Paint or Wet Sand

[3rdDonzi]

I've got a '95 18'Classic, all white with yellow deck and waterline stripe.
Both the deck and waterline stripe have faded to the point that compound and polish will not wake them up. The rest of the gel (white) is in new condition.
Been told that wet sanding could bring them back .
My question is would it be better to try having a professional wet sand the stripes or just have them re painted during the off season? What kind of paint? What might the cost difference be?
Thanks,
3d

[Pismo]

My hullsides and stripe were red (even worse) and I finally gave up and went to paint and it has been great so far (2 seasons) PPG 2 coats and 2 coats of clear on a primer base so 5 coats total.

[Buddyc]

Im a painter for a living, wetsanding may help but it may be short lived. For the sake of just the stripe, Maybe you can looking into Vinyl? Its inexpensive and holds up well.
Im painting my 18 in the next couple months, Im using Sikkens Basecoat Clearcoat on the whole boat. Bc/Cc is nice because you wont get the buildup edge as you would in Imron. Paint the Basecoat, Peel your tape line and make a new line about 1/8th inch past the stripe... wetsand and rub it out... the stripe edge will be far less noticable

[mrfixxall]

before you bust your tail on wet sandinf try fountain ot youth products first,chit really works..

first step is vibra cut then wash and let dry then do totally buff then wash again and let it dry then follow up with vitro wax..

before
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/attachments/fiberglass-paint/451083d1308580790-vibra-cut-2011-06-08_10-49-01_418.jpg

After

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/attachments/fiberglass-paint/451090d1308582249-vibra-cut-2011-06-10_14-09-10_557.jpg

trend here
http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/fiberglass-paint/256160-vibra-cut.html

http://www.fountainofyouthrestore.com/Fountain_of_Youth-Home_of_Power_One/Fountain_of_Youth_Home.html

[JimG]

Find someone who REALLY knows his way around a buffer. Not one of those little car buffers either. A real buffer, real 3m compound and a pro who knows how to do it. My glass guy, Sonny Castro, is a freaking magician. You just cannot believe what he just did to EricH's 1976 18. It was trashed. Looks new now....He did mine too. Looks amazing...

[VetteLT193]

Find someone who REALLY knows his way around a buffer. Not one of those little car buffers either. A real buffer, real 3m compound and a pro who knows how to do it. My glass guy, Sonny Castro, is a freaking magician. You just cannot believe what he just did to EricH's 1976 18. It was trashed. Looks new now....He did mine too. Looks amazing...

To find a 'good guy' I suggest going to local boat dealers that take trades. They usually have a guy on hand that will make used boats look like new again. I have seen some of the work done at one marina and it's flat out astounding.

Now... on the other hand, if you want to be 'done' with it for many years, paint it. Awlgrip is what I'd use. My current boat is PPG and it's good too.

[Kirbyvv]

I brought my '78 x-18 back using 3M superduty, followed by 3M finese it, then wax. The 3M superduty compound is like liquid sand. I used a right angle buffer and did all the work myself. It was very faded, and I'd say it came back to 90-95%. I did probably put about 60 hours total into it though.

[mattyboy]

Kirby the boat does look GREAT :yes: :yes: !!! but 60hrs??? thats is alot of time I would rather spend 60hrs riding in a painted boat then 60hrs of riding a buffer on a boat.

I have 2 friends both with black boats the worst color for maint on a boat.

one is original gel the other is black paint both boat live on lifts so water is not an issue. the gel boat starts out great after much time spent getting it that way. The other is wash and wax. in 2 weeks time the gel looks chalky but the paint still shines.the paint on the boat is almost 9 years old and it looks like the day it left the booth.

for stripes and deck, paint is a no-brainer in my book

[Conquistador_del_mar]

With paint, you have a high gloss that will last virtually forever. Gelcoat demands constant maintenance. Any of the paints mentioned are great candidates for the job. I did my 1971 18' with Imron only because I am so used to shooting it on boats, but I do my classic cars with PPG BC/CC. Bill

[Kent Perroux]

This is 30 year old gelcoat that was restored by a local proffessional. The blue sides and top stripe are better than new. The white polished up great, but had bleached whiter and mis-matched the inside so I am having all the white re-gelled.

Kent

[joseph m. hahnl]

If you want scratches and chips:clap:. Paint is great for that :wink:

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

With paint, you have a high gloss that will last virtually forever. Gelcoat demands constant maintenance. Any of the paints mentioned are great candidates for the job. I did my 1971 18' with Imron only because I am so used to shooting it on boats, but I do my classic cars with PPG BC/CC. Bill I agree with Bill 100% and also spray Imron , & if you can spray Imron you can spray Awlgrip ,because they both are..... a very wet paint . Hey guy , i have to say that PPG , base coat , clear coat , can make the worst painter in the world look like a seasoned pro because it is very forgiving and buff's like butter .

