I really can't understand why anyone would do a thumbs- down. You're giving FREE advice and instructions on how to do these things like a professional....I donno....some peoples kids...
Jack neff I have the same problem on my channel. if you go against tried and stupid people are going spew hatred at you. it hurts brains to tell people they've been wasting their time and that there is a better way.
Yeah man I don't know why anyone would ever thumb you down. There isn't too many people out there today that would take the time and share their tips and tricks. Your videos are awesome!! Thank you and keep making videos!!
I worked 16 years for Ericson Yachts and we did touch up on new products due to minor dings from the building process and some that was from damage in the molds (it's not always possible to take a mold out of production to do repair as it stops the whole assembly line - so you repair the product instead). Most people don't know that gelcoat is formulated to be laid down inside a mold, and not to be used for repair. The mold surface is highly polished so the part comes out looking good. On the other hand when you lay down gelcoat outside of a mold it does not flow like paint so you end up with an "orange peel"finish, which requires sanding with finer and finer grits of wet sandpaper and then buffing. Additionally, unless you spray a water soluble sealant during the curing time over the gelcoat after you have laid it down, it becomes "oxygen poisoned", which is a condition where it never fully cures at the surface so it will be hard after it sets but will remain permanently tacky. Additionally, it is required that you catalyze it, which only gives 15 minutes of working time before it sets, and you have to have acetone to clean your sprayer, which is the best way to apply it so you don't get brush hair in it. It is messy, sticky, and labor intensive, and even if you have factory supplied touch up colors, it will be likely to show the spot that was repaired after some time has passed. For all of those reasons, paint is a better option, especially if you are doing a large area. However you can't apply paint over a gelcoated hull, unless you are painting the entire hull. If you need to have small repair areas done with gelcoat, it is better to pay a pro who has the experience and know how to do the work. Plus he will be able to mix and match colors on older boats that have faded or had color change.
Im an automotive painter, been contemplating what to redo my jetski in. Few boat guys insist I must gel coat it but ive never touched gelcoat before and hearing your experience with it has hwlped me decide to stick to what I know and will be using paint and probably clearcoat over everything. Biggest reason is appearance and knowladge of those materials
Hey bro did you paint your jet ski? I gel-coated my jet-skis. I taught myself watching UA-cam videos with a harbor, freight gun and a 2.5 tip for me eBay. But the reason I’m asking is I’m wondering if you did paint it how well has it held up? I have a 26 foot day cruiser and was thinking about paint and clearcoat rather than Gelcoat.
If I may add, there are 2 types of automotive finishes. 1.Chemical bond and 2. Mechanical bond. Check out AutoAir brand products for primers and base coats that "bond" "mechanically" to a sanded surface. They are far superior to chem. bond coatings when you want it to "Stick" to a substrate eliminating the worry of "de lamination" (peeling off). I highly recommend it for the verry first coat on anything you want your paint job to stick to.
Like many of you, I watched this video and decided to paint my boat. It is a 30 year old boat with worn down gelcoat appearing faded and even worn through down to the grey in some places. So anyway, the boat turned out looking great! A couple things he doesn't cover here are surface prep and foot traction. Surface prep on on the paint I chose said to use ammonia and on tough mildew stains to use bleach(But do not mix the two!!!!). I started out using bleach because that's what it said, but then a neighbor gave me a bottle of professional paint prep and I don't know what it was called but it smelled like peroxide. It worked even better than the bleach and less elbow grease. I think this is an important step before you start painting. Also the finish is much slicker now and I can tell I am going to have to be more careful walking around in the boat. I may see if I can put another top coat on it(i applied 2 coats), but this time mix in some friction material so people do not slip and fall.
can you update on the paint job? I bought a homemade skiff last year that was painted over the original gelcoat. The paint is severely chipping and pitting. Now I have to strip and sand every inch of boat in order to re gelcoat. In my opinion it ruined the boat. curious how yours held up
Best video on YT! I still come back time to time to checkout the detailed demonstrations for my project that hasn't taken off for 4 years. Very informative and thorough. I just play it at 1.25x speed and its perfect! Thank you for your work!
Well, I've got to tell you. . . your objectivity on the subject has thoroughly convinced me to stick with regular ol' paint! And, brother, let me tell you, I can lay some paint on far thicker than a sheet of copy paper!
Hello from Greece….!!! First of all I want to thank you for everything you share with us and the way you explain everything patiently and with every detail. I bought a BW 13' 1973 and I'm restoring it. My job is jointer or carpenter or furniture and cabinet maker. Different name in different countries… so I'm a good hand worker. Referring to the specific kind of boats, they appear in our country as tender boats to big yacht. That means that they were exposed to the sun for ages. So mine is quite "burned" and all the color and wood stain are damaged. I had almost decided to finish the boat with gel coat and go throw sanding and brushing to make it shine. My problem is that the boat on the exposed surfaces (top and inside) has too many very small cracks. Very very small but many. It's not a deep damage. It is just on the gel coat. That is why I almost decide to finish with gel coat, because it is a thick paint and it can cover all that cracks. On the other hand while watching your videos, I find out that I can use one or two layers of a primer and penetrate all this small cracks and finish with color. But as you said and I do agree is that the color is very thin although is very shiny easy to work more long lasting shine etch…. My question is, if I finish with color is it correct if I apply two or three layers of color to make it thicker and stronger as a top layer? And then, can I use the shinning tools to restore it after some years or if I make a scratch on the hull? Do you know how the color react on shinning procedure? Thank you in advance for all your support.
The only people to give this video a thumbs-down must professionals that hate when people learn to do their own repairs or lay people that know-it-all. This is a great instructional video on selecting the right marine materials for your job. It will save time, money and needless frustration in the long run. On a scale of 1-10, this video is a 10.
As a newbie to boat ownership, I've kind of bitten off more than i can chew in terms of repairs. This Guy is my Guru! The info and practical advice is exactly what i need. Shame he's not in the UK, would of bought him a beer! Cheers Bud
Just about to refinish my little 20 foot colvic fishing boat over here in the uk. Its still original gelcoat but damaged / stained after 40+ years. I didnt want to paint but you have reassured me that I,m not going to be making a mistake by paintinr her. Thankyou so much and Kind Regards from across the pond.👍
Great, you have helped me figure out my next project. Last spring I tried to do some touch up nick repairs on a 40 year old sailboat only to have it look like it caught some nasty skin rash. I hope your next video covers prepping an old surface before painting. btw, your videos are by far the best around. Clear, concise and we actually see how it is done.
I gained a clear understanding of the differences between gelcoat and paint, thank you so much! I have to paint my 22 ft Class C RV which has fiberglass sides. I guess I'll be doing paint now, no gelcoat for me! I would love to know more about types of paint to use on fiberglass, any clear coat on top, and types of primer. Automotive paint is one option, but I have fiberglass, not metal, so boat repair folks would know better. This is what I understood: 1. Gel is porous, paint is not, so gel takes stains easily from wine, bird poop, oils, and paint does not. 2. Gel is thicker, paint is thinner, so gel does not show scratches as easily as paint, and easy to buff out. 3. Gel discolors in UV light in 1-2 yrs, paint does not, even after 5 yrs. So paint is easy to match up from a new can, gel is not. 4. Gel is hard to patch for a large area (football size), paint is easy. Gel needs spraying, paint can be sprayed, rolled, tipped (brushed). Both are easy for small patch repairs. 5. Application and curing - paint is easier than gel and takes shorter time. 6. Appearance - Gel says you have money, paint says you have style. 7. Cost? I bet gelcoat costs much more! Summary: Use gelcoat on your boat if you are Donald Trump For all the rest its paint, and gelcoat we must dump!
