Paint vs gelcoast

Topic: Paint vs gelcoast (Read 1712 times) previous topic - next topic

Paint vs gelcoast

April 03, 2017, 10:25:56 pm

Looking at a gv with full body paint. Does anybody have any regrets about painting their coach? Gelcoat seems to me more forgiving and longer lasting. Thanks in advance for all opinions.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #1 – April 03, 2017, 11:02:59 pm

Both are nice, and have their place.

We prefer white fiberglass/gelcoat. It remains cool in full sun, cleans up well, and I think it handles bug splats and branches scrapes a bit better. Gelcoat can chalk if not maintained.

Full body paint looks nice, but we felt the unit was warmer in the sun, and the paint does get nicked, scratched etc. Certain types of bugs (Love bugs) can do real damage to paint finish if not removed quickly.

Full body paint colors and designs seem to follow trends and change. To me this dates a unit more than if it was plain white fiberglass/gelcoat.

Chris

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #2 – April 03, 2017, 11:49:17 pm

We painted 5 years ago and our Xtreme job looks as good as new. Cindy kept our gelcoat looking like new, and in fact wrote a procedure letter so others could have their 15 year gelcoat looking like new. But this work took time & effort.
To answer your question, Cindy feels she has lost a job, because it takes very little effort to keep paint looking good. And painting the roof stopped all white runoff and again eliminated all the work to keep the old gelcoat roof sealed.
When Cindy asked James what was needed to keep the paint up, and the answer was no wax, just soap and water. So paint is wonderful and has no negatives. I guess this is mainly true if the paint job was as good as Xtreme's.
You are probably correct that gelcoat is more forgiving, but takes more work than most are willing to do, and decals are for sure a long term problem.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #3 – April 04, 2017, 12:40:03 am

Paint looks incredible with some great graphics and flowing lines that are pleasing to the eye, other than a very dark brown colors. I am guessing it was done at extreme as it was part of a repair that reportably was $25k. Can't see it looking great in 5 years, as I fear dark colors could lead to delamination problems. Calling on great wisdom here.

My choice would be a totally white naked gelcoat for the next 10 to 15 years.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #4 – April 04, 2017, 07:35:47 am

I am sure the dark brown paint looks great if it was done at Extreme. What I would be concerned about would be heat build up. There was a thread somewhere that one of our members took a spot thermometer and checked a dark colored coach vs a white, and the results were pretty stark.

I would love to have our graphics painted on, but would keep the majority of the coach either white, or gelcoat.

Just my two cents.

Len

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #5 – April 04, 2017, 08:52:01 am

It would seem like the resistance to stone chips, fading, chipping, scratching, staining of the full body paint job is quite dependent on the prep and paint used. Imron or base coat clear coat or? In other words it is hard to know unless you knew these variables.
>My choice would be a totally white naked gelcoat for the next 10 to 15 years.
Same here

-Nick

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #6 – April 04, 2017, 09:03:37 am

Xtreme's paint jobs are works of art. If I could afford one I am not sure if I would want

to take it out for fear of rocks or other dangers to the paint. I drive by their place every

few days and wish. On top of that, from all I have read on here, they are super nice people.

Glad they are in Nac,

Carter-

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #7 – April 04, 2017, 09:18:12 am

From the wet look gloss I am guessing it is imron. note also missing big awning

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #8 – April 04, 2017, 09:51:13 am

For those of you who like the "all white" motif, here is one to drool upon. It was parked in the bay next to us (our coach in background, second photo) on one of our FOT coach buck donation visits.

I was told (by D. Flanagan) that the coach is(was) all original gelcoat - not paint. The exterior surface was so slick/smooth to my touch that it felt totally frictionless. I can't imagine how much work was involved to reach that point. The interior was completely updated, and just as nice.

No, I don't know who owned it.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #9 – April 04, 2017, 10:12:00 am

wow talk about buff right out. I think the white naked would go better with my naked bike

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #10 – April 04, 2017, 11:29:28 am

Xtreme does a very nice job of prep and painting and puts on three coats of clear (last time I asked). Our 36' 2001 with factory pained graphics would be about $23,000 maybe more to paint. As much as I would like a FPB that is years of traveling money. Rance told me the first rock chip is less than 100 miles away.

