Line-x on the white cap—? Photos? Comments?

[SteveH]

I would worry that the rough white surface would eventually mildew (due to trapped bits of biomatter) and you'd have to bleach your roof on occasion - per the photo of the FJ60 here. I can see using a lining on the underside of the fiberglass FJ40 roof, but not the top side.

 

[bugsnbikes]

Gel Coat is a no-brainer imho. I went to West Marine and got gel coat and insteuctions on prep and coating. The coat i used was painted on with a brush and due to the gels thickness....the brushstrokes disappear and its a perfectly glossy smooth coat. about as diy as it gets and is good for another 20years in beating sun. Oem and relatively easy diy project. Prep was simply sanding the old gelcoat off (mine was 40year old orig which was failry baked dry and already almost completely flaked off)without going into the fibreglass too mich so something like a 200grit). Then simply address any fibreglass gouges with a sandable filler) and paint on the gelcoat. i did 2-3coats in areas where the coat thinned out due to gravity on corners humps where gel would run down if painted too thick initially) since this was my first go around- and i learned from mistakes-id strongly suggest painting it on thinner vs thicker-and then follow flash times and paint on 3-4thin coats vs 2 thicker as i did...for more even coverage as the gel tends to droop if too thick.)

On the inside of the top i later shot some lizard skin ceramic -1gallon- and then applied an SOR headliner once the Lizard skin was dry. The Lizard skin interior and Gelcoat exterior is noticeably better than my 80series with just the lizard skin interior roof/painted exterior as far as heat reduction on a blazing California day. So the Gelcoats UV and glossyness adds to some heat shedding.

heres a 10footer shot today- already 4years old and looks oem-i purposely didnt do the outer lip with gelcoat to keep some patina transition to the roof. (i was afraid the roof would look too new for my patina cruiser paint- but by leaving the outer roof lip it keeps a nice transition surface rust)

in the second pic- you can see the color of the 40s gelcoat in relation to the oem cruiser cygnus white in the fzj55behind the 40. pretty darn close to cygnus.

 

[bwiygul]

Gel Coat is a no-brainer imho. I went to West Marine and got gel coat and insteuctions on prep and coating. The coat i used was painted on with a brush and due to the gels thickness....the brushstrokes disappear and its a perfectly glossy smooth coat. about as diy as it gets and is good for another 20years in beating sun. Oem and relatively easy diy project. Prep was simply sanding the old gelcoat off (mine was 40year old orig which was failry baked dry and already almost completely flaked off)without going into the fibreglass too mich so something like a 200grit). Then simply address any fibreglass gouges with a sandable filler) and paint on the gelcoat. i did 2-3coats in areas where the coat thinned out due to gravity on corners humps where gel would run down if painted too thick initially) since this was my first go around- and i learned from mistakes-id strongly suggest painting it on thinner vs thicker-and then follow flash times and paint on 3-4thin coats vs 2 thicker as i did...for more even coverage as the gel tends to droop if too thick.)

On the inside of the top i later shot some lizard skin ceramic -1gallon- and then applied an SOR headliner once the Lizard skin was dry. The Lizard skin interior and Gelcoat exterior is noticeably better than my 80series with just the lizard skin interior roof/painted exterior as far as heat reduction on a blazing California day. So the Gelcoats UV and glossyness adds to some heat shedding.

heres a 10footer shot today- already 4years old and looks oem-i purposely didnt do the outer lip with gelcoat to keep some patina transition to the roof. (i was afraid the roof would look too new for my patina cruiser paint- but by leaving the outer roof lip it keeps a nice transition surface rust)

in the second pic- you can see the color of the 40s gelcoat in relation to the oem cruiser cygnus white in the fzj55behind the 40. pretty darn close to cygnus.

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Is the gel coat white or is it done over a fresh white paint? It was my original plan but seemed like most people talked me out of it. Was gel coat the OEM treatment? Thanks

 

[bugsnbikes]

gelcoat was oem. fibreglass expands and contracts according to temperature and paint would crack....so gelcoat is going to be the most durable with the tops expansion and contraction. gelcoats have a color base tint and is a two part coating. I used a local West Marine and paid around $200 roughly.

the oem tops fibreglass is a bit offwhite when you sand off the orig. gelcoat. so all you really need to do is touch up any gouges in the fibreglass with some filler and simply paint over the fibreglass with the gelcoat. its mildly thick like a thinner grade b maple syrup and iirc can be thinned a tad (which i didnt do). But again i would consult a knowlwdgeable salesguy at a Marine supplier or boat painter who has used gelcoat and can point you in the right direction process/instruction wise,