+Lass-in Angeles Even the high end folks use paint :-) It just looks better! For restorations it mostly comes down to logistics; paint can be applied a couple different ways if it's the right kind of paint. Gelcoat on larger areas really needs to be sprayed unless you want to weigh yourself down with many, many, many hours of wetsanding!! My opinion? Sanding is not fun!!!
I'm doing the first bottom job of my 32-foot monohull. And, I thought of your channel immediately after booking the haulout. Thanks for the effort and information.
Hi hopefully your still checking this video for comments. I have a auto body shop in New Hampshire. I used your video to restore a 1974 MFG skiff it came out wonderful I used base/clear. The only downside is it's very fragile with scratches etc. I am now restoring a 78 mfg gypsy it's a bigger boat, heavier and more of a speed boat although I paint everyday I've never used gel coat. could you do a video with just explaining A-Z on gel coat specifically the hull below the water line , type of gun used , tip size used , how to hang the boat or get around the stands , your videos are so good I'm glad you have kept going and come out with more since last year keep up the good work 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🚤🛥⛵️
I used gelcoat to restore my sailboat's deck. Probably the most stupid idea I ever had ! As you said, hours and hours of sanding because of orange skin from roller and brush marks. Sanding throught. Apply again a new coat that doesn't match 100% the previous one that already started to oxydise. What a pain ! And finally as expensive as awlgrip paint, if not more. Corners are a total nightmare to sand and polish. On the other hand, for the non skid, I used grey gelcoat with glass micro bead sprinckled on top, gelcoat again and PVA. Very happy of the gelcoat non skid. Very easy to apply as there is no sanding involved and it is rock solid. Thaks for the video, I which I had seen it 3 years ago !
Dear Sir .... , first of all thank you for those professional advices. I have a story that I had bought a second hand boat 4 years ago and I had no information on internet or elsewhere about renewing it.. You won't believe it, I had bought many cleaners(jelcoat cleaners, chemicals from the superstores) I had a very big experience about whitening a Gelcoat. But at the end I began to see mostly washed areas gelcoat had become very thin that you could barely see the fibers. Yesterday I got a gelcoat but forgot to add parafin not to stick to hand , that ruined all work because I couldn't do wet sanding because it hasn't become dry, after that I was dissapointed. I used thinner to take the sticky surface and sprayed acrylic paint because in 4 years I was really pissed off because of the gelcoat yellowing and rust stains. Day by day I had experience, ruined everything but now I had the most shiny and pure white surface of all time. The boat looks like brand new but I have a very big problem about painting is the "how do you say", "paint drops" "leaks" .. I'll try to solve this issue.. By the way I really enjoy dealing with my boat and watching your videos. I'm the boat renewing addictive guy that really loves gelcoat, fiberglass, sand papers, dust and etc :) Please excuse me for typos and language errors. Kind Regards !
No hate here. Love your video.. I have a restoration going on now. Watching many of videos! Decided to go with bottom coat, black paint, bass boat. Never more than a few hours in the water at one time. Have a few repairs first.. thank you for you videos. Don’t care what it looks like 😂.. just want want it solid 😊
Dude, great job Tampa here im restoring a 1981 Amen Plastic boat I had for over 20 years they only made 20 of these boats. already restored the floor now working on the out side. Have sum spider crack im dealing with now. Im doing this by myself. Is it better to due this in sections when I roll it out or have several measured cups ready to activate during this process with extra rollers. 🤔 your doing a great job.. Saving a lot of people money. For those with a brain, who's not afraid to get dirty and work. 🤘😎🤘 Roll it straight out 🤔 it's a 18'
I appreciate the discussion and information. I am getting ready to do a complete resto on a boat and had heard different things on what needed to be done for the fiberglass hull. This helped to clarify the differences and gave me a better idea of the direction I plan on taking the project.
In a word, paint is better. My boat is an 89 Regal, the red gelcoat went white haze on me in less than 10 years, I put sealer primer on it and coated it with Nason Acrylic enamel and it looks as good today as the day I painted it. That was over 20 years ago. Paint is best!
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You just saved me a LOT of work. Buying a 2001 Beneteau 361 for a 'great' price. The catch is the gelcoat in the cockpit was/is a mess and the owner pulled the boat from the shop after it sat for a year without finishing. So lots of sanded areas but no gelcoat replaced. I would rather finish sand/repair and paint the entire cockpit than try to mess with gelcoat at this point.
Good video, good info. I think from a technical perspective you should cover chemistry of each. Gel Coats are, generally speaking, catalyzed thermosetting polyester resin with high viscosity (and film deposition thickness) and high chemical and UV resistance when cured. Paint is a far more varied type of product. There are latex polymer paints, acrylic paints, polyurethane paints, epoxy paints, etc. I bring this up because polyurethane "paints" are becoming every bit as effective as polyester resin "gel coat." Gel coat can be chemically catalyzed with a hardener, or exposure to oxygen to begin the thermosetting process. Polyurethane paints also come in oxygen or chemical catalyzed variants. In particular, catalyzed acrylic polyurethanes adhere to themselves and other resins extremely well, and offer a polishable surface with similar thicknesses in multiple (usually two) coats as gelcoat.
Greg Allman "it's not your cross to bare." You are teaching a class. I need to know all the ins and outs of everything. Please continue with the long winded videos. If people want to watch see some guy teach them to do a hack job, let them, it's not you and it' not me. Thank you for all your time
These videos are very informative, a must for any boat owner, even if you do not intend to do your own repairs -the insight in such detail you offer of all the options available is awesome. Well done, keep up the great work and please keep uploading!
Thanks for being a second well qualified and dispassionate mind on where to use gelcoat and where to paint...you helped me strategize refurbishing a 1976 Ranger 23 sailboat I'm doing for a friend....
I used to build boats and do boat repair in Florida we just built from a 14 foot up to a 18 foot bow rider and I only work with gelcoat but the one color I hated working on was white trying to get white to match was the hardest. The one repair job I remember the most it was a 27 foot blackfin that had a 20 inch transom and it was on its way out but he had bought two motors that were for 25 inch transom so I had to get that out and raise it up .this was 30 years ago, but they came out with that signature finish paint or you could just roll it on and you could even tell him the boat year and color and they would match it but the funniest part the guy kept asking me am I sure this is gonna work, I told him I was positive. He said good. You’re going out with me. The first time we took it 40 miles offshore and we took wave over the back which one of the callings had a hole in it and we blew a motor. It was damaged during shipping. I had never been offshore before. I am standing in angle deep border in a boat that I know it does not have an ounce of flotation lol after we got the water out, we could just we couldn’t get up on plane so we trolled the whole way back I was fine once we started catching kingfish . But he couldn’t be happier with the job. Unfortunately, when they sold the boat company, I left and went to work for a place. We made Fiberglass parts for the guy that bought. It knew nothing about Fiberglass or boats. And wanted me to do stuff I knew wouldn’t work and he went out of business a year later . But I really miss working on boats and building something from start to finish instead of just parts
Hi, I just watched your video and it was brilliant, I am new to all this, I just bought an old fibreglass boat 12ft long and it does need some repairs but I don't want to spend a lot of money doing repairs, so I will look into painting as apposed to gelcoating, you are very inspiring thankyou Scott from Sydney Australia.
