wakefj
Member
The hull graphics have been showing their age on my 2006 Challenger 180. Replacing them was going to be expensive and eventually the new graphics would get beat-up as well during docking. So I did some research and decided to paint the hull to make it look like the hulls on the newer Sea Doo and other boats.
Here's a before picture (I admit that I should have taken a better picture)
I began by pealing the decals off and sanding the Gel-coat all around the boat with 230 grit
I then masked off the entire area.
I went with Rustoleum brand Marine Fiberglass Primer and Marine Topside Paint. I tack-clothed the hull numerous times before each coat to make sure I was working with a clean surface. I applied the first coat of primer, waited a day, sanded with 230 again and gave it a second coat of primer.
I bought a $14 sprayer at Harbor Freight that had good reviews... I should add that I've never done this before, but with the help of "Youtube University", I learned a lot before I picked-up the sprayer!
Here's the primer going on....
After the 2nd coat of primer, I was pretty happy with the surface conditions so I went on to spray 3 coats of the Navy Blue, giving it a couple days to harden up between each coat. Here's the result of the 1st coat...
Then the finished product...
I figure that I can touch-up the paint a lot easier than replacing the graphics.
Paint and primer was ~$12/quart. I found the paint at Lowe's and the primer on Amazon. I was surprised to only use a quart of primer (with some left over) and a quart and a half of paint. There was minimal over spray from the sprayer. You get significantly more over spray from a spray can! Each coat took only minutes apply, but cleaning the sprayer took a good 45 minutes or so.
After three coats, I was pretty satisfied with the finish. They say to finish with polishing compound and wax, but honestly, I couldn't tell the difference where I compounded/waxed and where I didn't.
Thanks for checking this out!
Here's a before picture (I admit that I should have taken a better picture)
I began by pealing the decals off and sanding the Gel-coat all around the boat with 230 grit
I then masked off the entire area.
I went with Rustoleum brand Marine Fiberglass Primer and Marine Topside Paint. I tack-clothed the hull numerous times before each coat to make sure I was working with a clean surface. I applied the first coat of primer, waited a day, sanded with 230 again and gave it a second coat of primer.
I bought a $14 sprayer at Harbor Freight that had good reviews... I should add that I've never done this before, but with the help of "Youtube University", I learned a lot before I picked-up the sprayer!
Here's the primer going on....
After the 2nd coat of primer, I was pretty happy with the surface conditions so I went on to spray 3 coats of the Navy Blue, giving it a couple days to harden up between each coat. Here's the result of the 1st coat...
Then the finished product...
I figure that I can touch-up the paint a lot easier than replacing the graphics.
Paint and primer was ~$12/quart. I found the paint at Lowe's and the primer on Amazon. I was surprised to only use a quart of primer (with some left over) and a quart and a half of paint. There was minimal over spray from the sprayer. You get significantly more over spray from a spray can! Each coat took only minutes apply, but cleaning the sprayer took a good 45 minutes or so.
After three coats, I was pretty satisfied with the finish. They say to finish with polishing compound and wax, but honestly, I couldn't tell the difference where I compounded/waxed and where I didn't.
Thanks for checking this out!
Attachments
Last edited by a moderator:
