I am new to the housebaot world. I have a 1986 58' Jamestowner. Prior
owner stated that instead of Gel Coatinging he put on a "good" grade of
paint. I have looked at the roof and I do not find any obvious bad
places. I do see some area that the gel coat is starting to flake up
(it was underneath the hottub). I did see some hairline cracks in the
gel coat. My question is - Is there any other type of coating that can
be used instead of gel coating? - If there is - can it be applied over
the old gel coat? Would appreciate info and advice.

Thanks Jim

You can put on anything your heart desires but gel coat is best and preserves the value of the boat.

jimtn wrote:
I am new to the housebaot world. I have a 1986 58' Jamestowner. Prior
owner stated that instead of Gel Coatinging he put on a "good" grade of
paint. I have looked at the roof and I do not find any obvious bad
places. I do see some area that the gel coat is starting to flake up
(it was underneath the hottub). I did see some hairline cracks in the
gel coat. My question is - Is there any other type of coating that can
be used instead of gel coating? - If there is - can it be applied over
the old gel coat? Would appreciate info and advice.
Thanks Jim



Nothing but the factory production materials will do on a houseboat roof.The thing about using other materials,such as epoxy resins,paint,rhino liner,ect is that they can affect resell value.Production gelcoat if bought on an as needed basis can run anywhere from 40 to 70 dollars a gallon.It is always best to leave roof repairs to the pros.Its one of those jobs that everyone thinks that they can do but few do it well and often cause more damage than good

I am in the same spot. I am going to redo the top this spring. I have been looking at DURABAK and it looks real good. Is there anyone out there that has used it in the past? I would like some feed back on a year or two old roof to see how it has held up. Thanks

I'm starting my third year with Durabak applied to the upper deck/roof area. So far there as been no color change with the white. I'm very happy with it. Here is a recent photo I took of my dish but you can see the Durabak and the fiberglass come together. When properly applied I think for a old boat it's more practical. Hairline cracks and small blemishes are gone and touch up is very easy. Clean lines when masking is a must and plan on using 2-4 coats.

Thanks for the update (Breeze) I am going down to the lake the weekend of the 12th to do the top with Durabak. I have heard good reports about this product. I will post an update when we get her done.

I'm looking forward to your report on the DuraBak coating process. We're considering using it to coat the plywood roof this summer on the houseboat we're building from scratch. (no factory-original-materials or resale value to worry about!) Thanks, EJBreeze, for the positive report on yours, too!

I put on Durabak last weekend. This stuff is great. I cleaned up my gelcoat and wiped it all down,then rolled on the Durabak. After I had it on for about 6 hours it started to downpour. The next morning it was great and the water just repeled off. I can't wait to get the rest of the boat done. I mixed two cans of ruff with one can of smooth and the top feels and looks good. So far I am HAPPY