On 7-Jun-2004, "Te Canaille" wrote:

Anyone out there had any experience replacing a gel coat exterior ? I've got a glass on kevlar hull that has a light blue gel coat
exterior that I'd like to replace with a white gel coat. I hear it's very tricky, lots of work, and usually disastrous for an
amateur to attempt.

If you get the old gel coat off, you'll then have a problem making the new
gel coat layer smooth. Better to just paint over the existing gel coat with
an epoxy paint. You can get this at a marine supply shop - it's made for
painting fiberglass boats. If you can spray it on, it will be quite smooth.
I've heard of folks paying a local auto painter to do the spraying.

Mike

Mike :
Thanks for the reply. I reckon epoxy paint will go well on many surfaces, but if specifically for fiberglass then the question
becomes how well will it do on gelcoat ? If adhesion is not a question, then how well will it handle scratches ( will the blue show
thorough any scratches ) ?

Has anyone seen this ( epoxy paint on gelcoat ) done with good results ? Thanks for feedback.

Te Canaille

"Michael Daly" wrote in message ...
On 7-Jun-2004, "Te Canaille" wrote:

Anyone out there had any experience replacing a gel coat exterior ? I've got a glass on kevlar hull that has a light blue gel
coat
exterior that I'd like to replace with a white gel coat. I hear it's very tricky, lots of work, and usually disastrous for an
amateur to attempt.

If you get the old gel coat off, you'll then have a problem making the new
gel coat layer smooth. Better to just paint over the existing gel coat with
an epoxy paint. You can get this at a marine supply shop - it's made for
painting fiberglass boats. If you can spray it on, it will be quite smooth.
I've heard of folks paying a local auto painter to do the spraying.

Mike

On 7-Jun-2004, "Te Canaille" wrote:

how well will it handle scratches ( will the blue show
thorough any scratches ) ?

It's paint, not diamond. Of course scratches will show the blue
if deep enough.

Heck, why does everyone worry so much about scratches - they're
a fact of life in paddling. Paddle and once you accumulate enough
scratches and gouges, fix them and get on with your life.

Scratches... sheesh!

Mike

Gee sorry to bother you Mike but scratches is the reason I'm looking to re do my hull and if that worries you then why reply in
the first place. I'm not to anxious to spend a lot of time and money to get rid of one color scratches just to replace them with
others.
Fact is this hull is a loaner used in fla****er instruction clinics and it needs to look sharp.

Te Canaille

"Michael Daly" wrote in message ...
On 7-Jun-2004, "Te Canaille" wrote:

how well will it handle scratches ( will the blue show
thorough any scratches ) ?

It's paint, not diamond. Of course scratches will show the blue
if deep enough.

Heck, why does everyone worry so much about scratches - they're
a fact of life in paddling. Paddle and once you accumulate enough
scratches and gouges, fix them and get on with your life.

Scratches... sheesh!

Mike

On 7-Jun-2004, "Te Canaille" wrote:

Fact is this hull is a loaner used in fla****er instruction clinics and it needs to look sharp.

I'm trying to discover a reason why this should be true.

If you want a boat that doesn't show scratches, buy white. Any other
color shows scratches.

Personally, I'd not worry about it and tell the students that
scratches are normal and I don't paddle just to look good.

Mike

On Mon, 7 Jun 2004 16:07:31 -0500, "Te Canaille"
wrote:

Gee sorry to bother you Mike but scratches is the reason I'm looking to re do my hull and if that worries you then why reply in
the first place. I'm not to anxious to spend a lot of time and money to get rid of one color scratches just to replace them with
others.
Fact is this hull is a loaner used in fla****er instruction clinics and it needs to look sharp.

Te Canaille

You didn't mention that it was scratches you were trying to get rid of
in the first place. May have seemed obvious to you, but left it open
for answering just your basic question. Many of us think nothing of
scratches unless they harm the fiber of the boat. For all we knew,
you just wanted a more fashionable colour.

However, if you take his well meant advice and epoxy it, you can then
just put some of the same colour over any new scratches. Have them
mix you several small cans of paint so you won't have to worry about
colour matching next time.

