JBOATTROUBLEMAKER
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- #21
Hobie 16 Rebuild
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mookiesurfs
Anarchist
My experience with paint and gelcoat is that the prep for both is significant, and similar. Applying by spraying effort similar for both. Paint more sensitive to contamination. Finishing effort higher for gelcoat as you sand and polish much more than paint.
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smackdaddy
Super Anarchist
Yeah - that last part is what finally swung me. That plus trying to maintain the texture on the no-slip sections with gelcoat, etc. It was just too much work. 6 years in, I've been absolutely blown away by the finish and durability of this paint though...
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JBOATTROUBLEMAKER
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Would white paint provide as much protection as Gelcoat?Yeah - that last part is what finally swung me. That plus trying to maintain the texture on the no-slip sections with gelcoat, etc. It was just too much work. 6 years in, I've been absolutely blown away by the finish and durability of this paint though...
I did gelcoat on mine, and had some issues with it not curing in some spots. I guess this is pretty common, and there are tricks to minimize this problem. Such as checking the date code of the gelcoat to make sure it is not too old, etc. So if you go this way do more research than I did, which was not much.
I have another set of hulls to do, and it will be paint for sure. Either the Interlux briteside above, or the next step up, interlux pefection.
I have another set of hulls to do, and it will be paint for sure. Either the Interlux briteside above, or the next step up, interlux pefection.
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smackdaddy
Super Anarchist
Though I can't say for sure - It definitely depends on the paint (color doesn't matter I don't think). Obviously paint is thinner than gelcoat, but this Interlux has been super tough (rubbing up against docks, scraping on rocks and sand). I have zero complaints and would do it again in a heartbeat.
SCARECROW
Super Anarchist
I have a prindle 15 that needs this treatment. Going to put it on the trailer today to get it out from under a tree. How are your decks? Mine are soft. Is that something I can live with or will the boat explode out from under me the first time I try to sail it?
It depends on where they are soft. Hobies generally go soft on the top in between the tramp and to bow, and it is a real problem that can lead to boats coming apart, because there can be a lot of stress there. It can be addressed, certainly to the point that it will not come apart under normal sailing conditions.
smackdaddy
Super Anarchist
Lots of holes and lots of epoxy injected. It will definitely by you several more decades...
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Sail4beer
Starboard!
Just asked to prep and paint a Hobie yesterday. Faded blue hull with no decals left to remove with a heat gun and razor blade. Wanted to paint it to match the gelcoat. It looks like it just needs a good buffing with a wool bonnet and gelcoat buffing compound and that will make for an easy restoration.
As far as this job is concerned, use a good quality 2 part urethane paint for abrasion resistance and forget about gelcoating. I do that for a living and it won’t be worth the effort.
Paint is a very thin protective film that blocks UV, provides a glossy surface for easy cleaning and scratch resistance. It is about as thick as one piece of paper.
Gelcoat is a thick layer of plastic(polyester resin with thickening agents, titanium dioxide for abrasion resistance) and is about 10 times as thick as paint( 10 pieces of paper). It has to be applied by spray for the best uniform coverage and then has to be sanded with repeated grits -200,400,800,1,000-1,500 -at least to 800 grit- before it can be compounded and brought to a true gloss.
Have fun with the project and use a good quality paint!
Thanks. Yeah, decks are flexy, like the thin foam core just crumbled. Hulls seem fine but I assume they are solid, if thin, laminate.
Hi, thread is a little old but i have a couple comments.
Those hulls look ok to just fine sand and buff out. A painted finish is not going to look good when it gets scratched up at the beach. If your are trying to lighten the boat weight you could sand all the gelcoat off and paint with 3 part polyurethane. Gel coat on a repair is for a color match. Gelcoat is a product that is sprayed into a female mold. The side that is blocked from the air fully cures and the side that you will apply the laminate to remains tacky. On a repair they spray pva on the gelcoat to get the outside to fully cure. It would be a real shitfight to gelcoat an entire hull after it is out of the mold.
Blindly injecting epoxy into a delam is a good way to gain a lot of weight , and it may or may not yield lasting results. Carefully cutting out a section of deck and getting a good look at the delam might be a better idea. You could maybe glue that piece back in with thickened epoxy or install a hatch/cover. You can figure out the best way to proceed once you can look around in there.
Those hulls look ok to just fine sand and buff out. A painted finish is not going to look good when it gets scratched up at the beach. If your are trying to lighten the boat weight you could sand all the gelcoat off and paint with 3 part polyurethane. Gel coat on a repair is for a color match. Gelcoat is a product that is sprayed into a female mold. The side that is blocked from the air fully cures and the side that you will apply the laminate to remains tacky. On a repair they spray pva on the gelcoat to get the outside to fully cure. It would be a real shitfight to gelcoat an entire hull after it is out of the mold.
