So tonight, I began the new paint job project for Spot. After the redecking last year, the paint had suffered a few cracks that had left some burly looking chips that I have wanted to fix, so, why not just repaint her!
I started by sanding down the existing paint with 100 grit paper and got the majority of the paint off, being very careful to use long, boat length strokes, alternated with 45deg angle strokes to keep the deep scratches to a minimum in the gelcoat. After getting down to the white gelcoat, I sanded out the major scratches with a foam backed 180 grit paper and have gotten now to a 220 grit. I have to pickup a few new foam backed sanding blocks to get the hull smooth and scratch free for the next steps. Im planning on going up to 400 grit on the white gelcoat.
Next steps will be filling all the pinholes that I see with a 2 part, ultra fine epoxy filler (professional grade Bondo) and fairing out the few lumps and bumps that I have found. I will then be spraying down a grey or red sandable primer in a very fine coat and sanding it off so I can find any little bump or deformity in the hull surface. This step will be total overkill, but might as well do it right the first time! I will post the next steps as soon as I get the primer sprayed down this week.