looking into getting my boat redone next year.. any suggestions why is gelcoat so much better on boats ??

i've always wondered that also.

It is not always better than paint. Each has its good and bad points.

We do both gel & paint in our shop..

Jamie / Lakeside

Some have the mindset that a boat is still 'original' if it's gelcoat.

Can you say, "You've ruined it if you've painted it " in an asinine voice ? ?
This from the same folks that chop their boats to bits with poorly thought out accessories and smother them in hideous graphics ...

Jamie is right .. they both have their individual merits .

How do the two compare in price?

It's a heck of a lot more labour intensive to gelcoat than paint and you know what that does to the bill , huh ?

Thats what I was thinking, but I was also wondering if there was some sort of rule of thumb or ballpark on the cost. (kinda like vinyl siding on a house usually runs 3 times whatever the cost to paint a house is). This sure is an expensive sport I am addicted to

Because there are so many variables that come into play when re-finishing a boat , it's dangerous to even think about giving a ballpark figure on a re-spray without seeing the boat.

Two boats of identical size could well end up with totally different charges on paint jobs based solely on the difference in prep work one might need over the other.

I would guess that the same factors also come into play when re-gelling .

If you've been around boat forums much , you will have noticed how few responses a thread titled "How much to paint my boat ?" or "WHO to spray my boat ?" gets.

True..

Plan on spending a minimum of several thousand with the sky being the limit.. Sorry for a smart a$$ vague answer, but it is fairly accurate..

Jamie/Lakeside Restorations

Although gel will perforform better regarding durability (I sell paint) paint is more price effective. You also have a larger pallet of colors with paint.