Blindly injecting epoxy into a delam is a good way to gain a lot of weight , and it may or may not yield lasting results. Carefully cutting out a section of deck and getting a good look at the delam might be a better idea. You could maybe glue that piece back in with thickened epoxy or install a hatch/cover. You can figure out the best way to proceed once you can look around in there.
smackdaddy
Super Anarchist
David - I don't mean to hassle you, but I do have a bit of honest pushback on the epoxy injection thing. When you say "Blindly injecting epoxy into a delam is a good way to gain a lot of weight" - can you quantify that? A lot of weight in relation to what?
Think about it this way, in the holes you see in my picture above I pumped in maybe 4 ounces total of epoxy. It was one of 4 areas that I treated - but it was the largest and therefore took the most epoxy. But let's say that at the end of the day I used 16 ounces across all the repairs. In what respect is 1 pound "a lot of weight" for this boat?
When I considered the options, there was no freakin' way I was going to remove the top skin. Once you do that and see what I assume will be 40 year old foam decaying into powder - what do you do then? What's the fix? And how do you keep that fix lighter than 1 pound? While also re-skinning the thing and getting back to a nice finish (with no seams, the no-skid design, etc.)?
As for paint vs. gelcoat I totally agree that if you can sand and polish the original back to its finish that is by far the best option. I tried it with our boat but the gelcoat was pretty thin. Just wouldn't work. And I agree with you (and others) that gelcoating again is just not a great solution - way too much hassle. But as I said above, our Interlux paint has held up wonderfully for over 6 years. It looks brand new. Sure it has scratches here and there (mostly in areas where you can't see them anyway like the bottom of the hulls) - but they are easily touched up with the same paint. I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to anyone.
Unless you are using an old cat for high-end racing (which would be weird anyway) why not get the thing spruced up and back out on the water as quickly and cheaply as possible? Even if it's a couple pounds heavier and might get a scratch on the bottom of the hull when you drag her onto the beach - who the hell cares? The beach is where the chicks are...not your garage. Heh.
Think about it this way, in the holes you see in my picture above I pumped in maybe 4 ounces total of epoxy. It was one of 4 areas that I treated - but it was the largest and therefore took the most epoxy. But let's say that at the end of the day I used 16 ounces across all the repairs. In what respect is 1 pound "a lot of weight" for this boat?
When I considered the options, there was no freakin' way I was going to remove the top skin. Once you do that and see what I assume will be 40 year old foam decaying into powder - what do you do then? What's the fix? And how do you keep that fix lighter than 1 pound? While also re-skinning the thing and getting back to a nice finish (with no seams, the no-skid design, etc.)?
As for paint vs. gelcoat I totally agree that if you can sand and polish the original back to its finish that is by far the best option. I tried it with our boat but the gelcoat was pretty thin. Just wouldn't work. And I agree with you (and others) that gelcoating again is just not a great solution - way too much hassle. But as I said above, our Interlux paint has held up wonderfully for over 6 years. It looks brand new. Sure it has scratches here and there (mostly in areas where you can't see them anyway like the bottom of the hulls) - but they are easily touched up with the same paint. I wouldn't hesitate recommending it to anyone.
Unless you are using an old cat for high-end racing (which would be weird anyway) why not get the thing spruced up and back out on the water as quickly and cheaply as possible? Even if it's a couple pounds heavier and might get a scratch on the bottom of the hull when you drag her onto the beach - who the hell cares? The beach is where the chicks are...not your garage. Heh.
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basketcase
Fuck you second amendment
Russell Brown
Super Anarchist
There's a $3.99 E-book that will help with 2-part Interlux perfection paint. It's called Rolling Perfection. The paint can last for about a quarter of a century and it's pretty easy to apply. I have an affiliation with this book and will profit greatly if you buy it.
Russell's book is well worth the price if it's like his book on working with epoxy. From what I have seen his painting skill is far above most folks when working with Perfection.
Yet gelcoat will still get scratched dragging it up a beach. So will paint. I guess the paint will scratch through because it is thinner - but it is much, much tougher than gelcoat. Maybe get a launch dolly if you return to the same spot
Yet gelcoat will still get scratched dragging it up a beach. So will paint. I guess the paint will scratch through because it is thinner - but it is much, much tougher than gelcoat. Maybe get a launch dolly if you return to the same spot
JBOATTROUBLEMAKER
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- #40
Believe it or not, this H16 has no soft spots, main reason I bought it, only $350 too (with a trailer) and test sailed it before I drove it home.
