Paint it however you want, however.... Fiberglass is a special case. These tops came from Westfaliawerks with the original Gelcoat, which is generally not sprayed on the fiberglass, but sprayed onto the surface of the mold before the fiberglass is laid up, and the whole thing cured together. This produces a very tough, very adherent covering. If yours is like mine it has a pebbled surface originally. With time and lack of garage space UV will break down any surface, and you get fine cracks all over it, as well as the pollen, soot and coffee stains. If you do have the cracks (look closely) it would be better to use a paint formulated specifically for fiberglass. West Marine has several designed for boats (top and bottom surfaces!), some can be sprayed but with the pebbled surface a mirror-smooth finish is not possible anyway, and some are designed for brush/roller. Look here http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WestAdvisorDisplayView? advisor=310top.htm and here: http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/CategoryDisplay? catalogId=10001&storeId=10001&categoryId=4&langId=- 1&subdeptNum=4&storeNum=5000 I haven't done it myself yet, but plan to this summer. Scott |
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