Console painting

kev1508 · 02 May 2021, 20:57

Hi folks,

First time poster, long time subscriber! I am now finally at the stage of getting ready to go out on the water for the second time on my 5.5m Tornado... Long story short my 1985 Evinrude 50hp 2 stroke has given up the ghost so I am on the market for a 4 stroke 50-70hp.

In the meantime I have sanded down my console and looking to run new electrics for fish finder and switches but nothing too fancy and I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for some good paint and tips for re-doing the console (is it a case of sanding and rolling), at the moment its RN Grey and I was going to change the colour but I might just try and source the same colour to "freshen it up"

Any tips or advice would be hugely appreciated.
Cheers,
Kevin.

Limecc · 02 May 2021, 21:42

Wow, welcome!

Resident experts Beerbelly or Nugent will soon be along no doubt to advise. A possibility is to use Flowcoat (gelcoat with wax) which would need to be faired afterward but would be tougher and better than paint? BoatworksToday channel on YouTube is a good source of info. In one video he makes the comparison.

beamishken · 02 May 2021, 22:51

Easiest way to get a good origional looking finish is to spray with two pack paint. Gelcoat is hard wearing & the original finish on fibreglass but extremely labour intensive for the results. A good automotive two pack paint will give a good durable result without breaking the bank or wearing your fingers to the bone sanding back like gelcoat.
After that then you have various brush or roler/pad options if you dont have access to spraying facilities

Matt · 03 May 2021, 07:33

Flow coat would work, but takes work to get a good finish.
I like international perfection. It’s a 2 pack paint and once cured is rock hard, feels even harder than gel.

With a little patience, and follow the instructions, you can get a great finish, but you can wet sand and polish if you need to.

gtflash · 03 May 2021, 07:59

I regelled my console and paid someone to professionally finish certain parts. I wouldn’t do it again. Damn hard work, lots of labour and the added layer of gel has areas where it has cracked.

I was thinking about paint myself yesterday, I wonder if any of the paints would stand up to standing water in areas I have where water pools and sits constantly.

Matt · 03 May 2021, 08:15

Yeah, I have done both. If you roller the flowcoat on, you can get a sort of stippled finish that looks OK for a "commercial" look.

You can also spray the flowcoat, or even spray gelcoat and then spray PVA over the top to seal it so you get a good cure. You can get an OK finish with spraying it, but it doesn't flow as well as paint - it's not designed for it.

I did the transom on my old formula in International Perfection - before & after shots below. I did wet sand and polish the transom as well - but the result was pretty flawless.

I've also used toplac, painted the whole of my catamaran in bright red with it.

Toplac is a good paint too. Much softer than perfection as you'd expect, but good coverage. Usual painting rules apply though - prep work & technique are key.

nugent · 03 May 2021, 09:04

Sprayed lots
But yiu can Get sensible finish with a good roller

Hmg polykote 4+1primer
Hmg Acrythane A211

Ltr of each and ltr of 9004 Hardner plus ltr 2603 thinners would do ya

Same again this can be sprayed

Primer sands down easy n goes dead flat with little work

Same products used on this

GuyC · 03 May 2021, 09:40

I'll be a philistine and suggest vinyl.

Matt · 03 May 2021, 10:28

You philistine.

gtflash · 08 May 2021, 12:10

Quote:

Originally Posted by nugent

Sprayed lots
But yiu can Get sensible finish with a good roller

Hmg polykote 4+1primer
Hmg Acrythane A211

Ltr of each and ltr of 9004 Hardner plus ltr 2603 thinners would do ya

Same again this can be sprayed

Primer sands down easy n goes dead flat with little work

Same products used on this

Hi Nugent. Would it be ok il aft wells that hold an inch or so of water.