IOHIM wrote:
Well Old Salt I don't want to upset you so I will refer to the two flotation vessels as "hulls", in spite of websters definition of pontoons covering these. As far as painting goes I wasn't asking for any advice there, I have repainted phantom and sunfish hulls for a long time now and I can assure you your advice about gel coating is dead wrong...
Merriam-Webster definition of pontoon:
1 :a flat-bottomed boat (such as a lighter); especially :a flat-bottomed boat or portable float used in building a floating temporary bridge
2 :a float especially of a seaplane
Nope, doesn't cover the hulls of a Hobie Cat.
Anyway, with respect to painting, sure - it'll look great right after it's done (other than it filling in the texture of the non-skid) if you take the time to do the surface prep - and therein lies the rub. If the surface prep isn't done properly, then the paint will chip, flake and look generally nasty in a very short period of time. Even with good prep, the paint will chip after a while. Also, the hull bottoms wear from pulling the boat up on the beach. The paint (very thin) will wear through quickly as opposed to the gel coat (thick).
Then there's the issue of repairs - gel coat / polyester resin is easy to work with - and it's what the boat is made of. Paint just adds another level of complexity to repairs.
srm's been fixing Hobie Cats for more than a few years; I've been doing it since 1973. If you don't want to take our advice, that's fine. It's your boat - you can do with it what you want.