Has anybody painted a Hobie 18/16/14, if so any tips. I see that some of the other types of cats are painted and I was think of painting my TheMightyHobie18 over the winter to improve the looks of the 21 year old gelcoat. I don't race so I really don't care about the weight.
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<br>Thanks.....Nelson D<br><br>

Have you ever done any auto body work?
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<br>The key to any paint job is the preparation. What you do before the paint goes on will determine the final result.
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<br>Hopefully you have a friend in the business to consult with. If not the various boating magazines have had articles on the process in the past.
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<br>To prevent an embarassing case of scratches, paint it the same color as currently is. <br><br>

I just completed repairs on my new boat [gouges in the paint]. Someone apparently tried to steal it with the mast up and on the trailer. My boat is painted so I sanded down the areas by hand and filled in the gouges with west epoxy with bubbles. After this I used a tip brush. I applied 6 coats of primer and paint [sanding each one down by hand]. I can't find the repaired areas now.
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<br>My other boat has gel coat and is a 1980 model. I have been sanding [orbital sander and lots of sanding disks of different grits 60-300] down the gel to the pink [thats the color of the material behind the glass] and will long bow it to create a smooth painting surface. After that I will take the boat somewhere inside and go over it completely. You need a spray bottle with water to see the imperfections [ridges,depressions,etc]. just enough to get it wet. The key to refinishing is the prep work. The more prep you do the less fear of screwing up the finish you have. The one key tool is the orbital sander as well as the long bow.
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<br>I will use Awlgrip primer and then racing paint everywhere except the very bottom where it will get VC Offshore. This stuff dries hard and can be scrubbed to a smooth finish with steelwool. The process is slow and time consuming if done correctly. The painting process has some danger involved depending on what you use. Some materials can be inhaled and when inside your lungs it hardens. So investigate what ever you decide to use thoroughly!!! I haven't decided if I will do my spray painting or not. Another major problem is the time to set it up and take it down. If you work your time is limited. I sell real estate and just about half the time I start to sand/prep some problem comes up and I have to leave. So I have to put everything up then or when I get back. The reason I am going to paint instead of gel coating is the gel coat can add a huge amount of weight very quickly with a novice doing the spraying. Good luck...
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<br>Fair winds,
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<br>Thom
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it is not a good idea to try and re gel coat a whole boat. to fill and spray a dent, ding or hole is one thing, but to go over a whole boat and re do it is next to impossible, and not worth the effort.<br><br>

I painted my 1978 H-16 using 2 coats Interlux Brightsides polyuerethane over 1 coat of brightsides primer. I rolled the paint on and then tipped it with a paint pad per instructions. The sides came out so shiny that when I flipped the boat to do the tops of the hulls, I added a little flattening agent to kill some of the glare. It took 2 qts primer and 2 qts finish, with enough to paint my fiberglass sail box too. I've sprayed Cars and Boats in the past, but if you are painting a boat worth less than $1000 or so, its probably an over kill to spend alot of $ on 2-parts or other expensive stuff.<br><br>

DAStich, I will be painting my H-16 this winter...is the paint that you are speaking of available at the local paint store or is it a specialty/marine brand? I have acces to some very durable aircraft paint (poly urethane) but I would rather use a more docile roll-on-able like you have described, since I'll be doing it in my garage. Thanks, Tom<br><br>

DAStich,
<br>You also didn't mention if it was a 1 part or 2 part Poly? I won't be painting anything soon, but am always looking to see what the best way to do things is.
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<br>Thanks.
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<br>TB<br><br>

Thanks for the info DAStich........just what I was looking for. I have the Interlux guide and was considering their product. Just wanted to know if a shine and acceptable finish was possible with a brush/roller.....I guess so!! I too have done bodywork and sprayed cars in the past, I wanted to avoid the trouble and expense of a sprayjob on my 21 year old TheMightyHobie18. What color or colors did you apply?<br><br>