I just bought my first sunfish yesterday and it needs painting. Do I have to use special paint any top coat? What is a gel coat any help would be greatly appreciated.
I have brushed on interlux topside and also Rustoleum marine paint. I did not thin and you could see brush marks up close. My deck's gelcoat was shot and the boats were going to the recreational fleet. For touch up on a hull, rustoleum white spray paint made me happy, considering the boat was going to get dings eventually.
Check out my blog, I painted Tilly and Buttercup, the rest were sanded and and restored with 3M Restorer:
If the spots are small, under a foot or so, you can get some amazing results brushing on gelcoat and wet sanding it. Here are the pros at Laser Performance: http:/vimeo.com/2299590
When spraying outdoors, pick a cool and totally-windless day.
On some fairly deep scratches, I've had good luck—over several seasons—using automotive "Glazing Putty": easy to spread with an old credit card, cheap, and quick to dry.