Painting fiberglass shell

[Jimmy Buffett]

My Softgloss is 10 years old and the fiberglass covers have gotten pretty dull. I called Ryko to price a new set and they wanted $6240. Obviously they have the market cornered. Has anybody ever tried removing the shell and having a body shop paint it just like you would a car? I see where the Rhino Shield is not recommended but I couldn't find anything about just painting the covers. Seems like if I did this I could just clean it with a long hose from my ss bay. I figure I could have 2 machines painted for under $1000. Any thoughts? We've been open 10 years and I'm thinking of adding an auto and giving the place a facelift. Thanks

 

[MEP001]

Have you tried cleaning/waxing the covers?

You can definitely have a body shop paint fiberglass. If the panels are not very rigid you might want to have then mix in a flex agent so the paint won't crack when you're handling it.

If you don't mind spending some time on it, you can make it look as good as a car's finish. I've seen this done on a vehicle a number of times - you can't tell it's not car paint and it lasts for years in the sun.

[video=youtube;_qPJTTRWttQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qPJTTRWttQ[/video]

 

[robert roman]

According to my brother in-law, commercial fisherman, and my boy, rebuilds boats and jet skis, the paint of choice for fiberglass boat hulls is DuPont Imron.

I used to paint (i.e. Corvette, Harley gas tanks, etc.) with Imron back in the 70’s. Fairly easy to apply – sand, prep and shoot. However, Imron is very expensive paint.

 

[Jimmy Buffett]

Any idea how much it would take to paint 2 softglosses?