BOAT PAINTING??

I picked up a boat this season with a few years on it and the interior is great but I'd like to bring new life to the paint job. Can anyone recommend a good paint shop in the Arizona/SoCal area? I also have no idea how deep of pockets I'll need for something like this. I'd appreciate some advice from anyone who can offer it.

No idea on the re-painting, but you could look at just replacing or up-dateing graphics and decals.
Post a picture, let's have a look ?

Here's some pics. This is my first boat and I'm a U.S. Marine so my budget is limited and I'm not willing to go all out yet when I can deploy at any time for 6-12 months a pop. I got back from Iraq not long ago and I'm just looking to board as much as I can this summer. I've added some mods to set this boat up better for wakeboarding to include: trim tabs, Whale Tail, BigAir extended pylon and a ballst system is in the works. The boat had a good wax job in these pictures so it looks a lot glossier than it is. The fading of the black into gray is visible in the second pic if you look close. The gray along the top is all faded and chalky looking but it's hard to tell from the pictures. The flame decal is peeling near the tips and finer edges of the graphics. I'm just interested in checking out and pricing the possibility of a new paint job. The important thing is that this boat will get me on the water this summer but we all like to look good out there, am I right?!!

Have you considered restoring the gelcoat instead of painting. Painting would be way more expensive. I used Meguiar's 3-step process on an older boat and was pleased. The first step is a buffing compound and you will need an electric buffer. It's a lot of work. Also, you might be better off getting rid of the flame decal, and just going w/ the solid black; just my opinion.

Any money you put in the boat is gone, you never get it back, so just have fun with it. BTW, thanks for your service to the USA.

Thanks for the suggestion, Rich. Restoring the gel coat sounds like it's worth a try. Can you give me any reference as to where I can find some instruction on the procedure and some good products to use?

Do a search on this site, there's lots of good info. The Meguiar's 3-step system is available at any boating store, like West Marine or Boaters World, and online at those places. I think I've seen it even at Wal-Mart. It has the instructions. Basically, if you've ever seen Karate Kid, you're good to go..., ahhhh Grasshopper "Wax On - Wax Off"

That boat looks pretty good for being used. How old is it?

Jim, I agree with Rich that restoring the gel would be the way to go. Repainting is expensive and is never guaranteed as long as gel. I restored the gel on my PWC over the winter and it was a good bit of work, but it looks new. I wet sanded the entire hull with 1500 grit paper, then went over it with 3M rubbing compound and an electric buffer until it shined. Once the oxidation was off and the hull was shiny again I applied 2 coats of marine paste wax (Collites Fleet Wax). What you can do is go through that process, then come back with some black polish, which is basically a wax with black pigment, it will make it really shine. I would do it on a small spot below the waterline first to get the technique down. You won't have to take the decals off, just make sure you get close around them.
Hope that helps, if you do it yourself you can restore the whole boat for pretty cheap.
Later
Tiffany

how well does the Gel-coat restoration work as far as any discoloration from graphiocs being removed.

I'd like the remove the graphics from the side of my boat and do some new ones, but I don't want the gel coat to be brighter in the areas that had been covered up for a while.

Thanks for the tips. I'll give it the DIY hook up after this semester ends. Balancing my uniformed duties and ten credit hours of school takes up most of my free time during the week and I'd rather be behind the boat than a buffer on the weekend! I'll let you all know how it turns out.

Wakeman- The boat is a 1988 Four Winns. I noticed you're from O'neil, NE. I'm from Fremont originally but have been out of state for the last three and a half years. How is the water temp up there?

Drunk monkey... how well the graphics blend back in will depend pretty heavily on the color of the gel. A lighter color will blend back in fairly easily, whereas something like dark blue or black may never go away completely. I had a black boat and had some decals on the transom of it for several years. I took the decals off when the transom oxidized and tried wet sanding the whole area. I gave it a very light wet sanding because it was the first time I had done anything like that. It made the areas barely noticeable, but if you got close you could still tell a difference in the shine. If you have an area like that you could wet sand it with 1000 grit, then 1500 and the rubbing compound and wax. Just be careful to not sand one area too much and don't press too hard. On the bottom of my PWC I actually sanded with 400, 800, 1000 then 1500 and it was baby butt smooth, but you can't do that very often or you'll go through the gel.
Hope that helps.
Later
Tiff

Well, I think the lakes are semi-thawed out. Actually water temp isn't terrible. Somewhere in the high 40's to lower/mid 50's. I'm probably not getting out anytime soon. Plus, I need to find a budy with a boat that can give me a pull. I've got a jetski, but I would much rather board behind a boat.
I was from Omaha, then moved to O'Neill, now I'm living in Omaha again. Go figure.