He replied because he was trying to be helpful to your original post.
You could try thanking him, even though he couldn't read your mind
well enough to know your exact concern and had only your own words to
go on.


"Michael Daly" wrote in message ...
On 7-Jun-2004, "Te Canaille" wrote:

how well will it handle scratches ( will the blue show
thorough any scratches ) ?

It's paint, not diamond. Of course scratches will show the blue
if deep enough.

Heck, why does everyone worry so much about scratches - they're
a fact of life in paddling. Paddle and once you accumulate enough
scratches and gouges, fix them and get on with your life.

Scratches... sheesh!

Mike


--
rbc: vixen Fairly harmless

Hit reply to email. But strip out the 'invalid.'
Though I'm very slow to respond.
http://www.visi.com/~cyli

wrote in message ...
On Mon, 7 Jun 2004 16:07:31 -0500, "Te Canaille"
wrote:

He replied because he was trying to be helpful to your original post.
You could try thanking him, even though he couldn't read your mind
well enough to know your exact concern and had only your own words to
go on.

You need to go one post further back in which I thanked Mike first then asked about scratches as seen below for your convenience :

"Thanks for the reply. I reckon epoxy paint will go well on many surfaces, but if specifically for fiberglass then the question
becomes how well will it do on gelcoat ? If adhesion is not a question, then how well will it handle scratches ( will the blue show
thorough any scratches ) ?"

At this point he knew about my concerns but replied with a sarcasm and an assumption that no one should care about scratches as he
does ( see below ). Different people have different styles and it's not his place to admonish anyone for their own reasons and
suggest his way is the only valid viewpoint. He is not the god of paddling.

Heck, why does everyone worry so much about scratches - they're
a fact of life in paddling. Paddle and once you accumulate enough
scratches and gouges, fix them and get on with your life.

Scratches... sheesh!

Mike

On 8-Jun-2004, "Te Canaille" wrote:

Different people have different styles and it's not his place to admonish anyone for their own reasons and
suggest his way is the only valid viewpoint. He is not the god of paddling.

_NO_ONE_ makes a scratchproof canoe or kayak. Get over it!

Mike

Te Canaille wrote:

Fact is this hull is a loaner used in fla****er instruction clinics and it needs to look sharp.

Honestly, if I ever saw an instructor with a super shiny boat, I'd go
elsewhere. Instructing, by its very nature, is hard on equipment. I
don't see how an instructor could keep up with dealing with daily dings
and scratches, and keep a boat looking pristine. For that matter, I
don't know why one would want to. Nothing personal, but it strikes me
that your priorities (or those of the instructor involved) may be a bit
out of line. I have to agree with the others here, form follows function.

Brian :

Thanks for your opinion and view of paddlesport. Maybe you need to expand your horizons a bit. Paddlesport includes a wide spectrum
of instruction, not just moving water and rocky bottoms. There are many kinds of instruction that does not involve scratching hulls
and being hard on equipment. In fact, more of that than not. They perhaps are not part of your world or your venue. I've been around
this for a long while and realize that many people tend to believe that their milieu is the only thing going and it is to them.
Most instruction does not involve basic river or white water, but is done in calm venues. I started out instructing moving and
whitewater and felt as though this was "the paddling world". Once I got off of rivers and went on to other things, I fianlly
realized that worldwide, most hulls are paddled on fla****er without rocks and hulls can and should be kept in good shape. I still
teach in venues in which I expect a hull to be scratched and accept that, but also teach in some where that does not happen and a
scratched up hull is a sign of poor control. Sounds to me as though you've had exposure to only certain types of venues and your
priorities are a bit narrow.

Te Canaille


"Brian Nystrom" wrote in message ...
Te Canaille wrote:

Fact is this hull is a loaner used in fla****er instruction clinics and it needs to look sharp.

Honestly, if I ever saw an instructor with a super shiny boat, I'd go
elsewhere. Instructing, by its very nature, is hard on equipment. I
don't see how an instructor could keep up with dealing with daily dings
and scratches, and keep a boat looking pristine. For that matter, I
don't know why one would want to. Nothing personal, but it strikes me
that your priorities (or those of the instructor involved) may be a bit
out of line. I have to agree with the others here, form follows function.