Calling Gel Coat Sharpies

Ok I had some delam areas on one hull. I followed everyones advice here and used epoxy to sure up the the soft spots and it worked great. But now I'm getting closer to re gelcoating the hulls and I'm reading that Gel Coat doesn't like epoxy. Now what do I do?? I have 1/4" holes in my boat that are filled with epoxy. How can I get gelcoat to stick to the epoxy? I'll trash the hulls before I paint them.

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'73 hobie 16 restored 2011
'00 Seaswirl fishin boat

Sand lightly and clean with MEK just prior to spraying.

You need to remove the amine blush that forms on the surface of epoxy.

still dont understand why people bash painting....if you prep it right, it works. Sure, the keels are bare without paint, but other than that, it uhhh....works. Only costs $30 in rattle can paint.





To make the holes not show through the paint, i did what matt said. I also sanded them down, and covered with a light coat of Marine-Tex....turned out great. You can't see the holes

Boat looks the same as it did after i painted it, except for the keels and the sides about 1-2inches up where the boats been beached over and over....

Just make sure you prep the surfact when re-geling where the holes are. If nice and clean, you should be A.O.K.

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1981 Hobie 16
1982 Hobie 14 turbo (sold)
1996 SeaDoo GTI
1999 Hunter 340

thanks guys that makes me feel alot better.

s30 I will be the first to admit I do like your gun metal grey

As far as why I want gel coat over paint.... I have painted hulls now (previous owner) and they look like crap. So I needed to sand it all off anyway I might as well do it right. I spend a couple weekends buffing my other boat every spring it will only be a few more hours to hit the hobie and keep it looking brand new even though she is knocking on the door of 40.... like me. Time wise i think your about the same on application. I have an arsonal of air wet sanders at my disposal so getting her polished up after i shoot shouldn't be too bad. What I do have is a finish that will last as opposed to paint that I will have to touch up year after year. If the previous owner would have left his hulls alone I would probably just be polishing now instead of stripping.

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'73 hobie 16 restored 2011
'00 Seaswirl fishin boat

S30series has it right. A 30 dollar can of Petit topside paint applied with a roller on a still day will self level to a hard gloss finish to rival a new car and will stay that way for a few years. Who cares if the keels have paint on them? Its a beach cat. Also a light sanding and recoating is a lot easier than playing gelcoat expert. Some of the best classic boats have painted hulls and look stunning.

well i guess if i got the boat and it was previously painted, I'd feel the same way....pissed.

especially if someone painted it pink. To do a proper job would include striping the whole boat down.

I didnt do gel coat because i didnt want to spend the $$$ or time, because of the repairs i had to make to the hulls (soft spots).

If i bought a new hobie, i would Def. gel the hulls....but these 30 year old hulls werent worth the time/trouble

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1981 Hobie 16
1982 Hobie 14 turbo (sold)
1996 SeaDoo GTI
1999 Hunter 340

I have a 1980 that I painted with Interlux Topside. I did the roll and tip method of applying paint (roll paint onto a section and then brush in a single direction) about 2 years ago and the boat still looks great. I would be concerned about the rattle can paint fading pretty quickly in the sun, whereas a polyurethane paint will last much longer. However, it is alot more expensive than the spray cans.

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Eric Weller
2006 F18 Capricorn
1980 H16
Keep the pointy side up!