I'm a big fan of your channel. You are a very good teacher. It answers so many questions I had on various topics related to fiberglass and painting. Thank you! One question I have, thar may be answered in the follow-ups of this video, is how you can detect you have sanded enough prior to applying a primer? Is it when there is no paint left, when the surface is smooth, or else? I'm afraid of removing too much, or not enough, by not knowing what to look for. Thanks again!
This is really helpful. Thanks. I'm looking at older sailboats to buy (and work on) and one of them has a failed coat of poly paint that needs to be stripped off before restoring the surface. I think paint wins the argument like some of the other viewers mentioned earlier.
Great videos. Those haters are stupid! You are taking time out of your day to tell us your tricks of the trade. And I've learned a lot watching! Can't say thank you enough!
Use some of the Ceramic coatings available and make the gel chemically resistant and the shine is raised by several notches. I applied Gyeon Pure and found fantastic results. It's a 2 year coating used on auto paint but had no problems bonding to gel coat. There are some made for marine gel and would be best. I tried a sample area and then did my whole boat.
fabulous thanks for helping me make a painless decision quickly!! I have a 46' 1978 Pacemaker needs a total redo. beauty inside . it needs to be knockout shiney outside and easy to maintain. . paint it is.
Great videos! Love the knowledge you have on these subjects. Am looking at doing a complete restoration and respray on a Haines Hunter 17C. The hull was originally gelcoated and the previous owner sprayed directly over the top of the gelcoat which is now peeling very bad. Have spent the last couple of weeks sanding back the hull to the basically the fibreglass with a small amount of gelcoat still in place. Am looking at respraying the complete hull with gelcoat. I have a few of questions about further progress. 1. After completing the sanding, can I fill any scratches and imperfections with fibreglass body filler or am I better applying gelcoat with a scraper, then sanding to a flat finish. 2. After finishing filling all imperfections is it then ready for gelcoating or do I need to add a primer first? 3. How many coats of gelcoat do you recommend for a complete respray? If say two coats would I do the first coat with just gelcoat and hardener, and then apply the second with gelcoat, hardener and wax? Thanks heaps.
Slowly working my way through your excellent videos for a boat restoration project I am hoping to start soon. Thank you for taking the time to make them and for sharing. ATB Mac
HAHA!! I LOVE your videos!!! As soon as you said, "You don't have to hit the dislike button..." I went down and SLAMMED the LIKE button!!! You're great brother!! Learn loads and appreciate everything you share of your expertise.
Thank you for the video; I appreciate the time you took to make it. This has helped me decide how I will conduct the restoration of a 15' fiberglass Seaking Runabout that I recently acquired that requires a couple of hull repairs, some additional TLC, and a color change.
I’m in need of your expertise!! Love your channel! My wife and I have purchased a boat. It’s a 41’ concord sport fishing boat. 1974 model I might add. It’s in overall great shape. Very few stress cracks and it is fiberglass boat. It is gelcoat now and I want to paint it. We’re doing a haul out and pressure wash/bottom scrap and sanding anti fouling paint and all. My question is during the haul out could you give me tips on things I should do while it’s on dry dock. It has twin Detroit 4-71 160 hp Diesel engines that run very well. Not taking on ANY water anywhere . I’ve watched your videos and they are great and very informative. We have decided to go with totalboat products as they have now added the roll and tip additive to their lineup. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I’m going to attempt to upload photo.
Thank you, this is great info. I'm a wooden boat lover but considering fiberglass and I was curious as to the typical finish differences used on glass boats.
I understand in keeping with the K.I.S.S principle in a lot of what we do in life but I have a tendency, on OCCASION, to apply what's best for each situation or environment. One could apply the Gelcoat below the waterline (reaping its mayor benefits) and painting it above the waterline (reaping its benefits). I know, that it will require additional work and equipment but if its for a one off protect, why not? With an ever changing or expanding market products, today's options are either dated or obsolete. Thanks, enjoyed the video. Chao.
Good video. Points I would make is that I've never seen even a great roller and tip off that looks as good as an even average spray job. Especially if it needs to match existing gel coat look If you spray using high volume low pressure then over spray is less than an inch all around so not too messy. If your doing a repair on an area where it will meet gel coat a good paint supplier will match gel coat colour and a spray of 2 pack matches the finish great. We have a formula that had damage to hull and as it wasn't easy to gel coat as gel coat ideally needs to be kept out of air when curing we decided to paint and after polishing gel coat and then spraying people of all experience ask if it's all been painted or its all gel coat no one can see difference in finish and it's over an area of about 9 square foot
Good info bro. I have a dive service business and this explains what I have run into around the water line and now I can pass the info on to my customers. Big thanks man.
I have a 1973 Chris Craft Commander express cruiser. The gel coat on the hull is original and it looks very good. There is no possible way that paint would last this long. None. Zero. It would be all scratched and trashed. But my gel coat looks fantastic. Look at how many boats are out there with gel coat cockpit decks. They might not shine like the sun but they still look very good even after many years of hard use. But paint will not handle that. I think the main reason most pros like paint is that it is easier to apply and thus more profitable for them. But I am redoing my cockpit right now because the previous owner had to cut out the deck to install new gas tanks and I am certainly going to re-gel coat instead of paint.
I am just starting into the boat life and I want to learn how to do my own repairs and you've been a huge help with these videos. I have a question and I hope it doesn't sound too dumb but can you do a layer of gel coat for the durability and then go over with paint for the high gloss?
Thank you so much. Gone through tons of vids to try figure out what to do with a boat I've just purchased. You've answered every question I have in one straight forward no b.s. Video. Paint it is Thank you
Thanks for a well articulated and fact based explanation on this topic - It's near and dear to my heart as I just initiated a restoration project using Awlgrip and techniques learned from your previous videos - much appreciated and spot on!
Andy, I just started watching your videos about boat repair and the detail you go through is incredible. I am blown away by your ability to keep me interested. You have excellent people skills even on a video. I loved this last one that was all words. I listened twice or more, in some places, and feel more confident now to take on my 23 Mako Project. You have me fired up Dude, thinking I can do it! Lol What is your opinion on Rust-oleum Oil Based Paint. I have done it before on another boat that came out fine, but I didn't have your extra training to take it to deeper steps that build picture perfect appearance, as you say. I think this project is going to come out great! Your thoughts or comments are certainly welcome. If I get in trouble I'll try to get in touch. By the way the guitar playing in the back ground is nice touch. Craig Dickson ~ just noticed I was on my wife's account. It ain't her buddy. LMAO!
Fully rolled on my small fiberglass pool with gelcoat. It hardened up decent. But even after a week it still remains to have the slightest tack to it. Later in the summer im going to sand it down and recoat with high build epoxy pool paint.
Hi Andy. I'm pretty well a lurker, but I appreciate the help you give. I'm inquiring now with the Alexseal distributor here in Canada and included your information, so I hope that helps you in some way. Best regards!
Your videos are very helpful for a first timer. I plan to make repairs to my 2003 Polaris waverunner that has a hole in it that I wasn’t aware of until engine and fuel tank removed. I think I plan to sand down bottom and repair dings and apply new gel coat. I think. Plan to patch hole to full thickness using your techniques. I have some chop strand material. Question I have is I think I should buy the total boat epoxy but should I use slow hardener or fast. Also suggestions to your website would be to list items you use in your videos and link to purchase. Plus if you could label your videos where multiple ones are needed for project would be helpful for people new to your channel. Part 1, part 2, etc. great work thank you.
