Glen-L.com

Hey Everyone!

I have been reading different things about a variety of paints and have come to the conclusion that a gel coat is the way to go for bottom and top coat. Has anyone sprayed this on their boat? If so is it easy to work with?
Thanks!
Greg

No it's not easy. You need special equipment (spray equipment and respirator) and it has to be sprayed over a fibreglass base. Gelcoat is polyester so it won't stick properly to epoxy, so your boat as to be covered in polyester/glass first which is not a good material to use over wood.
If you're really worried what would be far better is to simply paint your boat in epoxy paint as I did, you have the water resistance and toughness of epoxy, but without the UV degredation problem of clear resin.
You can spray it for best results (still needs a proper respirator), but by using a slow hardener and the correct thinner you can get excellent results with a roller.

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Graham in Shepperton, England

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Hey!

Ok I will scratch the gel coat idea.......

I do have a resperator although I need to purchase a different cartridge for it. I am planing to buy a spray gun in order to get a nice result.

Wow trying to find the right paint has been a task. There are so many varieties out there and with so many different applications. All I want is to paint the entire boat with one paint. It seems that bottom paints are only available in a handful of colors but provide excellent protection. Then you have top coats that are much more diverse in color but do not fair well under the water line...

Would epoxy paint work as both a bottom and top coat? If so what brand would you recommend? Also for applying painted graphics, can you use an acrlic based paint shot with an air brush and then apply a clear epoxy sealer over that or will it peal?

Sorry about all the questions. I just want to do this right the first time.

Thanks!
Greg

OK, first of all yes you can use epoxy both above and below the waterline (is that what you meant by "bottom and top coat"?). Yes you can use acrylic paint over epoxy for colour trim, but you can't use clear epoxy over it as it may react, and also clear epoxy still needs UV protection in the form of varnish. There should be no need to use a clear coat over your acrylic trim though, acrylic is fine on it's own.
As for brands of epoxy paint it's really a matter of what you can get in your area, the one I use is a German (I think) make called Epodur made by Lechler, it's what my paint supplier stocks and is as good as any I've used. If you buy it from a proper paint supplier they should be able to make just about any colour you want.
I used WEST System for the epoxy encapsulation, then Epodur epoxy primer followed by Epodur epoxy gloss topcoat, so it's an epoxy finish throughout which is very durable and will avoid paint compatibility problems in future if it needs refinishing following repair.

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Graham in Shepperton, England

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Graham,

Thanks for the useful information!

Tomorrow I will call the local marine place to find out what they carry...

Greg

If I were you I'd try a place that supplies paint for industries, like auto repairs and that kind of thing, epoxy paint is often used for stuff like truck chassis and other applications where a hard wearing finish is required.
A marine paint supplier is likely to be much more expensive as the word "boat", or worse still "yacht" on the tin always seems to add a few noughts to the price!

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Graham in Shepperton, England

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