Fiberglass Boat Paint

The Important Of Fiberglass Boat Paint And Three Tips On Making The Finish Last

Fiberglass is a great invention, and it has revolutionised the boat industry.   It does however, mean that we also need to change the way we maintain our boats.

Most boats will be finished with a gel coat.  This is type of resin which holds the pigmentation.  The quality of gel coat can vary greatly,  and you cannot tell much about the quality from the final finish.  A good quality gel coat will keep its color for years, however, many will start to fade after just a couple of years.

Although waxing will bring back the finish, you may find that after just a few months it has started to fade.  If this is the case you have a poor quality gel coat and the only real solution is to start investigating fibreglass boat paint.

Fiberglass boat paint is a good reliable product, with good workmanship this solution will not let you down.

Before you start this process it is important to understand the work surrounding a successful fibreglass boat paint job.  Here are the three most important factors to understand before you proceed.

1.    Surface preparation.  As with any painting the surface is crucial to start with a good surface.  If you have been waxing your boat you will have created a smooth surface which the paint will not stick to as well.  The gel coat is slightly porous, and the wax will have filled all these in to create a perfect smooth surface.  If you want your fibreglass boat paint to adhere well then you will need to sand off all the wax.  It is also important to remove as many blemishes as possible as a new perfect shiny paintjob will accentuate these.

2.    Stripping the boat.  This may sound extreme, but it is also necessary, masking around simply doesn’t work.  If you have aluminium windows, you will find that if these are not removed, the boat paint will form a mini bridge between the two different surfaces and eventually this weakness will crack and become unsightly.  The same applies to plastic parts.  Even if these are being painted as well they should be removed and painted separately.  These will be attached together, probably using stainless steel screws and the paint will form a bridge between the screws and the body of the boat.  Basically the more you remove the more you reduce your future weak points and prevent bubbling.

3.    Avoidance of dark colors.  There was a recent trend in having dark colors on boats to define areas and shapes better.   The disadvantage of this was soon discovered.  The dark colors absorbed so much heat that they pulled and could actually distort the surfaces.

Finally, take time to decide who will do your paintjob and make sure that you have seen some of their previous work.  It is worth asking to visit their work premises and make sure that they have a suitable enclosed spray booth, apart from the legal and environmental consequences to not having a booth, it is almost impossible to get the desired finish in open air.