Bought a laser with damage to the gunnel on the aft right corner. I'm rebuilding the corner with layers and layers of glass. My question is.... Is gel coat required over the glass or can the glass be primed and painted as it is topside? And. Can the topside be repainted with out too much (or any) sanding that would reduce the textured deck surface.
If you're going to paint the boat the entire thing will need to be lightly sanded to get the paint to adhere. 150 or 220 grit works the best. Next, you will have to wipe it down with acetone or a fiberglass cleaner such as the interlux fiberglass prep solvent. After that you are ready to prime. I have used the interlux product before and have had good luck. For the hull I would recommend interlux brightside and you can also use it on the deck and ad the interdeck for a sweet non-skid surface. You don't need to sand between coats. For a great smooth look go with a roll and tip method were you roll on the paint and then use a really nice paintbrush to tip the paint in one direction. Despite my age I work at a boat supply store and have vast knowledge of painting products and have also completely restored a dinghy from the 70s. There is a good video on rolling and tipping on the interlux website and good product descriptions. Best of luck. Email me if you need any other advice on the painting front.
So far I've used 1/2 quart of primer and that's 2 coats to the hull. About 1.5 pounds sanded down to about 3/4 of 1 pound. Another 3 pounds of topcoat top and hull. Sanded to aboust 2 pounds. That's a total of 2.75 pounds. How many hosepower do you recommend?
I guess I don't care much about the cosmetic appearance of a Laser because it is really just a racing machine anyway.