Paint or Re-Gelcoat Topside?

[Pete]

I own a 1981 CD30 Cutter, hull 205. I'm thinking of re-doing the topsides as it is starting to show its age. I'd like to hear from folks that have re-gelcoated their boat, painted it with an epoxy paint or painted it with a polyurethane paint. Are you happy with the result? Has it been durable? What did it cost? Thanks.



peter@zwiefelhofer.com

[Jim Kingrea]

The non-skid areas on my Typhoon were painted before I bought the boat. I belive Interlux epoxy paint was rolled on about 2 years ago. The paint looked good when I bought the boat but the paint has not held-up very well. It has several small chips around the edges of the non-skid areas. It may be because these areas were not prepared very well before painting. I am planning to try to touch-up these "chipped" areas. I think the secret to any paint job is the preparation, be sure to get all the wax, dirt, and moisture off the boat before you start painting.
Good Luck
Jim Kingrea
"Nipper"

[Tom Vanco]

Pete,

In two words, PAINT IT! I have tried to re-gel coat and it is a bear.

I have also used Interlux one part on my old boat and it worked well. Six years and still looks good. A friend used the two part interlux and had good results but said it was difficult to work with. This year I redid my non-skid with Awl-Grip and it was great. I also redid an old repair on the boat that I did with gel-coat because of the poor result with the gel-coat. I used Awl-Grip on this also and had great results. The friend who saw how easy it went on remarker that the next time he ever has to repaint he will use Awl-Grip instead of Interlux. Awl-grip is expensive but it is MUCH better that gel-coat. No need to wax and it is tougher and much easer to repair if you ever need to.

NOTE: IF YOU PLAN ON SPRAYING TWO PART PAINT, BE IT AWL-GRIP, OR INTERLUX USE A SELF-CONTAINED AIR SUPPLIED RESPIRATOR!!! IT WILL KILL YOU.

But you can roll and brush it with a standard respirator. Awl-Grip goes on nicely with roller and brush.

Tom Vanco
s/v ANNIE





ktvanco@juno.com

[fred]

I own a 1981 CD30 Cutter, hull 205. I'm thinking of re-doing the topsides as it is starting to show its age. I'd like to hear from folks that have re-gelcoated their boat, painted it with an epoxy paint or painted it with a polyurethane paint. Are you happy with the result? Has it been durable? What did it cost? Thanks.

If your boat is in good overall condition, get it Awl-gripped, by a pro. It will cost between 2 to 4 thousand, depending on the condition of the hull. Doing it yourself won't add a cent to the resale value, a good paint job will, though.



fred@hotsheet.com