gel coat and paint?

[FastEddie]

What is the difference of gel coat and regular automotive paint?

[79Hawaiian]

Gelcoat is thick, paint is thin! Gelcoat is expensive, paint is cheaper! Gelcoat is nice, paint can be nice.
I am no expert, looking for details myself but from what I understand it is a thick gel-like resin material sprayed either into a mold before fiberglass matt is laid or on top of fiberglass matt. It contains pigment similar to paint. It must then be sanded and polished to a shine. It is pourous and brittle, thus stress cracks can appear. Paint is more flexible but starts to peel once a crack appears.

[hack job]

contact www.havasubarney.com for gel he dose a great job at a great price! also paint doent last that long or it is as durable! paint looks great cause you can do more with it for cheeper but for my money i would go with the gel ! his # is 928-505-8678! good luck! wink

[FoMoCo]

If your comforatable with auto paint then use it, I did. I used Depont Imeron for the white base and then I applied PPG Wineberry Kandy with fades and used red and white pearl for some other effects!! Good luck!!

[HavasuBarney]

Thanks for all the referrals HJ, much appreciated!
With gel the other differences have to do with the ability to make repairs. Scratches can be sanded out, dings can be spot repaired without showing. Gel remains flexible and will absorb much more punishment than paint. Gel is a UV resistant marine adhesive coating, it does a lot more than just look good.
It maybe more expensive to apply but over the life of your boat it has much greater value.