I agree with Dave... we are painting a boat as we speak (waiting for the primer to dry) and we have used all sorts of paints and had best results with PPG. Especially on the Clear - and do not clear over Gel or Graphics!
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Chris

Dave & Chris: I respect both you guys....I dont get it about not clearing over gell.....We did 5 or 6 Liberators back in the 80s...
We would wet sand first.There would be NO shine ..then clear
coat over. Kinda like rain on any dull surface will shine "like its wet" Also seen this done to cars.

Not arguing here,just dont get what youre saying?

birdog, the gel WILL fade under the clear. in the long run i gaurentee the paint will out last the gel/clear combo. you can sometimes get away with this on lighter color boats but i wouldnt think of it on any kind of grey or red. besides if you got the gun out and your spray'n why not throw a coat of color down before the clear and hedge your bet. a buddy of mine bought a fountain executioner that was red, the previous owner had the boat sanded and clear coated because the gel would not keep its color. at any rate the boat faded horibly under the clear an than it was screwed, course my friend got a good deal cause of it

also not try'n to argue, we're all in the same boat just try'n to give intolenant the best options.

Youre the Pro Glassdave!!! {Ive seen pics ofyoure work}
I guess we were lucky!
My father used to say: You can learn something new everyday
if youre born dumb enough.........I sure was!!!!

What I do at my studio is to repaint from the chine up with R-M Polyurethane basecoat/clearcoat. The white that your hull has faded to only will fade to a certain point and then stop. i.e a boat that is 3 years old will be the same color as boat that is 10 years old. This is the case with white only!

As far as colors such as red or blue, they will eventually pretty much wash out over time.

We use an adhesion promotor over the gel with no primer, then basecoat with the white that matches your boat. .......Yes, there is a white that is right on that color, but it's a studio secret, I hope you understand.

In the event of a scratch, you won't see the primer (because there is none) and touch ups are much easier.

The basecoat/ clearcoat system is what we custom painters use every day. The clearcoat can be sanded and polished to a show finish, and will remain that way.

As far as using Imron or AllGrip...... they are extremely difficult to work with and get a lustrous shine to, touch ups are difficult at best. They won't give you the finish that I think you're looking for.

I agree with Glasdave about clearcoating over just gel. It will continue to fade, not so much the white, but definitely the maroon, Clearcoating will only retard the process, but rest assured.......it will fade.

The price isn't unreasonable for a wet sanded and polished job, but I would be cautious about straight All-Grip with no polish. The shop conditions have to be extraordinary for a clean job.

If you have any questions you would like to discuss with me, my contact info is on my website www.mitchertcustompainting.com

Mitcher T- An old Jet-Ski racer here. I wanted to take a trip back to the mid 80's and see if you remembered painting Harry, cant remeber his last name but he worked at Butch's, Bad Ass pink mod 550. Those were the days, custom painted stand up jet skis were king! A far cry from doing Casino Runner I bet. Midnight

Okay from what I can gather, 1. Imron and Awlgrip shouldnt be used underwater. 2. Awlgrip is a pain to work with to get a good finish. 3. Gel, like we all know, fades.

So, what can be used below the waterline, that looks good and isn't a ***** to spray. So does that basically mean if you want to get a good finish that can stand up to being in the water for a couple months is gel coat the only option with custom graphics?

Hi,

yes, I remember Harry, But I can't remember his last name either. I remember the ski. I originally did that for Butch for a magazine promotional shoot they were doing. I'll see if I can find a pic in my archives if you're interested and send it to you on the net. It was pretty cool, not really wild or anything.

The stand ups........you don't see very often anymore. Things got more user friendly, I guess.

Let me know.

Mitcher

I'd love to see an old pic of that, I can remember racing Harry on that around Green Lake. Oh there's a memory, Green Lake, the old Jet-Ski central of West Michigan. That picture would be worth blowing up to put in my shop for old times sakes. I owned several of those traditional Butch's painted three color stand-ups, what I would give to have one of those back. Midnight

I'll see what I can do about some pics.

JR............I'll answer your question later tonight.