Cobra Cosmetics II: How to Refinish?

[[email protected]]

An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing faded vinyl trim
strips indicates pilots are serious about making their [gliders'] rides
look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old glass-top
Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require work this
winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough. And I'd rather save
my refinishing money for the glider itself some day. So what's been the
experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top trailers?

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"

[Ray Lovinggood]

Chip,

One of our club members painted his fiberglass topped
Cobra. I'll have to ask him what type of paint he
used, but I do remember him telling me that he used
a roller.

It doesn't look too bad!

No, it's not a 'sprayed on' look, but for the money,
it's not bad.

And if you like a 'Pimp My Ride' trailer, ol' H2O has
a good start. I believe he's got 17' 5-spoke alu
alloy wheels with what looks like 40 series rim protectors
(tires) on his Cobra.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA

At 12:54 19 July 2006, wrote:
>An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing
>faded vinyl trim
>strips indicates pilots are serious about making their
>[gliders'] rides
>look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old
>glass-top
>Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require
>work this
>winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough.
>And I'd rather save
>my refinishing money for the glider itself some day.
>So what's been the
>experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top
>trailers?
>
>Chip Bearden
>ASW 24 'JB'
>
>

[Jeremy Zawodny]

Ray Lovinggood wrote:
>
> And if you like a 'Pimp My Ride' trailer, ol' H2O has
> a good start. I believe he's got 17' 5-spoke alu
> alloy wheels with what looks like 40 series rim protectors
> (tires) on his Cobra.

Heh. I saw H2O's rims at Minden. They apparently helped with his sway
problem *and* make him look cool. :-)

Jeremy

[Greg Arnold]

Jeremy Zawodny wrote:
> Ray Lovinggood wrote:
>>
>> And if you like a 'Pimp My Ride' trailer, ol' H2O has
>> a good start. I believe he's got 17' 5-spoke alu
>> alloy wheels with what looks like 40 series rim protectors
>> (tires) on his Cobra.
>
> Heh. I saw H2O's rims at Minden. They apparently helped with his sway
> problem *and* make him look cool. :-)
>
> Jeremy

But probably make a rough ride even rougher for the glider inside the
trailer.

[Simon Waddell]

My son and I repainted my old Komet trailer this winter with two-part
polyurethane paint. Two days to rub down the old paint and repair the
blemishes and two days to repaint - two hours actually, the rest of the time
was for masking, degreasing, detailing etc etc.

Cost me about $400 for the paint and a joy ride for the guy who sprayed it;
my son lives with me so the labour was free.

Gel coat would have been cheaper but paint was easier.

My understanding is you *have* to use gel or poly in order to protect the
underlying fiberglass from UV - cheap household paint insn't sufficient.

I also got templates for comp numbers on the fin and the glider type on the
side, painted in blue trim to match the glider - beats 17" alloy rims every
time:)

The toughest part was finding a heated workshop big enough to do the job
in - *must* be heated to 20-25 deg C for the paint to cure properly.

> wrote in message
oups.com...
> An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing faded vinyl trim
> strips indicates pilots are serious about making their [gliders'] rides
> look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old glass-top
> Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require work this
> winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough. And I'd rather save
> my refinishing money for the glider itself some day. So what's been the
> experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top trailers?
>
> Chip Bearden
> ASW 24 "JB"
>

[KO]

wrote:
> An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing faded vinyl trim
> strips indicates pilots are serious about making their [gliders'] rides
> look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old glass-top
> Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require work this
> winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough. And I'd rather save
> my refinishing money for the glider itself some day. So what's been the
> experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top trailers?
>
> Chip Bearden
> ASW 24 "JB"

Mine (glass top Cobra) was repainted with polyurethane by previous
owner... side trim replaces and even the faded fenders were repainted
(some orange peel though) result looks really, really good!...

Regards
Enrique
KO

[Eric Greenwell[_1_]]

Greg Arnold wrote:
> Jeremy Zawodny wrote:
>> Ray Lovinggood wrote:
>>>
>>> And if you like a 'Pimp My Ride' trailer, ol' H2O has
>>> a good start. I believe he's got 17' 5-spoke alu
>>> alloy wheels with what looks like 40 series rim protectors
>>> (tires) on his Cobra.
>>
>> Heh. I saw H2O's rims at Minden. They apparently helped with his
>> sway problem *and* make him look cool. :-)
>>
>> Jeremy
>
> But probably make a rough ride even rougher for the glider inside the
> trailer.

I'm curious about the relative resistance to road hazard damage provided
by a 75 series trailer-rated tire (typical on a glider trailer) and a 40
series tire that isn't trailer rated. It's hard for me to avoid every
rock, road debris, pot hole, and curb with my trailer.

--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA

www.motorglider.org - Download "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane
Operation"

[Craig]

I refinished a glass Pfeiffer trailer for a cirrus about 25 years ago
with Imron. The trailer is still around and sits out in the sun at
Ephrata every summer. The paint has done very well and still looks
great. The Pfeiffer trailers did not have a gel coat finish so cracks
from underlying gel coat were not a problem.

Most polyurethanes use very nasty isocyantes for curing so you should
have professional spray equipment with outside air supply etc. Best
way around this is to do all the prep and then arrange with a local
autobody shop to do the actual spray work. They have all the
facilities and do it on a daily basis.

Prep the gelcoat with 220 grit wet to give the polyurethane some tooth
to grab onto. After sanding wash down with clean water (no soap or
detergents) and completely dry everything taking care to blow water out
of any crevices.

If there are existing cracks or crazing in the gel coat they will
eventually work their way up through the polyurethane. Only way I know
around this is to completely strip the gelcoat which seems like way
more trouble than it is worth for a trailer.