I am a fan of yours, I have an 81 trawler restoring and has gel coat that has many spider cracks and rust stains, have watched your videos on AlexSeal and have chosen to paint over the Gel coat. My QUESTION, Is that O.K. how far do I need to sand? Do I need grey primer first? I can follow instructions. Have a Blessed Easter.
I just finished replacing the stringers,bulkhead and deck on my 93 Stratos bass boat. It is a red gelcoat with the glitter like a typical bass boat. My question is, can I paint over the gelcoat using topside and below the waterline paint? Or do I have to completely remove the gelcoat.
This video provides the exact information I was looking for - and I have been looking for awhile! I have a 14ft sailboat that had much more damage to the hull than I had anticipated. I am almost finished with fiberglass repair, and have been contemplating what to do next. Thanks for your adivce!
Hey Andy I'm getting ready to restore my old 261 mako that's fiberglass I've redecked gotta lot of Res and work in polyester and going to re gel coat the whole boat and I'm going to spray it sound like a correct way of doing it 2 coats without wax, good third coat with wax. Then buff lol
Great presentation ! It just seems overly obvious you're considering paint a much better option than gelcoat. What is the remaining motivation for gelcoat then: looks or the fact standard new boats tend to come with gelcoat?
With the exception of gel coat being the easiest to repair a small spot (and that seems to be a close race really), I didn't hear any advantages of using gel coat over paint. I take that back, he did say you could buff out a small scratch with gel coat and not see it where paint would still show the scratch. But overall, it sounds like paint is the way to go (based off what I just heard).
Buy paint pens with your specific colors to handle scratches and gouges, but yea, sounds like paint it cheaper and easier and arguably better minus buffing out small scuffs.
I have a boat that was painted badly over the original 1973 metal flake gel coat. I want to paint it to the original color scheme. My question is how far should i sand it down? get the crappy paint off for sure but will the original metal flake cause me any problems. Thanks for your videos they are very informative and I enjoy watching them.
I am having a professional full gel coat restoration of my 2006 Chris-Craft...with a very experienced professional who works on high end boats of all sizes. I asked about switching to paint for this project. He was open to the paint option but asked whether the boat would spend most of its time in (fresh) water or if it would be pulled out of the water after use. In my case I expect my boat to be in the water most of the summer at a marina in a covered slip. His recommendation in that case was to stick with gel coat. Thoughts?
Great information. As a amateur boat builder I only used paint over the finished epoxied hull. As you mentioned easier to do and get a great finish. What is that beauty right behind you as your backdrop, sweet looking hull section
Great information,,I am just now trying to decide if I want to restore a fiberglass boat I have or not. I am a little experienced working with fiberglass, wood and metal, they painting and coatings have me wondering what direction I should go. As I am not convinced yet if I want to do this project, your videos are very helpful of course you make it all look pretty easy. Thanks, I am sure you will see more comments from me as I have just found your youtube channel and exploring the videos.
Thanks for the info. I’m doing a small rehab job on the inside of my pilot house boat. I stripped out some old wallpaper and was trying to decide whether to gel coat the walls or paint. It sounds like paint might be the way to go. I’m really not to concerned about it having a perfectly smooth surface. Unless you have some suggestions, I’ll look for a good quality marine grade paint. The boat is not going to be kept on the water.
I need some advice. I have an piranha style powerboat, about 4m long. The old gelcoat has cracked on like 50% of the boat. The gelcoat has also been sanded away in certain spots for fiberglass repairs. Do I need to put a new gelcoat on (I know my way around spray painting) or will numerous coats of epoxy paint be just as good? I'm not talking about looks, just protection of the fiberglass. I understand the gelcoat is a layer that protects the fiberglass from the elements, will a good 2k epoxy paint be just as good for protecting the fiberglass or not?
16th of an inch? I just picked up a 97 sea ray 175 and the gel coat around the top edge of the boat seems like it has a texture it is so wore out. where the stripe is coming off there is a definite ridge between under the stripe and the rest. You think this is sandable? Under the rub rail it is fine. Kinda hard to describe. clear, concise video. thanks.
I watched a lot of these videos. I like this guy. I may have missed it but I'm trying to learn for the first time how to do about of these things. I have yet to learn if you can primer a fiberglass body to seal bondo and then use gelcoat. I have an old fiberglass camper I am redoing and the gelcoat is gone on the top along with about of places that were damaged.
I've been debating if I should put a Gel coat over the fiberglass shell I'm putting over a 10 foot wooden sailing dinghy. (it needs the fiberglass to water proof the hull) After a few days of thinking about it, I've decided to paint it. The main reason being the gel coat would ad a lot of weight to it. The fiberglass cloth and resin has already added few pounds and I just don't want make a small LIGHT dinghy ------------------------ heavy.
Great information. Does the material matter below the water line? I have repaired the fiberglass at the keel where it was beached and scraped up (24" by 2"). I am now going to try to match the existing go with with white gel coat and then a grey paint. Any comments would be appreciated.
I really can't understand why anyone would do a thumbs- down. You're giving FREE advice and instructions on how to do these things like a professional....I donno....some peoples kids...
Thanks for the kind words Jack :-) Eh, to each their own.. Doesn't bother me :-)
Gelcoat industry lobbyists no doubt
1333 likes to 29 dislikes (as of today) is a pretty good ratio by youtube standards!
Jack neff I have the same problem on my channel. if you go against tried and stupid people are going spew hatred at you. it hurts brains to tell people they've been wasting their time and that there is a better way.
because they can and they are A-holes
I've been a subscriber for years and I am constantly going back to your older videos for knowledge and reference. The gift that keeps on giving
Yeah man I don't know why anyone would ever thumb you down. There isn't too many people out there today that would take the time and share their tips and tricks. Your videos are awesome!! Thank you and keep making videos!!
I worked 16 years for Ericson Yachts and we did touch up on new products due to minor dings from the building process and some that was from damage in the molds (it's not always possible to take a mold out of production to do repair as it stops the whole assembly line - so you repair the product instead). Most people don't know that gelcoat is formulated to be laid down inside a mold, and not to be used for repair. The mold surface is highly polished so the part comes out looking good. On the other hand when you lay down gelcoat outside of a mold it does not flow like paint so you end up with an "orange peel"finish, which requires sanding with finer and finer grits of wet sandpaper and then buffing. Additionally, unless you spray a water soluble sealant during the curing time over the gelcoat after you have laid it down, it becomes "oxygen poisoned", which is a condition where it never fully cures at the surface so it will be hard after it sets but will remain permanently tacky. Additionally, it is required that you catalyze it, which only gives 15 minutes of working time before it sets, and you have to have acetone to clean your sprayer, which is the best way to apply it so you don't get brush hair in it. It is messy, sticky, and labor intensive, and even if you have factory supplied touch up colors, it will be likely to show the spot that was repaired after some time has passed. For all of those reasons, paint is a better option, especially if you are doing a large area. However you can't apply paint over a gelcoated hull, unless you are painting the entire hull. If you need to have small repair areas done with gelcoat, it is better to pay a pro who has the experience and know how to do the work. Plus he will be able to mix and match colors on older boats that have faded or had color change.
Lazy Days wish I had read this first... now I have a white and gray hull on my otherwise nice looking Cetus kayak.... oops..
