BPSparks

Thanks so much for your reply Julynian..

It is. I did read that in cases it may be too glossy for its own good as it shows all the bumps and warts. I'm good at prep, but probably not that good.... Toplac is the next step down, still glossy but a bit forgiving. its basically a 1 part system Toplac is Brightside I think the 2 part polyurethane is what i was refering to above

My boat is GRP Can't - minimum overcoating times are 24 hours. 30 hours before you can sand. All your info makes sense and its pretty much what I thought needed to be done.

Good day I'll be as brief and to the point as possible. After many, many hours of preparation, I am ready to begin the painting process of my topside. Products being used are International's Pre-Kote as my undercoats (no primer needed) and Toplac as my finishing coats. 2.5 coats of undercoat and 2.5 coats of finish. The 1/2 coats are a blend of the two products 50/50. Ok. The questions are coming soon. International recommend that the undercoat is applied to a surface abraded to 180-230 grit. As I have had to use 80 grit to remove the old paint completely, my first question is can I apply the first coat of undercoat to the 80 grit surface? To my thinking, 80 will give me a better key thus better adhesion. or should I sand up to 180 before applying first coat? Following on, if I do apply to the 80 grit surface, will I need to sand up to 180 for the next coat? or ever? Which leads to my last question, should I be sanding between each coat? or between undercoat and finish coats? I hope someone with some experience in boat painting can offer some advice. Thanks for your time. BPSparks

Thanks for those replies I did find this http://cirrus-systems.orderfullfillment.co.uk/removall/11-removall-620-189-litres.html if not a bit pricey. I just bought the boat so don't know what type of paint was applied previously. If there is or I scratch the gelcoat in removing it, can I not just apply a new topcoat like this one http://www.youngsboatyard.co.uk/category/1050/Brilliant-Gloss-Topcoat All I'm after really is to try and make the hull appear clean and white, without looking like its been done with a brush. The paint is flaking off around the rubber lip where hull meets top of boat (sorry I'm new) and I can see two previous colours under there. I don't want to just scrape that bit off and paint over as you'll see the difference in depths of paint coats , if that makes sense.

Good day New to forum and my first post. I've searched the forum and elsewhere and cant find a definitive answer, so I thought I'd ask your opinions. I'd like to remove the paint from my GRP hull to expose the original gelcoat and see what condition its in. I will then decide whether to repaint it or work on restoring the gelcoat/ topcoat. I have read that people have recommended sanding it off. Surely this will damage the gelcoat when I get that far down - wont it? I wouldn't mind attempting a chemical stripper, but then I've read that it may be harmful to the GRP or that some simply dont work. Your experience of this issue and any pointers would be much appreciated. Thank you BPSparks

Good afternoon I'm a new member here and new to the world of boating. My offer for the purchase of a Norman 23 was excepted today and I will soon be its proud owner. Its moored on the Lancaster Canal about 30 minutes from home and I cant wait to begin its restoration. Its fine as it is mind and it will sail (if that's the right terminology) , it just wants a bit of TLC. I belong to a few other forums for my other hobbies and find them invaluable. So bear with me whilst I pick up on the boating lingo and I apologise beforehand for all the newby questions I will undoubtedly will be asking. Thanks for having me. So..... I'll jump straight into it and post my first question on the appropriate forum section in a bit. Regards Gordon