Paint shops in OC & SDC and design question

[Drunk tank]

Well I've desided I'm gonna give my boat a makeover this winter (cause it looks like ASS!). Anyhow... what are some good shops to get a new gel job done at that you all have used?
Also, trying to figure out what I should do with this ugly bitch. Was thinking having white gel on the bow and then have it do some flame thing and then have the transom area yellow. Think itd be kinda cool lookin and wont burn my ass everytime I get on the bow. Heres a visual, Dont make fun of my artistic skills... i already know they suck donkey balls :messedup:
http://img13.exs.cx/img13/1551/gayness2.jpg
What other designs would you all suggest? Thinkin maybe incorperate on of those mud flap trucker girls in there. Wanna keep it pretty simple (cant afford fancy) with pretty much just 2 colors (3 most) and metal flake is out of the question... makes me think bass boat. :D
Thanks for the help
Ryan

[Boozer]

Why not just get the current gel coat freshened up? I think the gel you got on there looks good it's classic and timeless just needs some freshening up. I think Havasu Barney is suppose to be free come winter and if thats the case you might want to give him a call. That is if he's going to be doing gel coats again when he gets back.

[Drunk tank]

In the pics it looks good from a far... but far from good. Back in the day the boat I guess was originally red gel but someone desided to just paint over that and make it grey/silver (pretty sure its just paint). Theres TONS of spots where the gel is totaly fawked; Gas cap areas the everything is bubbled and pealed off, all along the edge of the bow the gray has come off and showing the old red. In person I think it looks like total crap. So I'm planning on going to town on this sucker... Take some paint stripper of some kind to it...get it down to just a bare haul, sand and do a little fiberglass repair around the edges of the transom, get rid of the aluminum bumpers and fill all the rivet holes and shit. The thing sits so low in the water, most of the time it could just slid underneath the edges of most docks anyhow...
Honestly I dont like having the dark color; gets fawkin hot and obviously show scratches and maring really well. Maybe I'll keep the current scheme except have the silver areas white and the grey areas either yellow or powder blue.

[ratso]

Check with Trident...I hear they have some neat designs... :D

[copperrat20]

I have a few boats but I am currently building something for me, not the family. It is a little sanger hydro. We gelcoated the bottom and painted the top. The bottom will see sand no doubt about it. So the gelcoat will serve it's purpose with durability. The top which is being painted with custom tear away graphics will have to be done in automotive paint. You can't get as wild with gelcoat as you can with automotive paint. Don't tell John West that because he will/has proven me wrong.
As for your paint stripper idea. Don't do that. It will delaminate fiberglass. Stripper eats everything. Talking from experience, just sand it down by hand. You don't have to sand off everything. Once you paint over it with a couple of thick coats, you will never notice the difference.

[Drunk tank]

So youre saying I shouldnt take it all the way down to bare fiberglass eh? I'm just gonna take the DA sander to it .... two afternoons and it should be pretty well cleaned up. As for pluggin holes in fiber glass (where the rivets are) should I just fill em with resin or wet up some fiber glass.... plug some in there let it harden then sand it down?

[superdave013]

TRG Custom Fiberglass, contact Toddnjuzz here on the boards.
He will make your boat look brand new just like he has for countless others forum members.

[Jordy]

TRG Custom Fiberglass, contact Toddnjuzz here on the boards.
He will make your boat look brand new just like he has for countless others forum members.
That's what I was thinking. :D

[riverbound]

I used flores boat works in Corona and hae been very happy with mine. I decided to keep mine original looking instead of trying to make a 30yr old boat look new.It is gel, the only part you got to watch out for is the wood (it gets hotter than a mofo)
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/681Picture_313-med.jpg

[uclahater]

Call Billy B in Upland (best Boat painter in so cal hands down)

[MUDXPRT]

Billy B in upland (Krazy Kolors) (909) 982-8555 Simply the best.

[riverbound]

Doesn't paint chip off ? I have 2 buddies with painted boats and their paint is chipping off around the gascaps and anytime theytouch or rub up against something they leave a little bit of paint behind. That was my main reason for going with gel. Maybe they just got bad paint jobs. but after seing their boats I was not going to paint mine.

[TOBTEK]

wish I had a booth available.....I'd offer up my services to you. Im itchin to paint something :rollside: thats an easy small project...rent a booth in the san marcos area...and we can spray that baby!!!!

[TOBTEK]

Doesn't paint chip off ? I have 2 buddies with painted boats and their paint is chipping off around the gascaps and anytime theytouch or rub up against something they leave a little bit of paint behind. That was my main reason for going with gel. Maybe they just got bad paint jobs. but after seing their boats I was not going to paint mine.
WITHOUT A DOUBT...you have to be alot more carefull! IF the surface is prep'ed correctly bonding USUALLY isnt an issue. Dock's, other boats, and careless peeps are your biggest problem. I paint a few buddies boats back in 95 or 96 and they still look really good...except the designs are now dated! A small boat under 22 feet or so, that you can handle pretty easy. I would rather paint, for the main reason that you can get much more creative with paint. Now a larger boat like Sir Charles is doing (new F29 DCB) id be affraid to paint something that large, One wrong wind gust at a dock and 30K worth of paint....GONE! Something to think about...

[Drunk tank]

wish I had a booth available.....I'd offer up my services to you. Im itchin to paint something :rollside: thats an easy small project...rent a booth in the san marcos area...and we can spray that baby!!!!
I might have to think about that. I've never painted anything so I dont have any idea what it'd entail. Would be kinda cool to do it myself though. Since it is older than dirt, wouldnt be too heart broke if it didnt look perfect. hmmmm I got a 60 gallon campbell-hausfeld air compressor.... Might be worth a shot.

[TOBTEK]

I might have to think about that. I've never painted anything so I dont have any idea what it'd entail. Would be kinda cool to do it myself though. Since it is older than dirt, wouldnt be too heart broke if it didnt look perfect. hmmmm I got a 60 gallon campbell-hausfeld air compressor.... Might be worth a shot.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/500/135cartpics_028-med.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/523/135cowling_003-med.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/506/135golfcartpics_003-med.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/506/135golfcartpics_004-med.jpg
IF I CAN DO IT.....anyone can! its really not hard. Just have to know the right stuff to buy, NEVER RUSH anything while painting because it will almost ALLWAYS get jacked up. costing more time and money. Be supper clean in the painting area, dust is your biggest problem. And ofcourse have some great water seperaters for your air lines, and a few good spray guns.....GO FOR IT....its really cool when people come up and ask "who painted that for you, it looks awesome" :cool:

[89checkmate]

Call Billy B in Upland (best Boat painter in so cal hands down)
I totally agree with uclahater.....
Billy-B redid my boat last spring (1989 checkmate) and did a GREAT job.....I highly recommend him, CALL Krazy Kolor @ 909-982-8555.