gel coat or polyurethane

[oldshell55]

I'm resurfacing under the wash board to the deck, was going to gel coat but it always fades with time. two part polyurethane never fades always shines, and if applied correctly should last forever. any feed back is appreciated

 

[33youngbrothers]

commercial or pleasure?

I like to add some resin to my finish gel coat and it seems to keep the shine. Not as shiny as the perfection though.

 

[MDI45]

Oldshell55....I was always a fan of gel coating......(you can check my old post with pictures of my boat)..but if you use the boat a lot you will have to do a refresh every couple of years. ....next time I do it I might awl grip it and see if I get longer life out of it

 

[oldshell55]

Oldshell55....I was always a fan of gel coating......(you can check my old post with pictures of my boat)..but if you use the boat a lot you will have to do a refresh every couple of years. ....next time I do it I might awl grip it and see if I get longer life out of it

I'm leaning toward the paint, think a shiny surface is easier to keep clean too . refresh also should at least be sanded or it will peel, which is what I'm correcting now. yeah this is a 7 day boat so this kind of work is time consuming. thanks for the input

 

[BillD]

FWIW,

I've been filling in some "major gouges, chips etc." with white gel coat and then wet sanding including wet sanding areas of this 1989 25 T Jason work boat and she's "coming back to a nice shiny new gouge free finish.

For now I'm staying with gel coat repairing.

Easy to do and repair for a "hack like me" and looks more than fine for my needs.

 

[Keelboater]

If you're going to brush it on, I think the paint will give you a better finish because of the way it flows out. The paints are very UV resistant as well. Otherwise I prefer the gelcoat and would not hesitate to use it in this case. Have fun!

 

[Raider Ronnie]

2 coats of white gelcoat.
1st coat straight gelcoat if fill & coverage necessary.
2nd coat mix up to 50-50 with Duratec is what I would do.

 

[Rockasauras]

...then if your contemplating paint, would you do AWLGRIP or AWLCRAFT ? any favoritism toward either of these ? Awlcraft from what I understand you have the ability to repair and blend...?

 

[oldshell55]

...then if your contemplating paint, would you do AWLGRIP or AWLCRAFT ? any favoritism toward either of these ? Awlcraft from what I understand you have the ability to repair and blend...?

I have used perfection, same as algrip 2 part poly, painted my red hull white after 20yrs , you never see through to the red unless its a deep scratch, and I have extra glass where the gear comes up, lot of prep 2 coats epoxy primer 2-3 top coats, this stuff is like nails. this is the reason I would paint. Gel coat chalks up after a few years, this is no pleasure boat but I like to keep it up and I'm tired, I'd like to try something that will give me more time, I think the poly will stand up better and not fade , this is the way I'm leaning, since I'm grinding down to glass I have a choice

I don't know about alcraft, i'll look into it

 

[Blitzen]

The difference between AwlGrip and AwlCraft is how the paint separates and cures to form the gloss layer.
AwlGrip cures with the gloss layer only on the surface and produces a great shine. Buff or rub through the gloss layer and it is gone.
AwlCraft on the other hand has gloss through the depth of the paint making it buffable. It is also eaiser to repair and blend.

 

[oldshell55]

awlgrip

The difference between AwlGrip and AwlCraft is how the paint separates and cures to form the gloss layer.
AwlGrip cures with the gloss layer only on the surface and produces a great shine. Buff or rub through the gloss layer and it is gone.
AwlCraft on the other hand has gloss through the depth of the paint making it buffable. It is also eaiser to repair and blend.

thanks good to know, I don't think i'll be buffing under the wash board though

 

[oldshell55]

The difference between AwlGrip and AwlCraft is how the paint separates and cures to form the gloss layer.
AwlGrip cures with the gloss layer only on the surface and produces a great shine. Buff or rub through the gloss layer and it is gone.
AwlCraft on the other hand has gloss through the depth of the paint making it buffable. It is also eaiser to repair and blend.

basically the same as gel coat , but being polyurethane maybe tougher? and it shouldn't fade to start with like gel. sounds nice

 

[eyschulman]

Two part paint roller and tip brushed on.

 

[oldshell55]

Two part paint roller and tip brushed on.

yup, this perfection is idiot proof