hello,

im in the processing of restoring an old beachcat. i was wondering what are the pro's and con's of these methods of painting. i have interlux toplac paint laying around and sponge rollers so i was thinking the roll and tip method. but my friend just acquired a spray gun so that gives me another option. ive read on different forums that roll and tip can actually give a better glossy finish. what are your experiences?

o yea and i cant find my palm sander. i just have a orbital sander. do you think its to fast and should get a palm sander i feel like the hulls are super thin.

i have little working knowledge of painting boats, but i do have years of experience spray painting explosives (was in the navy).

the only comment i have is...
2 part paints are VERY TOXIC and full body closed breathing systems are used by pro's for a good reason. So if you plan to spray.. you will probably want to rent a spray booth and gear to protect yourself.. that may influence your final costs and decisions.

(a cheap mast/filter will not work)

mariof

hello,

im in the processing of restoring an old beachcat. i was wondering what are the pro's and con's of these methods of painting. i have interlux toplac paint laying around and sponge rollers so i was thinking the roll and tip method. but my friend just acquired a spray gun so that gives me another option. ive read on different forums that roll and tip can actually give a better glossy finish. what are your experiences?

o yea and i cant find my palm sander. i just have a orbital sander. do you think its to fast and should get a palm sander i feel like the hulls are super thin.

Roll and tip can look great if you have the technique down right. You must have the correct temperature to get a good result (high gloss, mirror like finish). You want the temperatures to be in the 60's or low 70's. Dew at night will eliminate any gloss, so spring or fall are the best times to paint if you don't have a covered area to do this. Every day will bring different conditions (humidity, temp, etc), so you have to play with how much you thin it before each coat.

I wouldn't say that tipping is better than spraying, it's just that you can get almost as good results from roll/tip without the hassle of spraying (worrying about wind and overspray, wearing a mask, etc). Someone who knows how to spray right is gonna lay down a better coat than you can...but it takes more skill to spray. I have tried and am not very good at it :)

Toplac is single-part paint, you can spray it without a respirator.

I only use a sander to sand the primer initially in areas that need to be filled. Afterwards it's all hand sanding for me. I do several coats of paint to build up the paint before I do my first sanding (obviously you need to get your next coat in before 24 hours for good adhesion). With white you can get an excellent results with as little as 3 coats. If your going to use a color it's gonna take a few more coats to look great (as good as the original gel coat).

Dan

Im also planing a new paint job since im re-glassing the bottom this fall... i go back and forth between paint like Awlgrip, interlux perfection and the like, and GELCOAT! Ive heard Awlgrip is gold in a can... but really I'd love to just dive in and spray the whole thing w/ new gelcoat - a brilliant white.
But im guessing besides the cost there is a steep learning curve and serious safety precautions that are a down side to it.
Anyone had much experience w/ it or could point in the right direction?

I've sprayed I think 5 or 6 boats. I tried the roll & tip method~~ I didn't like it, did 1/2 of a hull, resanded it then sprayed it...MUCH better. I have picts in the ''tech help gallery''(2 sections)(I think I have instructions about it) Everyone has their own prefered method, I like spraying better, it's not as hard or difficult as one might think.......just do it.

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~ Vietnam Vet 69-71~ 17 Hobie w/big jib, ~18 Hobie mag,~DN Ice sailor,
and other toys.......
~~ I live in NY state on the north shore of Oneida lake in
Bernhards Bay. ~~~~~~
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