automotive clear coat???

I'm making some new planer boards and was wondering if you guys think automotive clear coat would be tough enough for use on the lake?  A buddy of mine owns an auto repair shop and he has some clear coat he needs to get rid of.  Will this stuff hold up like poly or lacquer?  any help would be great.

ok. well i have them painted up already and im using redwood.  I think im going to give the auto clear a try.  Ill just lay it on pretty heavy. its worth a shot.

I doubt automotive clearcoat will hold up for more than one season. Let us know how durable the finish was in a year or two.

Clear coat like most other finishes is permeable. Gel-Coat is as well. However, both together are “virtually” impermeable.

If you were to coat your boards in resin, and then gel-coat, you have just built a boat hull.

Gel coat comes in two basic colors, white and neutral. Pigments are sold to change the hue to whatever you could imagine. However, from my experience, mixing colors with white will give you a more pastel look, and mixing with neutral will give you a more vibrant look.

Automotive clear coat is used by many manufactures of boats. Where people fall short sometimes, is they believe that they wax their car or boat to make it look good, and look good only. However, a wax’s primary function is a protectant for the surface finish. Side effect, glossy looks.

Any finish properly maintained will treat you well.


Good luck!

Another product you could use is EnviroTex....2 part epoxy coating...the stuff is indestructable and leaves a beautiful top finish coat....good luck