[smokediver]

I always wet a surface down and if it looks good wet chances are it just needs a good compounding / polish or it may need to be sanded but I wouldn't paint it without sanding it down and then compound and polish. I am a 3m fan but there are other products on the market. Just take your time and don't skip any steps.

[Tony]

I wet-sanded my '96 22 when I bought it in 2006. It was a very labor intensive process, but turned out great. I wish I only had the deck and boot stripes to deal with, since my red hullsides add quite a bit of square feet to the job! With only the two stripes, you could easily tackle that by hand, starting with a 600 or 800 grit and working your way up to 1500 then your 3m or similar buffing compound. Here's an old thread with details;

http://www.donzi.net/forums/showthread.php?t=45432&highlight=pink

Since the wet-sanding I have used Leverage Polish twice a year, and simply hose and dry the boat after use. (I trailer to locations.) In my opinion the gel still looks very good, and I am glad that I went this route.

You've got a lot of good options as suggested in this thread, but don't be afraid of a little elbow grease to restore the original gel. Choose a polish with UV protection and the gel should continue to look great for many years to come.

Good luck!

:beer:

[VetteLT193]

If you want scratches and chips:clap:. Paint is great for that :wink:

You haven't had a quality painted boat before I see.

[joseph m. hahnl]

You haven't had a quality painted boat before I see.
Is there such a thing?

http://www.biblepicturegallery.com/samples/ca/teaching/x_teach/apologet/Who%20knows%20Man%20shrugging%20his%20shoulders%20 wearing%20a%20Q.gif

[Buddyc]

Some people just don't get it ...

[silverghost]

While were are talking Paint vs Gell.

Is there ANY paint that will hold-up on a boat's side while actually sitting IN the water ?
Now remember the sides & stern of a Donzi 16 , 18 or 22 is actually sitting in the water in the stern and aft side boat areas.
I keep all my boats actually sitting IN the water all summer long.
Will ANY paint hold up while actually in constant water contact ?

I doubt it ?

[Conquistador_del_mar]

Is there such a thing?

http://www.biblepicturegallery.com/samples/ca/teaching/x_teach/apologet/Who%20knows%20Man%20shrugging%20his%20shoulders%20 wearing%20a%20Q.gif

I have seen many boats that I painted with Imron years ago. Without exception they all looked like they were painted yesterday. These are all trailered boats, though. My old rule of thumb is that they should not be left in the water longer than about 10 days before letting them dry out again or the paint will start to lose its strength. I do believe there are paints that can take constant water emersion, though. Bill

[Buddyc]

Dupont Marine finishes are formulated to exceed durability standards of other paint and DOI (depth of Image) over gel coats.

http://pc.dupont.com/dpc/en/US/html/visitor/b/mar/s/main/more_info.html

[OFFSHORE GINGER]

Is there such a thing?

http://www.biblepicturegallery.com/samples/ca/teaching/x_teach/apologet/Who%20knows%20Man%20shrugging%20his%20shoulders%20 wearing%20a%20Q.gifYes , and one that comes to mind is Parn's boat that was done by Mitchner T , or just look at some of the work that comes out of Skater...WOW........ Hey guys, i have been in this business a long time and yes Gell is way to much work .

[Pismo]

Gel sucks, paint is great. Easy.

[joseph m. hahnl]

I would agree with every one that gel is a lot of work or even to much of it. As this is all based on personal opinion and experience by all of us. Some like OG. BC. who work with paint daily, there opinions are invaluable. I believe that paint adds a whole new dimension on color schemes and graphics. I do own a whaler that has Imron on it that was painted in the 80's.Does it look like it was painted yesterday?" Absolutely not". Does it matter on a skiff? "No"! Does paint hold it's resilience better than gel "Absolutely"!. Does Paint have equal durability as gel? "No way"!

The Minx on the other hand, appears to be painted with automotive paint. Obviously the key factor in a quality paint job is the prep as well as the paint .Neither of which was outstanding in my particular case. This is not new news, as I have always stated this in every thread that arises on this subject. So "Yes" I am quite biased on the matter. Just for instance I was able to completely strip the transom with a razor Blade and nothing else.Which was actually, in it's own way, a god send. It took an hour to remove all the paint from the transom.Three hours of wet sanding and gel coat rejuvenate. It is immaculate now and out shines the paint .
The cost was a few sheets of paper and the bottle of rejuvenate.

So in the long run it is labor intensive to sand and polish, but the cost is virtually non existent.

There is a sense of pride when you do it yourself.
That to me, if nothing else, is what has emulated from this thread.




Paint vs gel

http://www.buzzle.com/img/articleImages/339420-26424-47.jpghttp://us.cdn1.123rf.com/168nwm/yayayoy/yayayoy1011/yayayoy101100025/8266375-cute-puppy-drooling.jpg (http://www.123rf.com/photo_8266375_cute-puppy-drooling.html)