Bottom Paint

[Rotorhead65]

So... I want to paint the bottom of my hull. The hull is in great shape and needs no repairs. I want to use something durable. I've looked into gel coat but most people have talked me out of it. Awl grip was suggested as a very durable paint but no one knows how it will hold up in water. Does anyone have any experience or suggestions for me?

 

[yamanube]

Pretty much anything will hold up to water, pretty much nothing will hold up to sand/rocks. Find a color you like and a price you like then find a paint that fits both of those.

 

[BrightE's]

Any paint you put on the bottom of your hull is going to scrape off eventually on bunks, sand, etc with exception of gelcoat. If you really want durability, you need gelcoat.

 

[bsc702]

If you don't mind limited colors for the bottom of your ski, gel coat is the only way to fly very strong and durable, i did it on my superjet and it held up great with beach rash.

 

[Rotorhead65]

Did you roll on the gel coat or spray it?

 

[bsc702]

Rolled on with a finish roller and fine finish brushed areas where i could not roll. With gel coat you prep is very important because the gel coat will "go off" or start to harden unless you thin it with acetone so have everything ready to rock n roll for install.

 

[BrightE's]

From what I've heard, you can either spray or roll. Though since you won't be applying the gelcoat into a mold where it will be sealed off from the air, you have to put a gelcoat wax additive into the mixture so it will cure properly. That said, I'm fairly sure both still require extensive post sanding to get rid of the orange peal texture. I think this is a very labor intensive step because of the inherent hardness of gelcoat. Or just leave the orange peal.

 

[icecoled007]

You can also just use appliance epoxy.... looks good, lasts ok, its cheap. Spray as needed.

 

[Vumad]

Paint the bottom the color of the gelcoat or glass under the paint. If it's a superjet with a white bottom, paint it white. It will scratch, but will be less noticeable. It will also be much easier to touch up. It doesn't need to be perfect, because it will never be again.

If you do decide to use gelcoat, you do need the stuff with wax in it. Gelcoat without wax is for making molds. Also, plan on doing a poopload of sanding if you expect a nice finish.

 

[lowe0515]

If you do spray gel be sure to add about 15% of a thinner. And don't mix more then you can shoot in about 10 minutes. Keep plenty of cleaner on hand to clean your spray tip. Hope this helps.

 

[SUPERJET-113]

="BrightE's, post: 1714776, member: 12519" Though since you won't be applying the gelcoat into a mold where it will be sealed off from the air, you have to put a gelcoat wax additive into the mixture so it will cure properly.

Or you can use PVA(poly vinyl alcohol) on top of the gel coat after it sets up by brushing or spraying it on.