old Fiberglas canoe coating? paint, gelcoat, etc?

[Seth Matthews]

I plan to sand down my old Pere Marquette canoe and repaint it. but should I use a gel coat, or just enamel? I'm not wanting to spend a lot of cash on this, but would like to get it looking nice, even if its just a spray paint job. So, I thought I'd use a high build epoxy primer and then just spray her with some kind of enamel paint. what are your thoughts?

 

[Robin]

I have had good luck with Interlux Briteside paint. I don't use a primer, just sand and paint with a 4" foam brush. I scuff between coats with either a scotch brite pad or 150 sandpaper, depends on the boat. 1 quart should do a canoe.
https://www.jamestowndistributors.com/userportal/show_product.do?pid=64

 

[Zac]

I have no clue. But I'm sure someone here knows and I will be following along closely! My next project for the winter is a fiberglass Scot Explorer that was (the story when I bought it) found sunk on a lake and then sold to me for $100 after some sub-par fiberglass repairs. I managed to grind off some of the keel in Montana a couple of summers ago and even after two parking lot FlexSeal Spray jobs and some caulking later on down the road it has been leaking again (weird, right?) It is my favorite beater that I hope to use to learn to pole next summer so it is due for some major TLC and then a paint job.

I sold a water-tight fiberglass Wenonah to a cousin last spring and he immediately used spray cans of "boat bottom" paint to turn it blue. I have not seen the result in person. The pictures don't look terribly bad and apparently it still floats... but I suggested against this course of action, believing gel is the only way to go.

Zac

 

[memaquay]

Tremclad, think it might be called rustoleum in the States. Roll it on with a sponge roller, three or four coats. Use fire engine red colour, all the chicks will want to paddle with you, and the whole thing will cost you about 20 bucks.