Complete Refinish of an 86 Valero....Need Help Please!!

[nbvelaro]

I recentaly purchased a 1986 hydrostream valero. Unfortunatly the previous owner did not do his homework when he decided to recoat the boat and he used automotive clear coat. I have spent the last two months sanding the boat all the way to the black pigmented gel coat layer. I have filled all scratches with West System resin and I think I am ready to start spraying Gel Coat. I finish sanded with 120 grit on a DA and every thing looks good.
The Plan: Spray a layer of Gel Coat with black pigment, a layer with red and gold metal flake, and a top coat.

I have sprayed alot of paint in my time but Gel Coat is not paint. A few questions:
1) Should I prime the surface before I laydown the pigmented layer?
If so what should I use for primer?
2) What tip should I be using to spry Gel Coat
3) What additives do I use in which coat of Gel ( ie. Duratec/Wax/Hardner/Catylast)

As you all can see I need some help and any advice would greatly appreciated
Thanks
Nick

[marshmat]

Hi Nick,
Firstly, welcome aboard boatdesign.net
As to your boat. Gelcoat is weak and porous. A lot of folks tend to advise that re-gelcoating is only a good idea if the original gelcoat is gone or badly damaged. If it's just faded and dull, boat paint tends to work better. Some of the 2-part polyurethanes from Awlgrip and Interlux are really quite durable and last a long, long time.
Red over black might look cool, but black and fibreglass don't get along too well in sunny weather- you'll be surprised how much the black parts of the hull will heat up.

[nbvelaro]

Thanks for your welcome and thanks for your advice.
What my intentions for this project are is to restore the boat to the original finish. From the factory, the boat came completly covered in red metal flake with a black backgroung simply to fill in the small gaps between the individual flake particals. The finish was really quite beautiful before the last owner ruined it. So I guess I just want to make it look original. No paint for me