Repainting fiberglass bass boat

[tnoutdoorgirl69]

Hi all,

hey guys, i am a country girl married to the best bass fisherman in this state, but he's in Iraq right now. His other baby is out in the garage waiting for him, and since we're not rich or well off enough to buy a beautiful new Triton like he wants, I am going to A. have it painted or B. Do it myself. I have had alot of experience with helping to repaint trucks for auctions, and I am a TOTAL self help DIY person who doesn't mind alot of patience and work, but I need to know I'm doing it right. I have exhausted the search engines on here looking for instructions. I have found interlux primer, roll and dip, but what is the paint that's best, how much do I need for an 18ft bass boat, and exactly what materials, prep stuff, types of stuff and technique should I use? Anyone who has accomplished this great task recently, PLEASE HELP. It seems the products in 2007-8 would be great if you know about them. My husband would really really be pleased to see his baby with a great new look. I don't mind the expense of the paint, he's worth it, so don't hold back on the best stuff you know of. Thanks!

[Alpster]

Dear tnoutdoorgirl69,

Welcome to the forum. One of the moderators will likely move your post to the boat section of the forum, so don't worry if that happens.

Thank you for sacrificing your time with your husband. I appreciate his service and your allowing him to serve.

As to your question, fiberglass refinishing is really not a DIY project. Please don't think for a second that I am saying you shouldn't do it because you are a girl, or you are not able to paint stuff. The fact of the matter is, it is not paint. The fiberglass itself is pigmented with a colored dye when the boat is built. The glossy finish is an epoxy gel coat that is sprayed in the mold before the boat hull is cast. The gel coat can be refinished but it takes specialized tools and expertise. I would call around to your local marinas and tell your story. Ask who is the best around at refinishing boat hulls. I bet you will find someone who is willing to help you for a reasonable price. There are a few experts here on fiberglass (LBH where are you) who might have better suggestions. Sorry I can't be more help.

Ronnie

[cart7t]

As Ronnie said, boat hulls are a different animal than a vehicle. With a car you sand down to the metal, primer then paint then clearcoat.  With a boat, there's nothing to sand down to but fiberglass.  Not exactly a smooth surface to work from.

You can paint a hull but just know that the end results will be vastly different than what a vehicle's final look would be.  First off, just how bad is the condition of the gelcoat now?  Can you feel the metal flake through the existing gelcoat?  You may have other options.  I'd suggest posting a few pictures of your currents boat finish, there might be other methods to salvage the hull surface besides painting.

[Daiwa]

Like cart said, post some pictures.

[tnoutdoorgirl69]

Thanks, guys. Good advice. I wasn't sure about it after a full day of searching just for anyone who ever had. There are many marinas and boat places around here in LBL territory. Before he went back to finish out his 15 months this time, we got to go fishing on KY Lake/Tn River. It was AWESOME. Of course, fish are spawning here, but it was still a thrill to catch as many as we did. Great weather here, hope others are having as much luck as we did. We do some tournament fishing locally, and I always hate to see him wince at the other guy's sharp looking rigs. I'll try to get pics posted,; the clear coat is actually most of the bad look. The sparkles* underneath are dulling in many places where the clearcoat is peeling off. Some of the trim is starting to dry-rot, but I figure a srewdriver and new rubber will fix the details. He doesn't get to fish for always being overseas for the last few years, but when he's here, you don't want to be competing against him. (Actually, I won the last one, but we say that real low here). Again, thanks, and if nothing else, I have really enjoyed that I found this forum. Great tips and stories.

[Way2slow]

Painting a boat that has gel coat is hard to do.  There are very few products on the market that will stay on it.  They look great to start with but after about a year, if you get a chip in the finish, that chiped place just keeps growing.  What few that are available are very expensive.  Awlgrip is one product that people have had pretty good succes with but like I said, it ain't cheap.

Most of the pro's that really know what they are doing say if you want to sell a boat, paint it but if you want to keep it, gel coat it.  Well, that's also about a $5,000 process.