 

[bwiygul]

gelcoat was oem. fibreglass expands and contracts according to temperature and paint would crack....so gelcoat is going to be the most durable with the tops expansion and contraction. gelcoats have a color base tint and is a two part coating. I used a local West Marine and paid around $200 roughly.

the oem tops fibreglass is a bit offwhite when you sand off the orig. gelcoat. so all you really need to do is touch up any gouges in the fibreglass with some filler and simply paint over the fibreglass with the gelcoat. its mildly thick like a thinner grade b maple syrup and iirc can be thinned a tad (which i didnt do). But again i would consult a knowlwdgeable salesguy at a Marine supplier or boat painter who has used gelcoat and can point you in the right direction process/instruction wise,

Thanks man!! I’m glad you posted. It’s been all i hear is “just paint it” but I thought the gel coat was OEM and it seems it would be a longer lasting finish as well as shore up some of the imperfections in the cap. Plus it would give a little extra beefiness to it too I would imagine or at least more tan a coat of paint.

I don’t think I’ll donit myself, probably hire a boat guy to do it or somebody good with it that I can help do the job. Thanks for the info.

 

[bugsnbikes]

if you do the sanding and cleanup of the gutter area you can probably find someone to do the application alot cheaper. As with most things......its the prep that makes for quality results. digging out the crud and getting rust cleaned up in the gutter is where i would focus my energy. this is also where someone you hire will cut corners since thwt area requires “getting in there” vs the rest of the top which is just slow sanding sanding with a finer grit so you arent blowing through the fibreglass.

its definitely a 1 bananna job and you just need an orbital sander, and a dust mask as you dont want fibreglass dust in your nose amd lungs.

 

[middlecalf]

bugsnbikes that’s a great job. My roof was a bit too rough to go gel coat route despite lots of patching, sanding, filling, more sanding etc etc etc. So I went with the stuff made for school buses, it’s out of Florida and includes the UV coating. I can look up the name/info if anyone is interested, I think I have an old thread on this. Here it is Roof Restoration - Tar Baby

 

[Flatlanderfj40]

@bugsnbikes great info. Your rig is one of my favorites here.

 

[SteveH]

@bugsnbikes great info = yes. I had no idea there was a DIY gelcoat kit of the sort you mentioned - very slick! Looks great.

 

[bwiygul]

Well, after talking to a really experienced boat shop here in town it looks like I’m going with paint on epoxy primer. Turns out that should be the best option. Thanks for all the feedback.

 

[Jetlander]

Well, after talking to a really experienced boat shop here in town it looks like I’m going with paint on epoxy primer. Turns out that should be the best option. Thanks for all the feedback.

Why’s that? Inquiring minds want to know!

 

[bwiygul]

Why’s that? Inquiring minds want to know!

Well, without being disrespectful to others decisions for their tops, the boat guy here has been in the business for 40+ years and he said that gel coat was done because of cost, not quality. All Of your higher end boats aren’t using gel anymore. They’re using epoxy resins and paint. It’s far more expensive. But it’s more of a process of using the epoxy coating and then priming and painting.

He said as far as fiberglass goes, it’s just a better finished product and I’ve heard others say that but this guy does formula boats and other really high end stuff. He got into a lot of technical things that helped and made a lot of sense. Anyway, I want the best product and for a guy who could and would do what I asked and give an extremely good product to refer me to another person to do what he would do it it were his, I have to go with it.

Hope that helps a little. I’ll still possibly line the inside. May just lizard skin sound and temp coatings and then put a headliner in. That’s how I’m leaning now.

 

[Jetlander]

Makes sense. Thanks for the update.

 

[thebigredrocker]

Another boatbuilder’s opinion

Hey mate, I'm a boatbuilder here in New Zealand. I wouldn't recommend gelcoat. It's best applied to a waxed mould so when you apply it to the outside of a product you have to add in wax and styrene so that it doesn't stay sticky. You then will be left with a very matte finish and the orange peel from the gun. You have to then wet sand it in stages up to 2000g and polish it up. If you sand through you'll need to do it all again as touch ups are not flawless. I've you've ever looked at and old gelcoat boat (even a few years old) you'll see the gelcoat is dull and porous and maybe cracked. Not worth the effort in my opinion.
A good quality automotive or marine paint will be easier, faster and give you less heartache at the end of the day.

 

[bwiygul]

Another boatbuilder’s opinion

There ya go, twonoutnofbtwo pro’s say epoxy coat and paint...