[OntarioTheLake]

Hi all,

Our "new to us" boat has a "deficiency" in that a previous owner used a sander to remove the old name from the fiberglass transom. I kid you not. There is maybe 15% gelcoat remaining on the transom, and it's scored badly.

Thus, I need to paint the transom; I don't want to paint the whole hull. Suggestions on paint besides Imron, which I am familiar with?

Also, how to color match? Just hold up those little tiles? I am horrible at color matching anything. House paint I take into Home Depot; the boat would cost too much to get to Home Depot.

 

[Barquito]

I like Interlux Perfection. I wouldn't try too hard to color match. Since the transom will often be in different light than the sides, you won't notice a difference.

 

[SanderO]

Be creative, Do you have a stripe on a white hull? Paint the transom to match the strip... use white lettering.

 

[OntarioTheLake]

Be creative, Do you have a stripe on a white hull? Paint the transom to match the strip... use white lettering.

No stripe....yet. That was in the plans. Interesting idea. Thanks! I'll float it by the Admiral because I don't actually make decisions.

 

[overbored]

I would use a vinyl decal with the boat name and a back ground color to cover the sanded area. it will cost you less then the can of paint, almost no labor and will look like you planned it that way.

 

[bristol299bob]

How about gelcoat? You can experiment with the tint right on the transom. Just don't add the catalyst until you are satisfied with the color. Un-catalyzed, it will wipe right off with acetone.

That said, @Barquito is right that the match is not that critical and if it's off a bit no one (except you) will notice.

 

[OntarioTheLake]

How about gelcoat? You can experiment with the tint right on the transom. Just don't add the catalyst until you are satisfied with the color. Un-catalyzed, it will wipe right off with acetone.

That said, @Barquito is right that the match is not that critical and if it's off a bit no one (except you) will notice.

I suppose it should be gelcoat, right? I've used gelcoat plenty, but didn't know there was an un-catalyzed version available, I'll look that up too.

Our transom is a step-through so I'd be concerned about getting a decal on perfectly. "Others" might not notice, but the Admiral will.

 

[Uncle Bob the 1st]

All gelcoat is uncatalyzed prior to use, one adds the catalyst to the required quantity and then applies, when cured one sands and polishes.

 

[Uncle Bob the 1st]

Duplicate post.

 

[robm]

If there is enough gelcoat left on the transom, it might be possible to buff up what is left to a shine even if it has been sanded. Lots of youtube videos out there on restoring existing gelcoat.

 

[JohnBPrice]

Even pros have a difficult time getting an exact match, especially on older finishes that have unevenly faded. If you get a close match, there are some tricks you can use to make it still look great. Look for natural break lines. On a square transom with hard edges, simply paint the entire transom to the edges, the small difference at the edge will not noticeable any more than shadows.
If you are doing a small patch, sand the edges of the patch with increasingly fine sandpaper. The new finish will fill in some of the scratches and give you a fade line which is less noticeable than a hard line.

 

[sailingfool]

I'd p[aint the transom without a second thought. If you make an effort to color match the topsides, you most likely wont be able to notice. However many CS36T's went with a different color transom and I always thought these looked quite sharp.

 

[Siamese]

My first though was that you might be able to restore the gelcoat, but taking your description at face value, probably not a good idea. With that much localized damaged, getting it fair would be a challenge.

How about a wrap on just the transom? I don't know much about them, but some people are doing their entire topsides in a vinyl wrap. You could get as creative as you want with the graphics from plain to fancy. You'd need to do some sanding and filling, but no more, and probably less than if you painted. Once faired, it would be a lot easier to apply vinyl than to prime it and paint it.

 

[danielswords]

I would use any exterior acrylic latex house paint. I painted my deck with acrylic latex house paint eight years ago, cost almost nothing, took almost no time, has held up perfectly, looks good.

 

[OntarioTheLake]

The Admiral said no to the vinyl sticker approach, since we'd also have to re-do the stripe, which would delay launch and/or eat up valuable sailing season.

So back to gelcoat or paint. I'm finding both one-part and two-part polyurethane and enamel paints; and of course gelcoat. I'm guessing the gelcoat would last longer?

For paint, MarineTalk (which looks like an advertorial) ranks one-part Rustoleum Topside enamel as #1, and TotalBoat one-part polyurethane as #2.

I found another boating site which says gelcoat is more work to get a good finish (multiple coats, it says. ??) but otherwise suggests a one-part polyurethane.

I found very little on using acrylic paint, I presume there's a reason for this.

 

[bristol299bob]

Im no expert but I can share my person experience (FWIW)
- gelcoat: much harder than any paint and the film thickness is typically significantly thicker. I think an expert could apply it (spray) and buff it and be done. But for me it's a matter of apply (roll, perhaps tip) sand, apply,sand, apply sand, sand, buff. So unless you are a pro with good equip I think you are right that it will be a matter of multiple coats, with plenty of sanding and buffing.

- Rustoleum topsides. I have been using it for about 8 years now. I use it for the boot stripe, cove stripe and the dinghy bottom. It's a great paint, hard, it lays out and levels well (important for the novice painter). it has good gloss and it lasts a long time. It stands up to UV and does not turn chalky. I've been using it for about 8 years now.

for a pro finish you'd want at least 2 coats, sanding in between and a final wet sand.

It's less resistant to abrasion and scratching than gelcoat of course. And I find that it will transfer to a fender if rubbing for a prolonged period.

 

[JimsCAL]

If you paint the entire transom, a close color match is not vital. For durability, a 2-part polyurethane is the way to go. And since the name and home port lettering will cover things and be the focal point, even if the paint job is not perfect it will not be noticeable.