Other Paint questions, equipment, paint, gel coat ect...

[tburnett]

I have plenty of experience painting cars, however i was wondering if anyone could provide any helpful info for painting standups. Do most people use reg paint? gel coat? a specific grade of clear coat? im primarily ride in salt water if that makes a difference, and the ski will be exposed to brutal sun in my area (no shade ever, do utilize a cover but the skis see heavy use). I have the compressor and some basic lvlp spray guns but was wondering what people have had success with? More of a detail style gun?

Any info would be greatly appreciated.

I plan on redoing a rn sj and a sn superjet and will be creating threads to go along with the builds.

 

[aytee]

there's ups and downs to anything... I've seen single stage on some, even a few rattle can paint jobs... I wouldn't do either... clear coat would be a better choice and last longer than either single stage or rattle can as long as you use a good high solid clear, not a walmart brand.... this winter i will be painting my rn sj and will be using ppg base with clear gel... a few reasons, it's going to hold up to water and sun better than clear, it's more user friendly(after its cured) you can buff gell out from 320 grit(auto clear would never do this), so if it ever gets scratched up, its an easier fix(that's where the user friendliness of gel ends.. it will cost you a little more to get it done and will require way more first hand knowledge to apply(this is why most guys don't even bother).. gel coat is designed for an "airless cure" as it is generally used as the first layer in a mold, this means it won't fully cure when in contact with air and waxes must be added to achieve full cure..

gell will give a deeper shine and allow you to remove larger scratches easier... clear coat is much more straight forward to apply and will hold up to most conditions for a reasonable amount of time... either one can be applied with an hvlp gun, gel will require a little larger tip because it's thicker and doesn't atomize like clear... shouldn't need a detail gun to apply the over coat, might want one if you plan to do some spiffy paint... if you don't know much about gel and already have sprayed clear, I would say keep it simple and use clear... that's my .02

 

[Pablo]

I've used HOK single stage on two different skis and it works fine. Jetskis get beat to death in about two years. I've seen professional paint jobs look like hell in two seasons...with tons of clear. My freak lives outside with a cover 24-7. This is second full year (year three started last month) with single stage on top of awlgrip primer and it looks good. No fading and it hasn't chipped. The extra prep and time for extra coats with multi stage paint jobs is not worth it IMO. Do what u want and how much bling u want on ur paint job, but single stage has done the trick for me thrice. You will def get higher gloss with clear. Good luck.

 

[tburnett]

thanks for the info, prob leaning towards a regular paint but gel coat would be nice.

 

[Sparkplug]

Ive used tractor enamel from tractor supply on 2 skis. Its tough as nails, and when all said and done including sandpaper, the cost is under 100 bucks. The downside is there is only about 15 colors to chose from. They have a clear also, but its extremely glossy without it. A pro painter told me the shine will fade with enamle, and if I did clear it, it would hold it ALOT longer. A gallon of the clear is 30 bucks, but I already beat the ski this weekend in the ocean so who cares now. Seems no paint can take being barrel rolled into shore, and banged against other skis. Ive accepted having a beater ski.

edit; thats dry after 3 days, with no clear

 

[Motoxderek]

i painted these two skis in my barn with lowes paint gun and crappy air compresser with little painting exp. i used 3 stage auto paint and ended about $100 each in paint, yes they get beat to piss and dont look like that very long. my buddy does a good auto single stage paint job on his ski and it looks good for about 2 years and he keeps his out side under trees all year and he rides about 4 times a week and some salt water trips

 

[lanmine657]

just run what ever auto paint u have and focus ur prep on the nook and cranys, its going to fade its going to get scratched its going to get knicked, cause if it doesnt it means u aint riding it right. painted mine about four years ago with dualstage and its holdn up fine but they get beat there is no stopn that

 

[MCrider]

That has to be one of the nicest squares iv seen. I painted mine with crappy duplicolor paint shop finsihing systems.....its garbage don't use it.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

An interesting link I ran across using Valspar tractor enamel, I can find nothing wrong with this guys paint job and believe me I tried lol, I will let the results speak for themselves

http://www.thirdgen.org/techboard/body/546612-ultimate-budget-paint-job.html

Second link is also a Valspar product, difference is its polyurethane enamel it will spray just like automotive paint, a little more expensive but on paint sometime cheaper isn't better.

http://equipmentcolor.com/lic40.html

 

[jd91t]

just run what ever auto paint u have and focus ur prep on the nook and cranys, its going to fade its going to get scratched its going to get knicked, cause if it doesnt it means u aint riding it right. painted mine about four years ago with dualstage and its holdn up fine but they get beat there is no stopn that View attachment 197956

Dayum this is an awesome paint job!

 

[tburnett]

Just wanna say thanks everyone, thats why I love the x, everyone is very helpful. I have two skis im gonna paint as of now and i am gonna try two different paint setups and see how they come out. Thanks again for all the help guys

ill try and make some threads for my builds

 

[grezzmky]

Dont 'over sand' the ski... Make sure to het all the nooks and crannies with a red scotchbright then sand it smooth with 400 then go over A LITTLE with 600 if you want. Dont let people tell you to wetsand with 1000 grit... not enough tooth to stick to...


(There are no stickers on this ski...)