Painting GRP jockey seat bases

Observer · 20 April 2009, 17:41

I'm considering removing the jockey seats to paint them as they're looking very scruffy.

Any tips on

- preparation
- type of paint
- method of application (brush/roller/spray)

gratefully received.

TIA

tim2658 · 20 April 2009, 18:39

hi tim have they been painted before or are they gel ????

Observer · 21 April 2009, 09:19

I thiink I need to start again. Thinking about it, I'm not sure they're actually GRP. I'm going to pull one of the seats out and post again when I have figured out exactly what I'm dealing with.

Observer · 24 April 2009, 17:42

Okay I have checked this out. The seat bases are GRP and have original gel finish. I'm not sure how good a finish I will get painting myself so I'm thinking of taking them to a car bodyshop and get a price for spraying them. If that's megabucks, I may have to revert to doing it myself so tips as requested above still welcome.

Also - any opinions on choice of colour. I have dark blue tubes and white hull, deck and console. The seats at present are black with black vinyl upholstery. I was thinking of painting the seats blue to match the tubes and same for the vinyl upholstery. But occurs to me that may be too much blue. Obvious alternative is to paint the seats white but covering existing black finish will (I'm guessing) be hard. Any opinions on that?

JSP · 24 April 2009, 17:52

Quote:

Originally Posted by Observer

Okay I have checked this out. The seat bases are GRP and have original gel finish. I'm not sure how good a finish I will get painting myself so I'm thinking of taking them to a car bodyshop and get a price for spraying them. If that's megabucks, I may have to revert to doing it myself so tips as requested above still welcome.

Also - any opinions on choice of colour. I have dark blue tubes and white hull, deck and console. The seats at present are black with black vinyl upholstery. I was thinking of painting the seats blue to match the tubes and same for the vinyl upholstery. But occurs to me that may be too much blue. Obvious alternative is to paint the seats white but covering existing black finish will (I'm guessing) be hard. Any opinions on that?

I'd go for white like your deck. Covering shouldn't be a problem with a good primer.

Observer · 27 April 2009, 16:33

Quote:

Originally Posted by Observer

Okay I have checked this out. The seat bases are GRP and have original gel finish. I'm not sure how good a finish I will get painting myself so I'm thinking of taking them to a car bodyshop and get a price for spraying them. If that's megabucks, I may have to revert to doing it myself so tips as requested above still welcome.

Also - any opinions on choice of colour. I have dark blue tubes and white hull, deck and console. The seats at present are black with black vinyl upholstery. I was thinking of painting the seats blue to match the tubes and same for the vinyl upholstery. But occurs to me that may be too much blue. Obvious alternative is to paint the seats white but covering existing black finish will (I'm guessing) be hard. Any opinions on that?

Just in case anyone's interested, I took one of the seats up to a local bodyshop and they are doing a spray paint of all 4 seat bases for £200. I decided to have them all done the same colour blue as the new upholstery. Let's hope it works.

Also, for information, there was loads of s/s ironmongery (hinges, catches, etc and related fasteners) that I removed from the bases for the paint job, many of which had varying degrees of corrosion. I've been soaking them in an oxalic acid bath, which seems to have done a good job of cleaning them up.

Downhilldai · 27 April 2009, 16:36

Quote:

Originally Posted by Observer

...they are doing a spray paint of all 4 seat bases for £200.

Observer · 27 April 2009, 16:51

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downhilldai

I dunno what a reasonable charge is. They told me ~1hr to prep each base and 1hr for painting - all at £35/ph - so would have been £280 plus the dreaded.

I said that's a bit steep so they dropped to £200 all in, including the paint. How much less do you think is reasonable?

Downhilldai · 28 April 2009, 00:09

Less than half that.

9D280 · 28 April 2009, 10:05

My entire boat was painted when I got it. Engine is off at the moment for a major service (but more on that anon) and I've been using the lack of an engine as a good moment to tidy up the transom.

The previous owner also gave me the remains of the tin of paint (rescue orange) that was used. I built a radio pod form ply, then glassed & painted it - you can't tell the difference between it and the actual fibreglass. It was an enamel - epoxy mix if my memory setrves me right, and sticks like the proverbbial brown stuff to a blanket to the' glass. Will dig it out tonight & update the post with what it actually is along with a pic of the radio pod.

if you want to change colour then, yes, paint is your only option, but my transom cleanup will hopefully demonstrate what a bit of elbow grease & varying grades of wet'n'dry can do. Based on making dinghies go a bit faster, a good circular sanding with wet'n'dry 1200 grade using lots of water (you may need to use a more violent grade first if the surface is particularly bad) then a good wash down and it'll be as good as new.

Steve_B · 28 April 2009, 11:31

I would be a little cautious about painting seat bases. By there very nature RIBs can get thrown around and loose items, including feet will hit or rub up aginst the seats.
If you paint them a colour different from the gel coat, the slightest dink in the paint will make them look very scruffy, very quickly. I would go for trying to tidy the gel first and only if that does not produce the finish you want, flow coat or paint the same colour.

Regards
Steve