What water soluble sealant do you apply
Hah, I am the owner of a 1987 E-38-200! Nice boat!
@@larrybyrne4467 PVA. (Polyvinylalcohol)
@@larrybyrne4467 marine wax
I sprayed gel for a wakeboat company when i was a kid. You nailed it, I just bought a 37ft ketch, your videos are very helpful updating my knowledge
Im an automotive painter, been contemplating what to redo my jetski in. Few boat guys insist I must gel coat it but ive never touched gelcoat before and hearing your experience with it has hwlped me decide to stick to what I know and will be using paint and probably clearcoat over everything. Biggest reason is appearance and knowladge of those materials
Hey bro did you paint your jet ski? I gel-coated my jet-skis. I taught myself watching UA-cam videos with a harbor, freight gun and a 2.5 tip for me eBay. But the reason I’m asking is I’m wondering if you did paint it how well has it held up? I have a 26 foot day cruiser and was thinking about paint and clearcoat rather than Gelcoat.
Man. There is no dislike for any of your videos. You are sharing your time and experiences with us. These things are priceless. We can only be glad.
If I may add, there are 2 types of automotive finishes.
1.Chemical bond and 2. Mechanical bond.
Check out AutoAir brand products for primers and base coats that "bond" "mechanically" to a sanded surface. They are far superior to chem. bond coatings when you want it to "Stick" to a substrate eliminating the worry of "de lamination" (peeling off). I highly recommend it for the verry first coat on anything you want your paint job to stick to.
Like many of you, I watched this video and decided to paint my boat. It is a 30 year old boat with worn down gelcoat appearing faded and even worn through down to the grey in some places. So anyway, the boat turned out looking great! A couple things he doesn't cover here are surface prep and foot traction. Surface prep on on the paint I chose said to use ammonia and on tough mildew stains to use bleach(But do not mix the two!!!!). I started out using bleach because that's what it said, but then a neighbor gave me a bottle of professional paint prep and I don't know what it was called but it smelled like peroxide. It worked even better than the bleach and less elbow grease. I think this is an important step before you start painting. Also the finish is much slicker now and I can tell I am going to have to be more careful walking around in the boat. I may see if I can put another top coat on it(i applied 2 coats), but this time mix in some friction material so people do not slip and fall.
You have to do non skid watch a few more videos apply it over the wet paint it’s sand or rubber dry paint again
can you update on the paint job? I bought a homemade skiff last year that was painted over the original gelcoat. The paint is severely chipping and pitting. Now I have to strip and sand every inch of boat in order to re gelcoat. In my opinion it ruined the boat. curious how yours held up
As a novice boat owner I really appreciate your videos. Thank you
Even the talking videos I feel like I’m getting great knowledge from an experienced craftsman at a random marina. Thank you
Best video on YT! I still come back time to time to checkout the detailed demonstrations for my project that hasn't taken off for 4 years. Very informative and thorough. I just play it at 1.25x speed and its perfect! Thank you for your work!
Well, I've got to tell you. . . your objectivity on the subject has thoroughly convinced me to stick with regular ol' paint! And, brother, let me tell you, I can lay some paint on far thicker than a sheet of copy paper!
You just saved me, and I'm sure hundreds of others, a whole lot of time and money. Thank you!
Hello from Greece….!!!
First of all I want to thank you for everything you share with us and the way you explain everything patiently and with every detail. I bought a BW 13' 1973 and I'm restoring it.
My job is jointer or carpenter or furniture and cabinet maker. Different name in different countries… so I'm a good hand worker. Referring to the specific kind of boats, they appear in our country as tender boats to big yacht. That means that they were exposed to the sun for ages. So mine is quite "burned" and all the color and wood stain are damaged. I had almost decided to finish the boat with gel coat and go throw sanding and brushing to make it shine. My problem is that the boat on the exposed surfaces (top and inside) has too many very small cracks. Very very small but many. It's not a deep damage. It is just on the gel coat. That is why I almost decide to finish with gel coat, because it is a thick paint and it can cover all that cracks. On the other hand while watching your videos, I find out that I can use one or two layers of a primer and penetrate all this small cracks and finish with color. But as you said and I do agree is that the color is very thin although is very shiny easy to work more long lasting shine etch….
My question is, if I finish with color is it correct if I apply two or three layers of color to make it thicker and stronger as a top layer? And then, can I use the shinning tools to restore it after some years or if I make a scratch on the hull? Do you know how the color react on shinning procedure?
Thank you in advance for all your support.
The only people to give this video a thumbs-down must professionals that hate when people learn to do their own repairs or lay people that know-it-all. This is a great instructional video on selecting the right marine materials for your job. It will save time, money and needless frustration in the long run. On a scale of 1-10, this video is a 10.
As a newbie to boat ownership, I've kind of bitten off more than i can chew in terms of repairs. This Guy is my Guru! The info and practical advice is exactly what i need. Shame he's not in the UK, would of bought him a beer! Cheers Bud
Just about to refinish my little 20 foot colvic fishing boat over here in the uk. Its still original gelcoat but damaged / stained after 40+ years. I didnt want to paint but you have reassured me that I,m not going to be making a mistake by paintinr her. Thankyou so much and Kind Regards from across the pond.👍
Great, you have helped me figure out my next project. Last spring I tried to do some touch up nick repairs on a 40 year old sailboat only to have it look like it caught some nasty skin rash. I hope your next video covers prepping an old surface before painting. btw, your videos are by far the best around. Clear, concise and we actually see how it is done.
In the same boat...
I gained a clear understanding of the differences between gelcoat and paint, thank you so much! I have to paint my 22 ft Class C RV which has fiberglass sides. I guess I'll be doing paint now, no gelcoat for me! I would love to know more about types of paint to use on fiberglass, any clear coat on top, and types of primer. Automotive paint is one option, but I have fiberglass, not metal, so boat repair folks would know better.
This is what I understood:
1. Gel is porous, paint is not, so gel takes stains easily from wine, bird poop, oils, and paint does not.
2. Gel is thicker, paint is thinner, so gel does not show scratches as easily as paint, and easy to buff out.
3. Gel discolors in UV light in 1-2 yrs, paint does not, even after 5 yrs. So paint is easy to match up from a new can, gel is not.
4. Gel is hard to patch for a large area (football size), paint is easy. Gel needs spraying, paint can be sprayed, rolled, tipped (brushed). Both are easy for small patch repairs.
5. Application and curing - paint is easier than gel and takes shorter time.
6. Appearance - Gel says you have money, paint says you have style.
7. Cost? I bet gelcoat costs much more!
Summary:
Use gelcoat on your boat if you are Donald Trump
For all the rest its paint, and gelcoat we must dump!
+Lass-in Angeles Even the high end folks use paint :-) It just looks better! For restorations it mostly comes down to logistics; paint can be applied a couple different ways if it's the right kind of paint. Gelcoat on larger areas really needs to be sprayed unless you want to weigh yourself down with many, many, many hours of wetsanding!! My opinion? Sanding is not fun!!!
I'm doing the first bottom job of my 32-foot monohull. And, I thought of your channel immediately after booking the haulout. Thanks for the effort and information.
