What would you do?

[moombroo]

I purchased a 99 Outback L/S back a few months ago. I knew from the get go that the scheme of the boat was not stock, however I was a first time boat buyer and didn't think to take a closer look. Upon getting the boat home and inspecting it, I quickly realized that the "decals" and "gel coat" were PAINT! The original owner had the boat painted a slight flip flop paint scheme and then had MOOMBA and the Moombaroo air brushed on, all of this done over the original black gelcoat. I'm at a loss of what to do here. The paint is fading in spots, rough in others where they did a terrible paint job, and peeling on the bow where the bow roller runs, and basically I just don't like the scheme or the idea of the boat being painted.

Some options I was given after talking with a couple different boat places were to sand the paint off and hope that the sanding and paint doesn't damage the original gelcoat; sand thru the paint and the gelcoat and have the entire boat re gelcoated which was gonna run estimated 4000 to 5000 dollars, or sand the paint lightly to smooth it out and go with a custom vinyl wrap. Then of course there is the option of leaving it as is.

What would be the best route in y'alls opinion?

Thanks, TB

[SEARK]

I say go with the wrap. That way you can have it look exactly the way you want it to look. Just my .02.

[dru1974]

I agree with seaark, this way you can enjoy the boat, take care of the wrap and maybe when you sell it and get your money back

[brain_rinse]

Sorry to hear about that. I wonder if there is anything that will chemically strip paint but leave the gelcoat intact???

[Razzman]

In the case i'd have to go wrap as well. It will be %$#@! to strip the paint and even if you do then your looking at literally hours of buffing. The bad part is you don't know why it was painted, could be hiding many flaws. BUT a full wrap will still cost around $2500-3000 probably unless you get lucky.

[wolfeman131]

In the case i'd have to go wrap as well. It will be %$#@! to strip the paint and even if you do then your looking at literally hours of buffing. The bad part is you don't know why it was painted, could be hiding many flaws. BUT a full wrap will still cost around $2500-3000 probably unless you get lucky.

I'd tend to agree, but a full wrap will probably cost at least in the range Razz states and can get damaged (rip, tears, etc.) just like a decal. So, if you plan on keeping the boat awhile, maybe getting a new gel job is the better investment. Tough call. Good luck.

[501]

Personally, I'm not the biggest fan of wraps, so I'd lean toward trying to strip the paint off. Once off, buffing the whole thing can make a BIG difference. Also I'm not sure I'd wanna spend $3-$5k on a wrap going over top of peeling and chipping paint.

[cab13367]

I'd sell it even if it means taking a hit. Chalk it up to lessons learned. And spend $100-$200 to get ur next prospect inspected by an authorized dealer or independent marine shop especially since u are a first time buyer.

[jeffrogge]

I'd sell it even if it means taking a hit. Chalk it up to lessons learned. And spend $100-$200 to get ur next prospect inspected by an authorized dealer or independent marine shop especially since u are a first time buyer.

Not a bad idea, maybe you can get out from under it for less than you think you will have to spend and then start over? Also if you are really uncertain, don't jump into a decision.

[moombroo]

All great info. I don't want to sell though. I got the boat for a pretty decent price and want to keep it for now. I'm proud of the boat and really enjoy it, the paint is a major deal to me, but it's not something that is gonna make me sell. Brain_rinse has a good point that I thought about earlier this evening... I wonder if a chemical paint stripper would strip the paint only without harming the gelcoat? And as for the hidden imperfections, I've had it checked out and they are pretty sure there have been no patches or holes covered, that's not to say that the gel coat may have scratches and what not, but I can repair that. And on the vinyl wrap, there is a local company that does excellent custom wraps and they will sand the paint, wrap the entire boat transom and all from rub line down to bow line for $1900