Painting over gelcoat

[BellBoyBob]

Hi all:

Now that I have seen the top of my cabin freshly painted (not sanded and buffed for the umpteenth time!) I am becoming very interested in possibly painting the top side of the BB from the rub rail up. I am thinking about John Kelley's scheme of red on top and ivory below. My plan would be to sand everything down with 220 grit, fill, sand again, prime and then paint the color coats with Petit one-part epoxy. I really like the gloss finish of this paint but would defer to any of you that think another way to go is better? The clean, new look is really tempting me...Any advice on how to prepare and what to use?

Thanks,

Bob

Hi all:

Now that I have seen the top of my cabin freshly painted (not sanded and buffed for the umpteenth time!) I am becoming very interested in possibly painting the top side of the BB from the rub rail up. I am thinking about John Kelley's scheme of red on top and ivory below. My plan would be to sand everything down with 220 grit, fill, sand again, prime and then paint the color coats with Petit one-part epoxy. I really like the gloss finish of this paint but would defer to any of you that think another way to go is better? The clean, new look is really tempting me...Any advice on how to prepare and what to use?

Thanks,

Bob

Bob
Just like you say above but use a good dewaxer before sanding if you have used wax on it and after the primer go over it with 404 Wet/dry sandpaper using a bucket of warm water with just a drop of dish soap and a hose to rinse as you go. Should be awesome! Barry

[Tim_Mattson]

Dripping Red here....

Hey Bob,
Spent all weekend rolling out Red ,then added some White to set it off.
Now all my rags are pink and a trail of red drips from wetsanding outline the perimeter of the Pac Mariner.
The Red Polyureathane by Interlux really layed out flat and the white on the foredeck really looks glossy.Can`t bring myself to put non-skid on the gloss so the bow rails will see some use.
I did put some Interdeck grit onto the walkaround portions,then re-coated to seal it and get the red to not look pink where the texture was different.
Now for the splashwell after the final dabs of white around the helm/Dash.
Now the old hardware is looking really shabby......decision time,re-use ,replace or renew......
Sorry no pics ,camera still holding them hostage.
Tim M

[Karl]

Tim:

I'm waiting on my shipment from Jamestown with some Interlux Brightside Yellow for my Glasscraft. A couple of questions?

Did you use any of the Brushing Liquid? If so, what percentage?
Did you roll on and then brush with foam or china brush?

Thanks,

Karl

[Tim_Mattson]

Rolling and tipping

Karl,
Tried several different brushes,found my Badger hair brush worked the best ,Foam a close second and better for applying in hard corners.The foam work well but don`t stand up and you need spares ready for action.
I use low profile CVS Rollers with a 5-10% brushing reducer.
Accelerator works well to,can`t find the dosage so I use a splash from the $30.00 bottle.
Having the hull pre-warmed also seems to help prevents sags.
This paint really highlights flaws so patches and repairs do need primer/sealer and sanding until it is soft and fuzzy looking.
Wetsand in between the coats,then the money coat will look really wet.Wipe with 2333 and frequent rag change.
Goodluck,yellow is tough and don`t worry after the first thin coat ,just keep it from dripping.
The white I put on the Mariner dash really set off the red,damn camera won`t let me show it off.......Let`s see if this worked or not,then I`ll repost in the Main for all to gaze on.
TimM

[BellBoyBob]

Hey Tim:

I am going to use the Pettit Easypoxy one-part polyurethane. I will de-wax, sand with 220, prime with the Pettit primer, sand again and check for flaws. I have a few tight spaces that I need to get to painting the top side. You would recommend the foam brushes for that? Rolling the large areas and tipping with the brush practically guarantees against sagging, right? Hope so. I am doing this alone, so I want to be as prepared for an issue-free application.

Also, I have on my BB, perfect emblems that I am really loathe to pry off and risk breaking. We all know how difficult it is to find new ones!! Its going to be tricky masking them off and painting inside of some of the letters! Have you any tips for successfully removing these emblems? I believe they are attached to brads and then hammered into the side of the boat. On the inside, there is a glassed-in a small wood backboard piece. If I leave them on the boat and mask them, should I spray that area red instead of brushing?

Thanks,
Bob

[Tim_Mattson]

More painting stuff

Bob,
I use the roller and two brushes,one for tipping the other a smaller foam for applying in the corners and skinny areas.
Can`t guarentee sag-proofing unless you paint in a heated area.I cheat with the accelerator additive but also have the paint getting tacky if I roll out too large an area.Some hulls have fewer squared panels and a hull with all radiused corners and squared corners can be tough to keep a wet edge sometimes.
I "Re-hearse" the topcoat painting while priming ,usually figure out where to start and stop by the time paint is applied.
The emblems I usually remove by drilling the fasteners with a quality drill bit.Sometimes a sharp chisel and bold effort will wipe it away with no trouble.
You could try the spray masking stuff and then peel away the area to paint.
My projects never have good chrome so I haven`t had to hold back.
TimM

[FINS]

I have to agree with the white base under the red. The bottom of our Tolly was a real surprise on how many coats the red took to cover and look good. I am pretty new to painting so had a question that may have some merit in this discussion. Since BellBoyBob is painting over white gelcoat, does it still need a primer, or just a well preped/sanded surface? I would also love to hear some input from those that paint marine surfaces professionally on the Interlux line of paints. We used all Interlux products on the Tolly and were really pleased. How do these compare with Awlgrip or Sterling?

[Nomad55]

Many thanks for the input on fillers.I've done a fair amount of auto painting over the years past and red was a popular color choice, all too often IMO,for that reason alone I have never painted one of my cars red. I learned from an old timer that if you really what a red paint job to pop use a yellow undercoat. It's amazing how the use of light or dark undercoats / primer will change the hue of the final color. I would think it would be the same with marine paints as well.

[BellBoyBob]

Ammonia as a dewaxing agent?

Hi
I have heard that ammonia will do the job of an expensive dewaxer. Have any of you had this experience?
Thanks,
Bob

[El Blanco]

Just a simple question.....I see that everyone rolls epoxy paint... Don't you get a better finish if it were sprayed HVLP?? Just wondering??

Great advice Bellboy !! I'm a newbie so every bit of info helps.