dmann

Why would ya anyway? Its a hound dog not a bulldog

red racer

Confused...

I was told not to use Imron over Gel-coat. If you get a scratch or chip, the paint could pull away from the Gel-coat causing huge problems.

Does this sound right or can an Imron clear coat be sprayed over the original gel to bring back the shine?????

Most suggections say use gel onl, but the expense is almost double the price.

Any help would be appreciated...

blown formula

red racer- where did you hear that!! All Formula boats are painted at the factory with Imron paints. I have owned Formula's or been in Formulas for 15 years and never saw a blister or bubble in Imron. The gel may blister, but if the gel is solid & prepped correctly, there is no problem.
I was buffing mine last week & used a cotton (doesn't feel like wool) wheel to polish my Formula. I used the Mc Guires combo marine 3 part kit & it worked great on the Imrom as well as the gelcoat. Very Light compound, marine polish & then pure marine wax. Looks great. The compound is just right to get off all that environmental crude that falls out of the air & with rain (minerals on the gelcoat). Cleans it up great!
The second great thing is the kit only cost $25.00 at West Marine and will do a complete 31 foot boat.

dmann

Imron over gel is ok if you are putting stripes or graphics on. Or if you are sanding the entire boat with something like 320grit sand paper and are going to paint and clear. If you were going to sand and just clear you probably would have to sand with something finer than 320, and I would not recommend doing that. You might end up with adhesion problems. just my 2 cents.

red racer

Thanks Guys....

That's where I am heading... A 10yr old gel coat that needs oxidation removed. The color sanding does not last long enough, so the colors needs to be covered. The issue would be to use a clear gel coat or imron and whether they will stick for another 10yrs.

Does Formula start with Imron from the bottom to the top or gel coat colors with an imron clear?????

I hear gel on gel is the best avenue, yet also heard that imron is the best "paint" fix for my problem. Curious which way to go, will the imron really fix the problem or just last a year or two which tells me to go for the extra expense of the gel coat????

Thanks and Still a bit lost...

dmann

no matter what way you go if you don't take of it it won't last 10 years. If you do take care of it you might get 10 years out of Imron. If you are going to color and clear I would go with Imron, if it is going to be half the cost. again my 2 cents.

red racer

Thanks Dmann...

The damages was already done when I picked it up 3 seasons ago.. I survived the buffing and waxing so far, but now I'm done and what it done right.

Mbam

Gel coat will always oxidize, constant waxing is required to keep it shiny. Imron or another of the 2 part polyurethanes (Awlgrip, Sunfire, etc) will pretty much stay shiny forever. I have painted a small handfull of boats, but never done clear over gelcoat. Most important is the total 100% removal of any wax or silicone. Most of the paint companys sell a solvent dewaxer. This is used with enough clean rags to about cover the boat. You wipe a small section, then change rags and wipre another, etc. We have used scotchbrite with kitchen cleanser to scour the entire area to be painted. Not sure how this would work out with clear. Also, we always wet sand and buff the paint, I just can't spray well enough to be happy with the unsanded result.

I find the Sunfire easier to work with than the Imron, but that is a matter of opinion. I hear Sickens is really good too, but have never used it.

First painted my old Cig with Imron in 1980, but after 3 coats you could still see the primer underneath. Re did it in 1983 with Sunfire and it still looked great until I sanded it down bare again and started my major re-do in 2000, 17 years of girls dancing on the deck, countless poker runs, 2 seasons of racing, 1 boat parade as the Eifell Tower (I will post a picture of that if I can find it) and much more.

I got a little nostalgic writing this.

572scarab

Sunfire is simpley easier to spay because of the soilids in the paint (not as thick) witch makes the paint more user friendly.The higher the soilds the more it costs the longer it last.YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR! If you are looking to use a scotch brite pad I would highly not recommend kitchen cleaners,these are made for the kitchen not not the paint shop if you are looking for a sanding paste stop by your local paint supplyer and he or she will give you the right one as there are many co. who make sanding paste

Mbam

I am not sure that is accurate. Sunfire 421, at least as far as my memory goes is no less expensive than Imron. Imron is packaged ready to spray (just add activator). Aside from using retarder to slow it down you have no control of the flash time or spraying characteristics.

Sunfire requires the use of thinners, they come in various temperature ranges.

I have never heard of a sanding paste, but then again I have not done any significant paint work for a few years. The cleanser was recommended to me years ago by a Dupont factory rep when we had a fish eye problem.

I don't own stock in either company, just relating my personal experience.