- Aug 23, 2013
- 530
- Boat Info
- 2005 Sea Ray 280 Sundancer
- Engines
- Twin 4.3L 220 HP, Alpha 1 Drives, 5E Genny, AC
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Agree - excellent product however with any coating preparation of the surface is everything.I have used interlux bilge kote paint and am impressed.
Have you already done this method? I was thinking after scraping all the loose pieces off and then sand with maybe 60-90 grit sandpaper then use the acetone to prep. Would like to get the gelcoat to match the original color though.Interlux Bilge coat is not gelcoat FYI, just paint basically.
You need to sand the surface really well. Chip out alll the old broken and cracked gelcoat. (Scraper would work best.) Wipe everything down with acetone.
Just get some cheap white gelcoat from west marine or a local fiberglass shop. Get it with wax in so it will cure off and you wont need PVA or anything like that. And just brush it or roll it on enough to cover the bare fiberglass. Getting too thick will cause it to crack again like it did from the factory. (Im currently dealing with this same thing on a 290 SLX)
Yay! Can't wait to get started.You are not trying to get a perfect finish in an engine compartment. You can roll it out and it will look just fine. To get a uniform color, you would have to re-gelcoat the entire compartment. If you wanna match it, you will most likely have to get some tints to make it really match....way more trouble than its worth for an engine compartment.
Ive done this method a couple times. Ive done both bilge coat, and gelcoat. If the boats a keeper, and you want it to last, then gelcoat. You want cheap and easy to hold you over for a few years....then bilgekote.
For getting the old stuff up, you want the grittiest sand paper you can get. I use a flapper wheel on a grinder, and disks, but it makes a ton of dust, and a big mess.
Its all about effort at this point.
What was it you used and the process?Well, it has been quite some time since this project started. Life got in the way. June 2018, brought us a 8 year old family member that was destined to be in foster care. After 2 years of court dates, fast forward to 2021 and we have adopted her. Jenna has changed our lives so greatly. Back to the boat project. After a nearly full refit I am just a
few weeks away from reinstalling the engines.
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Scraped, sanded, scraped, sanded several times. 80 grit paper. Wiped down with Interlux 333 and used the Interlux Bilgekote white. I put down 3 coats with using 3m scotch pads to scuff and wipe down with the 333 each time. The white did turn to an off white after a few weeks. I’m happy with the results.What was it you used and the process?