Posted by Mark Bronkalla on June 09, 2003 at 11:58:47:
In Reply to: squirt and general questions posted by matt on June 05, 2003 at 23:45:43:
The "Gel coat type look" or "wet look" can be acheived with a 2 part polyurethane. The prepr of the undersurface is extremely important as any blemishes and imperfections will show through.
The 2 part poyurethanes such as Sterling, Awlgrip and Imron provide the highest level of gloss and wear protection, but are very expensive ($150-250 / gal depending on color) and very toxic. These are isocyanate catalyzed finishes, with the potential for severe life-long after-effects (allergies and asthma).
I refinished my boat with clear imron this spring instead of varnish and it looks great. The cost of "buying into" the system was substantial. For a one-off applicaion I would strongly suggest telking to an auto or truck painter or an aircraft painter / builder and seeing what they would charge to apply the paint tothe fully prepped boat. This is unless you have a use for the spray gun, forced air repirator, buffer / polisher and other itmes after you are done.
The metal trim is called "half oval" and is made by Taco Metals. It is sold by Glen-L, West Marine and others. It comes in both 6 and 12 foodt lenghts, but is generally stocked only as 6' due to the extremely high cost of shipping 12' pieces (by truck).