I just completed repairs on my new boat [gouges in the paint]. Someone apparently tried to steal it with the mast up and on the trailer. My boat is painted so I sanded down the areas by hand and filled in the gouges with west epoxy with bubbles. After this I used a tip brush. I applied 6 coats of primer and paint [sanding each one down by hand]. I can't find the repaired areas now.
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<br>My other boat has gel coat and is a 1980 model. I have been sanding [orbital sander and lots of sanding disks of different grits 60-300] down the gel to the pink [thats the color of the material behind the glass] and will long bow it to create a smooth painting surface. After that I will take the boat somewhere inside and go over it completely. You need a spray bottle with water to see the imperfections [ridges,depressions,etc]. just enough to get it wet. The key to refinishing is the prep work. The more prep you do the less fear of screwing up the finish you have. The one key tool is the orbital sander as well as the long bow.
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<br>I will use Awlgrip primer and then racing paint everywhere except the very bottom where it will get VC Offshore. This stuff dries hard and can be scrubbed to a smooth finish with steelwool. The process is slow and time consuming if done correctly. The painting process has some danger involved depending on what you use. Some materials can be inhaled and when inside your lungs it hardens. So investigate what ever you decide to use thoroughly!!! I haven't decided if I will do my spray painting or not. Another major problem is the time to set it up and take it down. If you work your time is limited. I sell real estate and just about half the time I start to sand/prep some problem comes up and I have to leave. So I have to put everything up then or when I get back. The reason I am going to paint instead of gel coating is the gel coat can add a huge amount of weight very quickly with a novice doing the spraying. Good luck...
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<br>Fair winds,
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<br>Thom
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