Gel Coat or Paint on fiberglass

[billymoca]

I rudely hijacked someone else's thread asking this question (my apologies).

So i thought I would simply start my own thread.

I am replacing almost the entire cap, filling in the transom and multiple repairs on the hull for my rebuild. I have been told that you cannot do a gel coat repair over epoxy, you have to use paint (I am planning on using west system), but they say you can gel coat over their product.

does any one have any experience with gel coat? is it really hard to acheive a clean finish? I am not afraid to learn, as most of this is a learning experience for me.

I am trailering this boat as we fish in many waters, so i do not need anti fouling paint.

Am I over thinking this?

thanks in advance.

[phatdaddy]

i replaced the deck in mine with west epoxy and went with paint. it looked great when i finished, but i do have to repaint every 3 or 4 years.

[jasoncooperpcola]

unless you are laying gelcoat in a mold you will have to work very hard to achieve a smooth finish. It will not lay like paint. You have to sand and sand and then sand some more. It is a ton of work. I have heard you can roll wax paper over the gel coat while it is wet and wont have to sand as much.

[jasoncooperpcola]

Also I encourage you to check out US Composites website before you order any of the West System. Your wallet will thank me.

[Kracker Jack]

I have thought this over and over about gelcoat or paint. I have only decided in the past 2 days that I will be roling gelcoat on the interior of my boat. It will not be a smooth finish. It will be a barely textered surface. Which is perfect for me and hides a lot of flaws in your fairing. I will be going with 3 layers of non waxed gelcoat and one coat of waxed for my finish coat.

[spareparts]

I've tried it before, and will never try it again, there are too many variables in using gel coat, besides the cost(it will cost you more), you will always run the risk of gel not kicking(its not supposed to applied and cured in open air). Roll awl grip and you will thanks me later

[Curapa]

Gelcoat is way too much work for a large surface without a mold. Awlgrip or Imron is the way to go.

Forget the West System resin, way over priced. I use US Composites, best prices and quality I have found.

[billymoca]

Thanks all. I appreciate the lead on the US Composites.... much cheaper....but is the quality really the same? how about the longevity?

If I was to use awlgrip or imron....how often do you have to re-paint?

[step up here]

May I suggest to try a small area with gel coat to see your results. Almost all the time hands on experience is the best example!

[jasoncooperpcola]

Have you considered using an epoxy paint such as Interlux Perfection? I used the Perfection on a 250 Sportsman and it held up better than all the other paints we used. My plan is to use Perfection on my V20 above waterline and use VC Epoxy on the bottom. Shoot the floor with UPOL RAPTOR bedliner and should have a very durable paint finish.