TOPIC: Y'all were right, my boat is red.

I took your advise and slowly sanded the blue off the red underlaying layer. And polished up the red, yup it is the original gelcoat. I worked today wet-sanding 1/4 of the top of the bow with 150 grit emery paper. Took a while but got down to the red and still was smooth. But in someplaces there are 1/8" gouges, and a 1" X 1" place where you can see the fiberglass weave even though it is smooth to the touch. So, this means the gelcoat is gone in places. So back to re-coating or 2 part marine paint. My question is what type of surface should I prep to? Sand most of the old paint of till smooth then rough up with 80 grit? or sand till smooth 300-400 grit and paint. As you can tell, I've only painted walls and houses. THX

Your best bet to ensure things go smoothly is to remove ALL the paint, back down to the gel-coat. Assuming the gel is in good shape, it will provide a pretty good surface to prime & paint. The old paint won't have nearly as good a bond, and your new paint job is only as good as the weakest link. Plus, you really have no idea of what kind of paint was used, and what quality- Or how well it was prepped, etc.

When I did my Glasspar, I sanded it down to bare gel-coat, through 2-3 layers of paint. I used 120 grit on a random orbit sander. Then, I filled the deeper gouges and scratches, and faired it all down. Then, I used a high build self etching primer, several good coats. After sanding this smooth, I did my finish coats. Turned out GREAT, though it's a LOT of work.

-Andrew

THX Andgott, filled gougers with? and "faired it down" (meaning)? Will go with 2 part urethane.

I used a filler made from epoxy and a fairing additive- Just like Using Bond-O on a car. Just don't use Bond-O on a boat- It absorbs water

I used a single part paint, called Supermarine Revolution. It's made/sold by a company called top secret coatings.

www.supermarinepaint.com/topside-revolution-SM-1000.asp

I really like the paint, and will be using it again. the same company also makes other paints, including a two part urethane. They can mix any color, and have a broad range of 'stock' colors as well.

AZnative14,

imVho, the best, for the price, filler is a slow-setting epoxy, mixed to peanut butter consistency, with pulverized agricultural lime.
(get it at a feed store by the pound.)

WORKS GREAT!

yours, satx

aznative14 wrote:

THX Andgott, filled gougers with? and "faired it down" (meaning)? Will go with 2 part urethane.

AZ , fairing is just smoothing out your repairs to match the surrounding areas .