Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
Does anyone know what the original hull colors were in '78 for the C-25? I know my hull has been painted by hand by the PO. It is currently white but where it is scratched I see a deep blue behind it. Was this an option or am I looking at a primer? I would really like to go with a blue hull when I repaint but I don't think I will go with it if the original color was white.
In 1981, when I bought my new C25, a variety of colors were offered for the hull, and more colors were offered for the deck, and different colors were offered for the stripes. I remember that a sky blue was offered and about 2 different shades of beige, I think there was a pale yellow, but I don't remember if there was a dark blue, although Catalina will tell you if you phone them. In fact, I'm fairly certain they still have the original order for your boat, and if you tell them the hull number, they can tell you the original colors of the hull, deck and stripes. They might even send you a copy of the original order, if you ask nice.
Thats probably pretty close OJ. I won't have her out of the water for a while to do any sanding or anything like that. But I would like to have all my materials ready so I can get back in fairly quickly as it is pretty costly to set on the hard over here. If the original color was dark and I can't restore it I will paint it dark again, but if it wasn't I will paint it white.I guess I could do a little dabbling over the side to see what I find. I will try to contact Catalina and see what information they have. Thanks...
To get to the original gelcoat, I'd recommend a fiberglass-safe stripper such as the peel-away stuff at West Marine. That should get 90% of the paint without damaging the gelcoat. The rest you can get with sandpaper, thereby minimizing the assault. Strippers work best in warmer temperatures and are pretty much ineffective below 50F--keep in mind that's the hull temperature, not just the air, so overnight and early mornings can be dubious.
As others have said, restoring the gelcoat is your best option if it's feasible... If painting is your only good option, it's best to use a color that's close to the original gelcoat so the unavoidable dings don't haunt you. However, when the inevitable re-painting becomes necessary, to get a good finish, the old paint will have to come off again. The new paint can tend to loosen the old, and peeling can become rampant. Also, sanding is not very effective for smoothing out scratched and peeling paint.
I did some research last night on fiberglass safe strippers. I'm gonna pick some up and have a go at on a very conspicuous spot on the hull. (One way or the other the old paint is coming off). At the very least all the paint needs to come off the decks anyway. There are a few dings in the bow that I have to repair and who knows what I'll find under the paint. I guess I have the option of applying a new gel coat any color I want too...
I really hope the new owner of my boat doesn't go that route, the original gelcoat on my boat was trashed, and was an ugly light blue.
At least you can tell them what it was... But if they wanted to "improve" on what you sold them, the first step would be to remove the paint that's there. Leaving it will lead to disappointment. I speak from the experiences of not myself, but several people I've known. Painting over paint on a fiberglass boat is trashing the hull further than it already was.
What utter rubbish. I have been painting boats all my working life. Start removing two pack paint with a DA rotating sander and 80 grit then follow with 120. After you get to a good substrate then degrease and go for hi build epoxy primer followed by your topcoat. simple!
What utter rubbish. I have been painting boats all my working life.
Your opinion... I've looked at and and walked away from painted fiberglass boats all of my adult life. They work, but I won't buy them. "Whatever floats your boat."
Worane, you are obviously proud of your work, as any artist would be. We owners see the boats 10 years later and listen to people trying to figure out how to deal with the contrasting color gelcoat showing through the scrape in the paint, and on a boat as cheap as a C 25 that answer is "well you can't repaint it" because the cost would not make sense. Also most boats that are painted in our market are only painted because they have been hammered so it is better to look for a boat with a hull in better shape. That is our experience and our advice.
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.