Overhaul or repair & paint?

[steven904911]

Have our old family Sunfish, mid 60s Alcort. It's actually in good shape deck/hull/deck-hull joint have never been breached. Still sails great. But some nicks and needs new paint. Would like to get it set up for the grandchildren generation and the next 30 yrs or so. How do you decide whether to go with a whole new gel-coat overhaul job or touchup repairs and paint?

 

[signal charlie]

Those are great boats! I suggest sailing her one or two seasons.

Go gelcoat if you know how to do it or have a good gelcoat person. Otherwise paint can be fun as it is relatively straightforward. You can stick with original colors or put on something custom.

Post some pictures, part of the decision will be how much area needs repair.

Good luck!

 

[beldar boathead]

I agree with Signal Charlie. If you decide to paint instead of gelcoat, I’d suggest painting only the deck. It’s what you see the most, and paint on the hull is prone to getting scratched, so it’s a good idea to leave it in plain ol weathered gelcoat!

 

[signal charlie]

I believe it was Alan G that suggested a good ole Rustoleum rattle can job for the bottom hull. Covers up the warts, costs about 4 dollars a can, takes around 6 cans. Touch up as needed. Gloss White.

Here's a 2003 Vanguard boat that had 7 or 8 previous repairs plus a tangle with a seawall. The port side is sanded with 120 grit. Starboard side and keel is awaiting sanding and Marine Tex epoxy putty repairs.

Crystal after repair and 6 cans of Rustoleum Gloss White.

Deck buffed with 3M Fiberglass Restorer and Wax on a 5 inch car buffer.

 

[Christopher_G_Lewis]

How durable is the spray can bottom? Our sunny from around the same era is in need of a new bottom job, but spends most of its life on a beach with some bangs on the rack where its stored. My hopes are that this would be something I wouldn't have to repaint every year.

And how (other than price) would this compare to something like Interlux Perfection or Brightside polyurethane done via roll/tip?

 

[L&VW]

Have our old family Sunfish, mid 60s Alcort. It's actually in good shape deck/hull/deck-hull joint have never been breached. Still sails great. But some nicks and needs new paint. Would like to get it set up for the grandchildren generation and the next 30 yrs or so. How do you decide whether to go with a whole new gel-coat overhaul job or touchup repairs and paint?

Thirty years is a long time without a ding!

With my five Sunfish (down from six) I've gone to painting. A touch-up at the beginning of each season is usually required with boats stored on racks.

Nicks in gelcoat can be touched up with Marine-Tex™—and gloss-white Rustoleum™ is found everywhere.

Four of my Sunfish decks are white, and one is a medium-blue. (The sixth deck was maroon in color). After a few hours of sailing, I've found that reflected sun glare off a blue or maroon deck fatigued the eyes much less. Even hours later, one's night vision can be affected by glare—especially important when boating at night. So, if you're going to paint the deck, consider a change-over from white.

As you spray, move the spray pattern away from you, and don't try to paint the entire surface at one time. The reasoning is that the distant spray dries more readily upon contact—and fresh spray dissolves it to match the "wetness" of the center as you move the pattern forward. While perfection can't be assured, "runs" are reduced when the surface being painted is level with the ground.

Find a shaded place to spray, and If spraying outdoors, pick a totally-windless day!

.

 

[signal charlie]

Before we get started, it is a good time of the year to review our Restoration Problem Solving Matrix. And remember that any project is simply correcting one mistake after the other, with the first mistake being to begin in the first place
Our boats run up and down the beach on dollys, so that is one way of protecting paint or gelcoat. The Interlux bottom on our 1965 boat has lasted many seasons of beaching, and other boats we have restored have done well with a Rustoleum bottom.

Most of our supplies we order from Jamestown Distributors. First, we'll assume that the fairing and sanding cost is the same for a spray bottom or roll and tip bottom. For bottoms we like a coat of primer and 2 coats of paint. Possibly one more coat of primer if there are a lot of color variations or a darker color is going on. So multiply the cost of the paint and primer, $38 for a quart of Interlux x 2, plus your primer $40 x ? and you get a basic cost to do a hull. We have always need more than one quart for a hull, and rarely have we stretched a quart to do a deck and get the coverage we like. Other painter's mileage has varied. Plus thinner at $17 a can. Mighty Mini roller kits around $5 each with 2 roller covers, roller frame, pan, gloves and stir stick. Plus a few $2 Redtree double thick chip brushes to tip. We also like the 2 inch sash brushes sold at Lowes or Home Depot, either the inhouse brand or Purdy. So a hull or a deck runs $150 to $200 and will give you many years of use with reasonable care. The Rustoleum bottom is $3.98 a can, x 6 cans. Plus tax unless they have a Veterans discount, then the discount offsets the tax.

Here is 1980 AMF SUGAR 2 with a Rustoleum bottom and Kirby #4 Orange bow and stern.

1965 Alcort WAVE's Interlux bottom went on about 20 years ago and still looks good. The deck is Interlux and it was refreshed around 2014. She was my first paint job so....

Covers and dollies go a long way to protect hulls and sails. Some covers are cut to allow spars on deck storage, otherwise best to store sail inside the garage or house.

We have used several different types of paint and have been happy with them all. Right now TotalBoat WetEdge is leading the pack based on the finish and price, $28 for a quart. Paint choice usually comes down to who has the color you want, how soon you need it and price. Their product is relatively new, so long term duration of the finish is still to be determined.

WetEdge Fire Red and BluGlo White

Rustoleum also makes Topside paint, brush it on. Sold in our local Lowes. Here is Topside Oyster White on our 1959 Sorg Runabout.

Oyster White interior and Pettit EZPoxy Sea Foam Green on the hull of our Penobscot 14.

 

[steven904911]

Have our old family Sunfish, mid 60s Alcort. It's actually in good shape deck/hull/deck-hull joint have never been breached. Still sails great. But some nicks and needs new paint. Would like to get it set up for the grandchildren generation and the next 30 yrs or so. How do you decide whether to go with a whole new gel-coat overhaul job or touchup repairs and paint?

Thank you all for the great and quick suggestions.
She is old but just sailed occasionally during those years. Annual vacations on the Currituck Sound in the OBX. But sailed constantly during those week(s) we were there each year. Then stored wrapped up in UV tarps in-between in OH and VA. Sounds like repair and paint is the way to go. My objective is to just get her ready for the second half of an already long life so the grand kids can start out in a "like new" Sunfish.

 

[signal charlie]

Sounds great! Post some pics when you can please and holler when you have more questions for the usual visitors.

Cheers
Kent and Audrey