I was wondering if it is possible to repaint a fiberglass kayak?

any ideas......

Are you talking about paint, or gel coat? Either way, it certainly is possible, but there might be considerable prep work.

I think Dogpaddler is having, or has had his latest kayak painted.

If you decide to gel coat, be sure you get some good advice on which type. I think a gel coat that is vinylester bases is recommended. If you paint, the paint should also be a flexible type.

Definitely possible. In the sailing industry it's been common for a number of years. Ideally you take most if not all of the old gelcoat off before painting. This reduces weight and gets rid of having a relatively brittle layer of gelcoat under a much more flexible layer of paint. I'm not as up to speed on this as I used to be but as I recall the ideal is to use a sprayed on primer and color coats of two-part linear polyurethane. This will give you a high gloss, smooth, lightweight, flexible, repairable finish. If you're not up for the job a local boatyard could probably do it for you. Or to save money you might be able to do the prep work and pay to have the paint professionally applied.

What kinds of steps are involved in applying gel coats VS regular painting?
I assume that with the regular paining, It would chip and crack more easily and If done at all, would look HORRIBLE!

With Gel coats, how does one go about removing the old coat?
What types of materials/tools would I need to purchase in order to start this process?


Are there any businesses who specialize in gel coating within the greater Seattle area?

I think NC Kayaks in Tacoma still does kayak repairs. Give them a call, or go to nckayaks.com and e-mail them. I'm pretty sure those guys can help you, or at least give you some good advice.

yeah, Ive been down to visit NC kayaks they have some really nice stuff. However, I'm not sure if they would take in random boats and repaint them for people.

Well, Voyager, I just reviewed some of the literature that I received when I bought my Expedition. It states that NC Kayaks will make repairs to NC kayaks that are not covered by warranty and it will do it at what they believe is below market costs. Whether that means that they don't deal with boats that they didn't build, I don't know, but it sure wouldn't hurt to ask.

Within the Seattle area boat yards are familiar with gelcoat and LP paints. I know they have machinery for "peeling" gelcoat off of larger craft but I'm guessing when it comes to a kayak it will involve sanding.

Rhonda Schwab of Kayaks go Coastal in Seattle has a good reputation for kayak repair.

Sterling Kayaks in Bellingham also specializes in kayaks.

Mikekayak

I got some prices on repaint my Current Design Nomad and they were nuts 2,000+. Decided to paint over the gelcoat with interlux two part epoxy. You roll it on the tip it off with a brush. Videos are on youtube showing the process. Product is made for this purpose. It will cost me 60 bucks for one color or 110 for two colors. I sanded it and will go over the gelcoat. Gelcoat is way more time consuming.


http://www.yachtpaint.com/LiteratureCentre/topsides-colorcard-usa.pdf
two part on left is harder and more durable than the one part.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Yp7exyZyikQ