Boat paint suggestions?

[ITD]

BD, I painted an old sunfish many years ago. The fiberglass finish was dull and oxidized. I sanded the whole boat and applied an epoxy paint, it came out great, almost like new and still looks good many years later. There are epoxy paints made for fiberglass, they are not cheap and as mentioned before, prep is very important, but I think it's the best way to go.

[CateP]

Originally Posted by ITD

BD, I painted an old sunfish many years ago. The fiberglass finish was dull and oxidized. I sanded the whole boat and applied an epoxy paint, it came out great, almost like new and still looks good many years later. There are epoxy paints made for fiberglass, they are not cheap and as mentioned before, prep is very important, but I think it's the best way to go.

For my dull and oxidized sail boats I use Marykate On & Off to remove stains (amazing stuff, works great) and then use a buffer with oxidation remover.

A shiny gelcoat bottom on a Sunfish (and topsides on other boats) should last longer than our lifetimes with proper care. Once you start down the "painting" path you are in for a lot more maintenance as paint scratches and wears off. It doesn't take much to make a paint job look crappy after a little wear and tear.

[ITD]

Originally Posted by CateP

For my dull and oxidized sail boats I use Marykate On & Off to remove stains (amazing stuff, works great) and then use a buffer with oxidation remover.

A shiny gelcoat bottom on a Sunfish (and topsides on other boats) should last longer than our lifetimes with proper care. Once you start down the "painting" path you are in for a lot more maintenance as paint scratches and wears off. It doesn't take much to make a paint job look crappy after a little wear and tear.

This boat was beyond buffing, it was a $150 special that was in good shape except with a few holes and a couple of cracks and the finish was beyond buffing out. Some glass and resin to fix the holes and cracks, a lot of sanding then about 2 quarts of epoxy paint and it still looks great, about 25 years later. YMMV

[CateP]

Originally Posted by ITD

This boat was beyond buffing, it was a $150 special that was in good shape except with a few holes and a couple of cracks and the finish was beyond buffing out. Some glass and resin to fix the holes and cracks, a lot of sanding then about 2 quarts of epoxy paint and it still looks great, about 25 years later. YMMV

Ahh. Epoxy paint!! Never used it , but sounds like a solution.