Hi hopefully your still checking this video for comments. I have a auto body shop in New Hampshire. I used your video to restore a 1974 MFG skiff it came out wonderful I used base/clear. The only downside is it's very fragile with scratches etc. I am now restoring a 78 mfg gypsy it's a bigger boat, heavier and more of a speed boat although I paint everyday I've never used gel coat. could you do a video with just explaining A-Z on gel coat specifically the hull below the water line , type of gun used , tip size used , how to hang the boat or get around the stands , your videos are so good I'm glad you have kept going and come out with more since last year keep up the good work 👍🏻👍🏻👍🏻🚤🛥⛵️
Question please. Its the same prep on a boat like a car if you are doing base coat clear coat?
I used gelcoat to restore my sailboat's deck. Probably the most stupid idea I ever had ! As you said, hours and hours of sanding because of orange skin from roller and brush marks. Sanding throught. Apply again a new coat that doesn't match 100% the previous one that already started to oxydise. What a pain ! And finally as expensive as awlgrip paint, if not more. Corners are a total nightmare to sand and polish. On the other hand, for the non skid, I used grey gelcoat with glass micro bead sprinckled on top, gelcoat again and PVA. Very happy of the gelcoat non skid. Very easy to apply as there is no sanding involved and it is rock solid. Thaks for the video, I which I had seen it 3 years ago !
Dear Sir .... , first of all thank you for those professional advices. I have a story that I had bought a second hand boat 4 years ago and I had no information on internet or elsewhere about renewing it.. You won't believe it, I had bought many cleaners(jelcoat cleaners, chemicals from the superstores) I had a very big experience about whitening a Gelcoat. But at the end I began to see mostly washed areas gelcoat had become very thin that you could barely see the fibers. Yesterday I got a gelcoat but forgot to add parafin not to stick to hand , that ruined all work because I couldn't do wet sanding because it hasn't become dry, after that I was dissapointed. I used thinner to take the sticky surface and sprayed acrylic paint because in 4 years I was really pissed off because of the gelcoat yellowing and rust stains. Day by day I had experience, ruined everything but now I had the most shiny and pure white surface of all time. The boat looks like brand new but I have a very big problem about painting is the "how do you say", "paint drops" "leaks" .. I'll try to solve this issue..
By the way I really enjoy dealing with my boat and watching your videos. I'm the boat renewing addictive guy that really loves gelcoat, fiberglass, sand papers, dust and etc :)
Please excuse me for typos and language errors. Kind Regards !
Andy you are the nicest!
People don’t deserve you!!!
Telling people it’s a talkie is enough!!
Ignore the haters!
No hate here. Love your video.. I have a restoration going on now. Watching many of videos! Decided to go with bottom coat, black paint, bass boat. Never more than a few hours in the water at one time. Have a few repairs first.. thank you for you videos. Don’t care what it looks like 😂.. just want want it solid 😊
Dude, great job Tampa here im restoring a 1981 Amen Plastic boat I had for over 20 years they only made 20 of these boats. already restored the floor now working on the out side. Have sum spider crack im dealing with now. Im doing this by myself. Is it better to due this in sections when I roll it out or have several measured cups ready to activate during this process with extra rollers. 🤔 your doing a great job.. Saving a lot of people money.
For those with a brain, who's not afraid to get dirty and work.
🤘😎🤘
Roll it straight out 🤔 it's a 18'
I appreciate the discussion and information. I am getting ready to do a complete resto on a boat and had heard different things on what needed to be done for the fiberglass hull. This helped to clarify the differences and gave me a better idea of the direction I plan on taking the project.
In a word, paint is better. My boat is an 89 Regal, the red gelcoat went white haze on me in less than 10 years, I put sealer primer on it and coated it with Nason Acrylic enamel and it looks as good today as the day I painted it. That was over 20 years ago. Paint is best!
Thank you for your info...
What did you do to prep the surface for paint?
Did you sand it down? Or is gel coat porus enough to just lay on the sealer on it then base coat?
What Zeke said..
@@zekedenton6268 if you don't prep before paint, it will peel. Prep with 600 grit
5 years old and videos still gold man appreciate the experienced advice, gonna go spray paint my boat this weekend 🤣
Thank you, thank you, thank you!!! You just saved me a LOT of work. Buying a 2001 Beneteau 361 for a 'great' price. The catch is the gelcoat in the cockpit was/is a mess and the owner pulled the boat from the shop after it sat for a year without finishing. So lots of sanded areas but no gelcoat replaced. I would rather finish sand/repair and paint the entire cockpit than try to mess with gelcoat at this point.
Good video, good info. I think from a technical perspective you should cover chemistry of each.
Gel Coats are, generally speaking, catalyzed thermosetting polyester resin with high viscosity (and film deposition thickness) and high chemical and UV resistance when cured. Paint is a far more varied type of product. There are latex polymer paints, acrylic paints, polyurethane paints, epoxy paints, etc.
I bring this up because polyurethane "paints" are becoming every bit as effective as polyester resin "gel coat." Gel coat can be chemically catalyzed with a hardener, or exposure to oxygen to begin the thermosetting process. Polyurethane paints also come in oxygen or chemical catalyzed variants. In particular, catalyzed acrylic polyurethanes adhere to themselves and other resins extremely well, and offer a polishable surface with similar thicknesses in multiple (usually two) coats as gelcoat.
Do you know a polishable polyurethane that works below the waterline?
This was extremely helpful. I have never been disappointed by any of your videos: practical, informative, nuanced and thorough. Many thanks!!
Greg Allman "it's not your cross to bare." You are teaching a class. I need to know all the ins and outs of everything. Please continue with the long winded videos. If people want to watch see some guy teach them to do a hack job, let them, it's not you and it' not me. Thank you for all your time
My sentiments entirely!!!
These videos are very informative, a must for any boat owner, even if you do not intend to do your own repairs -the insight in such detail you offer of all the options available is awesome. Well done, keep up the great work and please keep uploading!
Thank you VERY much!!!! I really appreciate the kind words :-)
Thanks for being a second well qualified and dispassionate mind on where to use gelcoat and where to paint...you helped me strategize refurbishing a 1976 Ranger 23 sailboat I'm doing for a friend....
I used to build boats and do boat repair in Florida we just built from a 14 foot up to a 18 foot bow rider and I only work with gelcoat but the one color I hated working on was white trying to get white to match was the hardest.
The one repair job I remember the most it was a 27 foot blackfin that had a 20 inch transom and it was on its way out but he had bought two motors that were for 25 inch transom so I had to get that out and raise it up .this was 30 years ago, but they came out with that signature finish paint or you could just roll it on and you could even tell him the boat year and color and they would match it but the funniest part the guy kept asking me am I sure this is gonna work, I told him I was positive. He said good. You’re going out with me. The first time we took it 40 miles offshore and we took wave over the back which one of the callings had a hole in it and we blew a motor. It was damaged during shipping.
I had never been offshore before. I am standing in angle deep border in a boat that I know it does not have an ounce of flotation lol after we got the water out, we could just we couldn’t get up on plane so we trolled the whole way back I was fine once we started catching kingfish .
But he couldn’t be happier with the job.
Unfortunately, when they sold the boat company, I left and went to work for a place. We made Fiberglass parts for the guy that bought. It knew nothing about Fiberglass or boats. And wanted me to do stuff I knew wouldn’t work and he went out of business a year later .
But I really miss working on boats and building something from start to finish instead of just parts
Hi, I just watched your video and it was brilliant, I am new to all this, I just bought an old fibreglass boat 12ft long and it does need some repairs but I don't want to spend a lot of money doing repairs, so I will look into painting as apposed to gelcoating, you are very inspiring thankyou Scott from Sydney Australia.
