Gelcoat over epoxy undercoat?

[s/v Jedi]

I believe it’s shown that paint is the correct approach for cases like these. I’ll explain my recommendation to use Awlgrip 545 primer a bit more:

545 is an epoxy primer. It has a very high bonding as well as penetrating action, getting into every little crack and completely stabilizing the surface. I would do prep followed by one coat, then do sanding, fairing, sanding until happy with smoothness, then follow up with one more coat 545 which I thin more than instructions say to minimize sanding.

Think of the topcoat as UV protection for the 545, protection against chemicals as well as some bling to make it look nice. The topcoat may be expensive, but you thin it down so much that you only need very little product to go a long way. For rolling, I thin it to 50% which eliminates the need for tipping with a brush for white paint (and I’m told all light colors but never tried that myself).

There are more brands than Awlgrip and I’m sure they can be good as well but I don’t think they will beat Awlgrip.

[rslifkin]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

There are more brands than Awlgrip and I’m sure they can be good as well but I don’t think they will beat Awlgrip.

The only one that might is Imron (judging by how well it's held up on many Hatteras boats, etc.), but I'm pretty sure it has to be sprayed. However, some of the other paints like Awlgrip are more repairable than Awlgrip which might be an advantage even if they don't hold up quite as long.

[Chotu]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

The only one that might is Imron (judging by how well it's held up on many Hatteras boats, etc.), but I'm pretty sure it has to be sprayed. However, some of the other paints like Awlgrip are more repairable than Awlgrip which might be an advantage even if they don't hold up quite as long.

I think all the two-part linear polyurethane paint now have a couple of different lines. There is the standard old line that is not repairable. It’s like a plastic skin. It crinkles off. Then there is the new softer type. Please forgive that I don’t remember the terminology. But with the new softer type, you can buff things out and repaint and blend things together with a buffer. I think all of the major paint brands carry both types.

When it comes to rolling and tipping, it’s all about the reducer. There’s nothing else involved. It doesn’t matter what paint you start with. You just have to get a roll and tip reducer for it which most manufacturers also have.

I looked pretty seriously at rolling and tipping my boat, but, when it came down to it, spraying was much much faster and easier and cheaper. I sprayed the whole boat in two days. Catamaran. Ridiculous amount of surface area. The first day was the primer. I used a high build. That got a quick sanding over to make sure it was smooth. The boat was already fair of course. The faring was done with an epoxy faring mix that we brewed up in house. Gee. I wonder why am allergic to epoxy? LOL.


Then from there I just sprayed the entire topcoat in one shot in a single day. I have had a lot of experience painting before this, so it wasn’t hard for me to pick up a sprayer for the first time and produce a perfect result. I may have one or two tiny little drips that you can see in the finish here or there. Literally one or two on the whole boat. No Fish eyes. Because it’s all about prep.

PS: I don’t think there’s anything really special about about awlgrip. It’s just been the standard for a long time. Just like epoxy. You can use West system, but you can use anything else and it’s just as good for the most part. Same with paint. I mean, look at cars. They use whatever two-part linear polyurethane paint from the automotive lines. They hold up just fine. Same is true of paint on your boat. I have imron. I’m at like five years now and there is no change in the finish. Nothing. It looks like the day I painted it. It’s incredibly freeing to have an always shiny boat without having to wax it all the time. So there are lots and lots of paints to choose from. It’s an example of a case where you don’t need to choose something that is a marine product. Because they’re all mostly the same.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Chotu

I think all the two-part linear polyurethane paint now have a couple of different lines. There is the standard old line that is not repairable. It’s like a plastic skin. It crinkles off. Then there is the new softer type. Please forgive that I don’t remember the terminology. But with the new softer type, you can buff things out and repaint and blend things together with a buffer. I think all of the major paint brands carry both types.

When it comes to rolling and tipping, it’s all about the reducer. There’s nothing else involved. It doesn’t matter what paint you start with. You just have to get a roll and tip reducer for it which most manufacturers also have.

I looked pretty seriously at rolling and tipping my boat, but, when it came down to it, spraying was much much faster and easier and cheaper. I sprayed the whole boat in two days. Catamaran. Ridiculous amount of surface area. The first day was the primer. I used a high build. That got a quick sanding over to make sure it was smooth. The boat was already fair of course. The faring was done with an epoxy faring mix that we brewed up in house. Gee. I wonder why am allergic to epoxy? LOL.


Then from there I just sprayed the entire topcoat in one shot in a single day. I have had a lot of experience painting before this, so it wasn’t hard for me to pick up a sprayer for the first time and produce a perfect result. I may have one or two tiny little drips that you can see in the finish here or there. Literally one or two on the whole boat. No Fish eyes. Because it’s all about prep.

PS: I don’t think there’s anything really special about about awlgrip. It’s just been the standard for a long time. Just like epoxy. You can use West system, but you can use anything else and it’s just as good for the most part. Same with paint. I mean, look at cars. They use whatever two-part linear polyurethane paint from the automotive lines. They hold up just fine. Same is true of paint on your boat. I have imron. I’m at like five years now and there is no change in the finish. Nothing. It looks like the day I painted it. It’s incredibly freeing to have an always shiny boat without having to wax it all the time. So there are lots and lots of paints to choose from. It’s an example of a case where you don’t need to choose something that is a marine product. Because they’re all mostly the same.

When you spray, choices are countless but for rolling it isn’t. It is not just the reducer, you also need a special brushing converter (H3002 for Awlgrip).

I see more advantages in the more durable topcoat than in repairability.