repainting a fiberglass hull

[nebraskaairboater]

I am planning on repainting my fiberglass hull again. This last car paint didn't hold up at all. I used a single stage paint with no clear. I am thinking about shooting it with gel coat this time and putting he work into sanding it smooth and putting a few coats of clear over it. My thoughts are 3-5 coats of gel then 3-5 coats of clear. Hoping the clear will take the minor scratches and can be buffed out. Or is there a good car paint that will hold up well? Any advice on spraying gel to speed me up? I figure I'd put all the coats on with gel then sand the last coat smooth then spray the clear. I will buy a HVLP gun for this if that will work or is there a better system out there? I rolled it on the inside of the boat the last time I messed with gel and it turned out ok but I think it would be easier to spray on the outside.

 

[Andy]

Check out Awl grip.

 

[Gary S]

AwlGrip is the best of the best. Nason is a good single stage that doesn't cost what Awl Grip cost. Not sure what you mean by didn't hold up. Not stay shinny or not wear good. The Awl Grip will wear better and the shine last almost forever.
If your going to go with gel coat I would use a product by Duratec high gloss additive.It takes the place of wax in the gelcoat and thins the gelcoat so you can spray it. I always went to harbor freight and bought a couple cheap guns for spraying gel coat as you will never get them clean again after you spray gelcoat in them.
Best and longest lasting is AwlGrip. AwlGrip can actually be rolled on but it is a process, you roll it on and come behind it with a foam brush died in reducer and knock the tips off. I've never done it but have seen some boats that were. You can't tell it was rolled if done right. Personally I would spray it, My airboats are Nason my flats boat is Awlgrip.

 

[Gladesman06]

I've been in your same position before and have learned the hard way. Your best option is Awlcraft which is made by Awlgrip. Awlgrip is more durable then Awlcraft but Awlgrip is a nightmare to wet sand and buff while Awlcraft isn't so bad. Yes Awlgrip products are not cheap but believe me it's worth every penny in the long run. Awlgrip has a good variety of pre made colors to pick from and there is some places that can make any color you want.