Painting hull - a few questions for the experts

[Scott1115]

Looks too easy. I am sure there will be signif prep work necessary prior to painting. After painting there must be some "clean up" and polishing to give it a good shine.

[Bushwacker]

Originally Posted by Scott1115

. . . After painting there must be some "clean up" and polishing to give it a good shine.

One advantage of Signature Finish is that it's repairable if you nick or scratch it, and it can also be wet sanded and/or buffed to eliminate any runs, orange peel or to improve gloss. I used it on the bottom after removing 3 layers of bottom paint. It's also one of the few urethane paints that will hold up below the waterline! Imron and Awlgrip are NOT repairable, but it's easy to mix up small quantities of Signature using small syringes for small repairs.

Another option if the gel coat is just faded but otherwise in good shape is to use Polyglo on it! When you scrub the gel coat with the PolyPrep cleaner, it will look very dull, but after you apply 5-6 coats of the Polyglo coating, you'll have a very glossy finish that holds up for at least a year in S. Fl. or longer if you live further north. Easy to add another coat or two ever year or so. Also MUCH easier than compounding/buffing/waxing that only lasts about 3 months in this area! And it's a lot cheaper and easier than paint!

[shine]

Originally Posted by Scott1115

Looks too easy. I am sure there will be signif prep work necessary prior to painting. After painting there must be some "clean up" and polishing to give it a good shine.

negative, prep work is simple and easy. Surface needs to be sanded and cleaned - same prep work for any paint you choose

The EMC is buffable and repairable