat myself. I'm still in a gathering info stage, but my plan paint-wise is to finish stripping the boat; all hardware, rubrail, etc., patch all the screw holes and some not-so-little 'other' holes with epoxy, fix hairline cracks with Gluvit, lightly sand and CLEAN the entire hull surface except for where there's bottom paint now, then spray it with Pettit marine paint that's just a hair lighter than the beige(?) factory gel coat. Lots of very fine coats. Lightly cut with some polishing compound to level the finish, wax it, and go boating'!. We'll see. I'm using the helm (about a 3'x4' gel-coated fiberglass box) to test my plan/skill before tackling the entire hull. Yours was the first post I came to on the forum; there may be others on the subject, but I'll be watching for replies to your post from the experts out there. Good luck with the boat.	2002-11-07
KeltonKrew	I was going to re-gel coat but decided to paint with awlgrip instead. I'm not putting bottom paint on though as my boat doesn't stay in the water. Below the waterline I'm putting VC Underwater Epoxy and awlgrip above. Gel coat is a lot more work than painting (painting is still a lot of work) but gel coat is harder to apply, smooth, finish, etc. For the inside (open center console boat), I'm putting a product called Sanitred non-slip rubberized coating.	2002-11-07
terryc	From what I've been told over the years Gel coat is only best used at the start of the fibreglassing process, that is first sprayed onto the waxed surface of the mould, then fibreglassed. I sprayed my fiberglass boat 3 years ago with 2 pack undercoat followed by 2 pack polyurethane top coat built up with light coats. I have been extremely happy with the result. It is shiny and hard wearing still going strong. Good luck!	2002-11-11
djohns19	85Chris, You can achieve excellent results from painting. The paints of today are pretty forgiving and work well when applied correctly-even brushing! Check out these websites for tips. http://www.westmarine.com	2002-11-11
jbritain9	Applying a new gel coat finish is not something that most of us are set-up to do. With the good marine paints we have today [ Awlgrip, etc], you can get a finish that I think will please you.	2002-11-12
conimicut1	I saw the guy on shipshape TV paint a boat, roll and tip, they called it. You roll the paint on and then smooth out the imperfection with a brush. I was amazed you can paint that way, came out like it was sprayed on. I'd buy their video on it if I was going to do it, great inspiration. http://www.shipshapetv.com I think.	2003-01-14

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