TOPIC: gel coat or paint

i have a 1961 fleetform that was in a garage that a car burned up in , and the gel coat on the deck is full of cracks. so i removed the gel coat and was wondering how hard is it to apply new gel coat. or should i smooth it out with filler and paint the deck? thanks, greg (frog)

That's a loaded question. You'll find as many opinions on that as you will boat restorers out there.

Basically, gel coat will require alot more work to buff out and get smooth, and in most restores opinions will be a more original, more durable and possibly a more water resistant finish.

That being said, there are alot of good paint finishes out there and you can get a very nice, very durable and very water resistant finish out of those as well.

It's generally accepted that the two part urethanes are the most durable finishes. After all, they use a two part urethane called Imron on the space shuttle.

Gelcoat is a lot easier to apply now than it used to be. Gloss additives cause it to flow much like paint and reduce or eliminate the need for the intense sanding and buffing that used to be required.
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The look of Gelcoat is so much more original than paint...when you see two boats side by each* one painted and one with gelcoat the difference is quite apparent. I guess it depends, though, on what you want to achieve.

Peter
in Denver

*Authentic M'Waukee dialect