I'm a big fan of your channel. You are a very good teacher. It answers so many questions I had on various topics related to fiberglass and painting. Thank you!
One question I have, thar may be answered in the follow-ups of this video, is how you can detect you have sanded enough prior to applying a primer? Is it when there is no paint left, when the surface is smooth, or else? I'm afraid of removing too much, or not enough, by not knowing what to look for.
Thanks again!
Thanks Andy! I have a small fibreglass project coming up and going back over these how to videos is a tremendous help
This is really helpful. Thanks. I'm looking at older sailboats to buy (and work on) and one of them has a failed coat of poly paint that needs to be stripped off before restoring the surface. I think paint wins the argument like some of the other viewers mentioned earlier.
I HATE HATE HATE videos on youtube longer than 2 minutes. Except yours. Thank you!
Great videos. Those haters are stupid! You are taking time out of your day to tell us your tricks of the trade. And I've learned a lot watching! Can't say thank you enough!
Use some of the Ceramic coatings available and make the gel chemically resistant and the shine is raised by several notches. I applied Gyeon Pure and found fantastic results. It's a 2 year coating used on auto paint but had no problems bonding to gel coat.
There are some made for marine gel and would be best. I tried a sample area and then did my whole boat.
fabulous thanks for helping me make a painless decision quickly!! I have a 46' 1978 Pacemaker needs a total redo. beauty inside . it needs to be knockout shiney outside and easy to maintain. . paint it is.
Great videos! Love the knowledge you have on these subjects.
Am looking at doing a complete restoration and respray on a Haines Hunter 17C. The hull was originally gelcoated and the previous owner sprayed directly over the top of the gelcoat which is now peeling very bad.
Have spent the last couple of weeks sanding back the hull to the basically the fibreglass with a small amount of gelcoat still in place.
Am looking at respraying the complete hull with gelcoat.
I have a few of questions about further progress.
1. After completing the sanding, can I fill any scratches and imperfections with fibreglass body filler or am I better applying gelcoat with a scraper, then sanding to a flat finish.
2. After finishing filling all imperfections is it then ready for gelcoating or do I need to add a primer first?
3. How many coats of gelcoat do you recommend for a complete respray? If say two coats would I do the first coat with just gelcoat and hardener, and then apply the second with gelcoat, hardener and wax?
Thanks heaps.
How did your regelcoating end up? I am asking as I am in doubt as to apply gel coat or paint on boat from 1988.
Slowly working my way through your excellent videos for a boat restoration project I am hoping to start soon.
Thank you for taking the time to make them and for sharing.
ATB
Mac
+BigMacBushcraft Thanks for watching! Good luck on the project search :-)
HAHA!! I LOVE your videos!!! As soon as you said, "You don't have to hit the dislike button..." I went down and SLAMMED the LIKE button!!! You're great brother!! Learn loads and appreciate everything you share of your expertise.
Thank you for the video; I appreciate the time you took to make it. This has helped me decide how I will conduct the restoration of a 15' fiberglass Seaking Runabout that I recently acquired that requires a couple of hull repairs, some additional TLC, and a color change.
I’m in need of your expertise!! Love your channel! My wife and I have purchased a boat. It’s a 41’ concord sport fishing boat. 1974 model I might add. It’s in overall great shape. Very few stress cracks and it is fiberglass boat. It is gelcoat now and I want to paint it. We’re doing a haul out and pressure wash/bottom scrap and sanding anti fouling paint and all. My question is during the haul out could you give me tips on things I should do while it’s on dry dock. It has twin Detroit 4-71 160 hp Diesel engines that run very well. Not taking on ANY water anywhere . I’ve watched your videos and they are great and very informative. We have decided to go with totalboat products as they have now added the roll and tip additive to their lineup. Any advice is greatly appreciated. I’m going to attempt to upload photo.
Thank you, this is great info. I'm a wooden boat lover but considering fiberglass and I was curious as to the typical finish differences used on glass boats.
May be a bit late. . . but it's as informative and applicable today as it was a few years ago. Great job!!!
I understand in keeping with the K.I.S.S principle in a lot of what we do in life but I have a tendency, on OCCASION, to apply what's best for each situation or environment. One could apply the Gelcoat below the waterline (reaping its mayor benefits) and painting it above the waterline (reaping its benefits). I know, that it will require additional work and equipment but if its for a one off protect, why not? With an ever changing or expanding market products, today's options are either dated or obsolete. Thanks, enjoyed the video. Chao.
Good video.
Points I would make is that I've never seen even a great roller and tip off that looks as good as an even average spray job. Especially if it needs to match existing gel coat look
If you spray using high volume low pressure then over spray is less than an inch all around so not too messy.
If your doing a repair on an area where it will meet gel coat a good paint supplier will match gel coat colour and a spray of 2 pack matches the finish great. We have a formula that had damage to hull and as it wasn't easy to gel coat as gel coat ideally needs to be kept out of air when curing we decided to paint and after polishing gel coat and then spraying people of all experience ask if it's all been painted or its all gel coat no one can see difference in finish and it's over an area of about 9 square foot
Good info bro. I have a dive service business and this explains what I have run into around the water line and now I can pass the info on to my customers. Big thanks man.
I just got a boat project and this answered so many of my questions! Thank you!
Don't worry about the haters, you're helping us alot. Great video, very informative.
I have a 1973 Chris Craft Commander express cruiser. The gel coat on the hull is original and it looks very good. There is no possible way that paint would last this long. None. Zero. It would be all scratched and trashed. But my gel coat looks fantastic. Look at how many boats are out there with gel coat cockpit decks. They might not shine like the sun but they still look very good even after many years of hard use. But paint will not handle that. I think the main reason most pros like paint is that it is easier to apply and thus more profitable for them. But I am redoing my cockpit right now because the previous owner had to cut out the deck to install new gas tanks and I am certainly going to re-gel coat instead of paint.
Oddly enough this is exactly what I was looking for! Thank you!
I am just starting into the boat life and I want to learn how to do my own repairs and you've been a huge help with these videos. I have a question and I hope it doesn't sound too dumb but can you
do a layer of gel coat for the durability and then go over with paint for the high gloss?
Thank you so much.
Gone through tons of vids to try figure out what to do with a boat I've just purchased.
You've answered every question I have in one straight forward no b.s. Video.
Paint it is
Thank you
Thank you for the sharing of your expertise. I own an RV detail business and I'm always seeking knowledge.
excellent advise, I am going to be painting my hull soon and I thought of gelcoat for about a second and this video was a deciding factor.
Ah yes wise one...
Thanks for a well articulated and fact based explanation on this topic - It's near and dear to my heart as I just initiated a restoration project using Awlgrip and techniques learned from your previous videos - much appreciated and spot on!
+Chip Plyler awesome Chip! Feel free to post some progress pics on my Facebook page! I'm sure others would love to follow along ;-)
Andy,
I just started watching your videos about boat repair and the detail you go through is incredible. I am blown away by your ability to keep me interested. You have excellent people skills even on a video. I loved this last one that was all words.
I listened twice or more, in some places, and feel more confident now to take on my 23 Mako Project. You have me fired up Dude, thinking I can do it! Lol
What is your opinion on Rust-oleum Oil Based Paint. I have done it before on another boat that came out fine, but I didn't have your extra training to take it to deeper steps that build picture perfect appearance, as you say.