Our coach is stored inside when we are not elsewhere (1/2 time) and I keep it clean and polished. At 16 years old it looks great. I want to do the roof paint though. And it is much cooler. We were next to a 45' dark brown or black Phenix for 12 day a couple years ago. Their AC was on 24/7. We never ran ours.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #11 – April 04, 2017, 11:55:03 am

This is the way I bought the coach, still haven't polished or sealed it yet. The decals were removed by Ron Hawkins when he owned it.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #12 – April 04, 2017, 01:06:02 pm

Quote from: craneman – April 04, 2017, 11:55:03 am

This is the way I bought the coach, still haven't polished or sealed it yet. The decals were removed by Ron Hawkins when he owned it.

Photo looks like somewhere up on Highway 395. June Lake Loop?

P

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #13 – April 04, 2017, 01:13:41 pm

Quote from: Roger & Susan in Home2 – April 04, 2017, 11:29:28 am

factory pained graphics

Do I detect a Freudian slip? We had ours stripped, painted with fresh decals for 12CBs; worth every nickel!

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #14 – April 04, 2017, 01:34:53 pm

Quote from: Pierce & Gaylie Stewart – April 04, 2017, 01:06:02 pm

Photo looks like somewhere up on Highway 395. June Lake Loop?

P

Oh ridge at June lake. Good catch

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #15 – April 04, 2017, 06:23:26 pm

I removed our decals and have an all white gelcoat that one of these days will be buffed out. Of course if you look at if from a little distance it looks better so...................................

We like the all white and plan on keeping it like this. Do what makes you happy as our friends Dave M. always said......

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #16 – April 05, 2017, 12:08:52 am

I still get asked at campsites today 15 years after the original paint job on my MH, "How old is our coach?"
When I say it is now 15 years old, they state, "It really looks good. You must keep it under cover, right?"
I tell them that from March to December it is out in the open almost 100% of the time.
"You've had a recent new paint job, right?"
No not really. Just new headlights 10 year ago.
"How do you keep it looking so good."
As Barry stated above I tell them, James Stallings of Xtreme Paint & Graphics says "...no wax, just soap and water."
I get the felling that they don't quite believe me. I go on to tell them about the quality work the Xtreme paint & Grapics team does.
James and three associates opened the paint facility for the Foretravel factory in 2000 & did the original paint job on our MH.
Paint by James and his Xtreme team is a winner for me.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #17 – April 05, 2017, 01:11:22 am

I stripped off the decals with the intent of installing all new 95 decals that I bought.
The new decals are still in the box, I will probably put them up for sale this spring.
After I removed the decals I decided I liked the clean un dated look of white.
Nude, natural, free, that's me.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #18 – April 05, 2017, 10:34:26 am

I ordered several new Foretravels in "plain wrap" for customers.

We are primarily dry campers and the additional heat gain from the dark style paint jobs I see would have me leave our gen on a lot.

Our 40' with the long wheelbase gets into fairly tight spaces as long as we do not mind small tree and bush branches making contact with the exterior.

Every small and medium boat in the harbor is basically white gel coat for good reasons.

That being said I do understand that for some users joint decision to buy a Rv in general that a prettier coach can help both owners decision to go rv'ing.

The artistic side says paint it. The owners actual use pattern may find the gel coat a good choice.

Lots of rv'ers travel from power pole to power pole and have the gen on in between for ac and a residential refer install.

At that point paint is not much of a disadvantage.

Two different lifestyles in some areas.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #19 – April 05, 2017, 04:06:24 pm

You don't have to use dark colors when going with paint. Mine has it's original 2003 paint and looks like new, and being a light color, suffers from no appreciable heat gain. I just wash it every few months, and it sits outside all the time.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #20 – April 05, 2017, 04:51:11 pm

Having restored fiberglass boats in the past, I am partial to gelcoat. Mine was found in a shed in Waco and although it was oxidized it buffed out nicely. I went back with decals based on the original. I too get the inquiries about age and even more so with the headlight remodel.

We originally were going with FBP and may in the future but decided our 22k would be better used in other updates for now. So that is the direction we went. I will say looking at the coaches here those Xtreme paint jobs really are a work of art.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #21 – April 05, 2017, 05:11:12 pm

I'm with Tom, really like our lighter colored coach.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #22 – April 05, 2017, 07:54:01 pm

Richard, I like your batwing antenna. It's really up there.

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #23 – April 05, 2017, 07:57:17 pm

The two guys behind him must have really cranked on theirs!
Len

Re: Paint vs gelcoast

Reply #24 – April 05, 2017, 09:23:42 pm

Mine has a full body paint. The graphics are also painted.

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