I think this project is going to come out great! Your thoughts or comments are certainly welcome.
If I get in trouble I'll try to get in touch.
By the way the guitar playing in the back ground is nice touch.
Craig Dickson ~ just noticed I was on my wife's account. It ain't her buddy. LMAO!
Fully rolled on my small fiberglass pool with gelcoat. It hardened up decent. But even after a week it still remains to have the slightest tack to it. Later in the summer im going to sand it down and recoat with high build epoxy pool paint.
Hi Andy. I'm pretty well a lurker, but I appreciate the help you give. I'm inquiring now with the Alexseal distributor here in Canada and included your information, so I hope that helps you in some way. Best regards!
Your videos are very helpful for a first timer. I plan to make repairs to my 2003 Polaris waverunner that has a hole in it that I wasn’t aware of until engine and fuel tank removed. I think I plan to sand down bottom and repair dings and apply new gel coat. I think. Plan to patch hole to full thickness using your techniques. I have some chop strand material. Question I have is I think I should buy the total boat epoxy but should I use slow hardener or fast. Also suggestions to your website would be to list items you use in your videos and link to purchase. Plus if you could label your videos where multiple ones are needed for project would be helpful for people new to your channel. Part 1, part 2, etc. great work thank you.
This is an incredibly helpful, information-filled overview -- Thank you!
I am a fan of yours, I have an 81 trawler restoring and has gel coat that has many spider cracks and rust stains, have watched your videos on AlexSeal and have chosen to paint over the Gel coat. My QUESTION, Is that O.K. how far do I need to sand? Do I need grey primer first? I can follow instructions. Have a Blessed Easter.
I didn't know about rolling and tipping. After looking into it, I think I'll use it thanks!
Your videos save my butt every season. Keep up the great work!
whaler 170 dauntless
whaler revenge 22
mako 21 CC
I just finished replacing the stringers,bulkhead and deck on my 93 Stratos bass boat. It is a red gelcoat with the glitter like a typical bass boat. My question is, can I paint over the gelcoat using topside and below the waterline paint? Or do I have to completely remove the gelcoat.
This video provides the exact information I was looking for - and I have been looking for awhile! I have a 14ft sailboat that had much more damage to the hull than I had anticipated. I am almost finished with fiberglass repair, and have been contemplating what to do next. Thanks for your adivce!
Great information. I have used both gel and paint. Love how gel works
Hey Andy I'm getting ready to restore my old 261 mako that's fiberglass I've redecked gotta lot of Res and work in polyester and going to re gel coat the whole boat and I'm going to spray it sound like a correct way of doing it 2 coats without wax, good third coat with wax.
Then buff lol
Great presentation ! It just seems overly obvious you're considering paint a much better option than gelcoat. What is the remaining motivation for gelcoat then: looks or the fact standard new boats tend to come with gelcoat?
With the exception of gel coat being the easiest to repair a small spot (and that seems to be a close race really), I didn't hear any advantages of using gel coat over paint. I take that back, he did say you could buff out a small scratch with gel coat and not see it where paint would still show the scratch. But overall, it sounds like paint is the way to go (based off what I just heard).
Buy paint pens with your specific colors to handle scratches and gouges, but yea, sounds like paint it cheaper and easier and arguably better minus buffing out small scuffs.
I have a boat that was painted badly over the original 1973 metal flake gel coat. I want to paint it to the original color scheme. My question is how far should i sand it down? get the crappy paint off for sure but will the original metal flake cause me any problems. Thanks for your videos they are very informative and I enjoy watching them.
I appreciate these videos. The advice given is great.
I am having a professional full gel coat restoration of my 2006 Chris-Craft...with a very experienced professional who works on high end boats of all sizes. I asked about switching to paint for this project. He was open to the paint option but asked whether the boat would spend most of its time in (fresh) water or if it would be pulled out of the water after use. In my case I expect my boat to be in the water most of the summer at a marina in a covered slip. His recommendation in that case was to stick with gel coat. Thoughts?
Great information here, both clear and objective. Why people would 'thumbs down' this is confusing.... Keep up the good work! 👍
Excellent video buddy, I'm at that stage now and I think after these videos I've made my mind up what I'm going for this time 👍
Restoring a fiberglass hull, and I appreciate the advice!
Getting ready for a restoration, thank you for the well put together information!
Great information. As a amateur boat builder I only used paint over the finished epoxied hull. As you mentioned easier to do and get a great finish. What is that beauty right behind you as your backdrop, sweet looking hull section
Great information,,I am just now trying to decide if I want to restore a fiberglass boat I have or not. I am a little experienced working with fiberglass, wood and metal, they painting and coatings have me wondering what direction I should go. As I am not convinced yet if I want to do this project, your videos are very helpful of course you make it all look pretty easy. Thanks, I am sure you will see more comments from me as I have just found your youtube channel and exploring the videos.
I really like your style of educating us. Thank YOU!
Thanks for the info. I’m doing a small rehab job on the inside of my pilot house boat. I stripped out some old wallpaper and was trying to decide whether to gel coat the walls or paint. It sounds like paint might be the way to go. I’m really not to concerned about it having a perfectly smooth surface. Unless you have some suggestions, I’ll look for a good quality marine grade paint. The boat is not going to be kept on the water.
Where was this a few weeks ago when I needed it? Ended up painting over a re-gelcoat job on a 10' sailing dinghy hull.
Just saw the first video and subscribed. This is a no brained! Thanks for helping me with what I need to do moving forward.
He a very nice guy, always explaining, so we newbies get to learn! 😁
I need some advice. I have an piranha style powerboat, about 4m long. The old gelcoat has cracked on like 50% of the boat. The gelcoat has also been sanded away in certain spots for fiberglass repairs.
Do I need to put a new gelcoat on (I know my way around spray painting) or will numerous coats of epoxy paint be just as good? I'm not talking about looks, just protection of the fiberglass. I understand the gelcoat is a layer that protects the fiberglass from the elements, will a good 2k epoxy paint be just as good for protecting the fiberglass or not?
have you since figured out how to approach this?
16th of an inch? I just picked up a 97 sea ray 175 and the gel coat around the top edge of the boat seems like it has a texture it is so wore out. where the stripe is coming off there is a definite ridge between under the stripe and the rest. You think this is sandable? Under the rub rail it is fine. Kinda hard to describe. clear, concise video. thanks.
I watched a lot of these videos. I like this guy. I may have missed it but I'm trying to learn for the first time how to do about of these things. I have yet to learn if you can primer a fiberglass body to seal bondo and then use gelcoat. I have an old fiberglass camper I am redoing and the gelcoat is gone on the top along with about of places that were damaged.
I've been debating if I should put a Gel coat over the fiberglass shell I'm putting over a 10 foot wooden sailing dinghy. (it needs the fiberglass to water proof the hull)
After a few days of thinking about it, I've decided to paint it. The main reason being the gel coat would ad a lot of weight to it. The fiberglass cloth and resin has already added few pounds and I just don't want make a small LIGHT dinghy ------------------------ heavy.
Great commentary. I am preparing to paint my fiberglass boat and was looking for this information and you nailed it. Thx.
Great information. Does the material matter below the water line? I have repaired the fiberglass at the keel where it was beached and scraped up (24" by 2"). I am now going to try to match the existing go with with white gel coat and then a grey paint. Any comments would be appreciated.
Thanks for taking time and explaining the difference!
Just the info / conversation I was looking for! Excellent