Refinishing with gelcoat in my opinion would just compound the existing
problems. Polyurethanes have much better UV resistance and are not as
brittle. It is also easier to find a body shop to apply them. Done
correctly the polyurethane won't need any post spray work (sanding,
buffing etc.) at all and you'll be set for years to come.

Best of luck

Craig Funston

[Birdbones]

I have an old Eiri Avion fiberglass trailer. Two years ago I asked an
autobody paint specialist friend how to deal with the deteriorating
gel coat. He said " Why don't you just paint it with house paint". I
took his advice and applied it with a roller and paint brush after a
good scrubbing. Two tone with a third color mimicing graphics on my
ship. So far it is holding up well. Cost: less than $40 in materials.
I live high up in Colorado and a house paint that does not deal with UV
would have little value. Should you be in Moriarty, take a look of some
of the old trailers on the tarmac with enjoyable graphic paint jobs. It
gave me the sensation that a trailer can be a fun billboard. Many of
these were done quite awhile ago and seem to be holding their colors.

Randy "Crash" Cone
..
wrote:
> An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing faded vinyl trim
> strips indicates pilots are serious about making their [gliders'] rides
> look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old glass-top
> Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require work this
> winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough. And I'd rather save
> my refinishing money for the glider itself some day. So what's been the
> experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top trailers?
>
> Chip Bearden
> ASW 24 "JB"

[Chris Reed]

A friend of mine has just repainted his trailer with masonry paint
(designed for the plastered/rendered exterior walls of houses). This
gives a matt finish, but it looks pretty good.

His reasoning is that the paint has to stick to the house for 10 years
or so, so it should stick to a trailer equally well!

Will try to remember to report in 10 years time how it's holding up.

Birdbones wrote:
> I have an old Eiri Avion fiberglass trailer. Two years ago I asked an
> autobody paint specialist friend how to deal with the deteriorating
> gel coat. He said " Why don't you just paint it with house paint". I
> took his advice and applied it with a roller and paint brush after a
> good scrubbing. Two tone with a third color mimicing graphics on my
> ship. So far it is holding up well. Cost: less than $40 in materials.
> I live high up in Colorado and a house paint that does not deal with UV
> would have little value. Should you be in Moriarty, take a look of some
> of the old trailers on the tarmac with enjoyable graphic paint jobs. It
> gave me the sensation that a trailer can be a fun billboard. Many of
> these were done quite awhile ago and seem to be holding their colors.
>
> Randy "Crash" Cone
> .
> wrote:
>
>>An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing faded vinyl trim
>>strips indicates pilots are serious about making their [gliders'] rides
>>look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old glass-top
>>Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require work this
>>winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough. And I'd rather save
>>my refinishing money for the glider itself some day. So what's been the
>>experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top trailers?
>>
>>Chip Bearden
>>ASW 24 "JB"
>
>

[Gary Evans[_1_]]

With that logic he should have used shingles which
would last even longer.

At 10:30 20 July 2006, Chris Reed wrote:
>A friend of mine has just repainted his trailer with
>masonry paint
>(designed for the plastered/rendered exterior walls
>of houses). This
>gives a matt finish, but it looks pretty good.
>
>His reasoning is that the paint has to stick to the
>house for 10 years
>or so, so it should stick to a trailer equally well!
>
>Will try to remember to report in 10 years time how
>it's holding up.
>
>Birdbones wrote:
>> I have an old Eiri Avion fiberglass trailer. Two years
>>ago I asked an
>> autobody paint specialist friend how to deal with
>>the deteriorating
>> gel coat. He said ' Why don't you just paint it with
>>house paint'. I
>> took his advice and applied it with a roller and paint
>>brush after a
>> good scrubbing. Two tone with a third color mimicing
>>graphics on my
>> ship. So far it is holding up well. Cost: less than
>>$40 in materials.
>> I live high up in Colorado and a house paint that
>>does not deal with UV
>> would have little value. Should you be in Moriarty,
>>take a look of some
>> of the old trailers on the tarmac with enjoyable graphic
>>paint jobs. It
>> gave me the sensation that a trailer can be a fun
>>billboard. Many of
>> these were done quite awhile ago and seem to be holding
>>their colors.
>>
>> Randy 'Crash' Cone
>> .
>> wrote:
>>
>>>An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing
>>>faded vinyl trim
>>>strips indicates pilots are serious about making their
>>>[gliders'] rides
>>>look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old
>>>glass-top
>>>Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require
>>>work this
>>>winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough.
>>>And I'd rather save
>>>my refinishing money for the glider itself some day.
>>>So what's been the
>>>experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top
>>>trailers?
>>>
>>>Chip Bearden
>>>ASW 24 'JB'
>>
>>
>

[Ray Lovinggood]

My friend who repainted the top of his fiberglass top
Cobra says he used polyurethane white deck paint from
'Boater's World.' And he used a roller to apply it.

Ray Lovinggood
Carrboro, North Carolina, USA



>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>>An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing
>>>>faded vinyl trim
>>>>strips indicates pilots are serious about making their
>>>>[gliders'] rides
>>>>look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old
>>>>glass-top
>>>>Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require
>>>>work this
>>>>winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough.
>>>>And I'd rather save
>>>>my refinishing money for the glider itself some day.
>>>>So what's been the
>>>>experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top
>>>>trailers?
>>>>
>>>>Chip Bearden
>>>>ASW 24 'JB'

[Eric Greenwell[_1_]]

Birdbones wrote:
> I have an old Eiri Avion fiberglass trailer. Two years ago I asked an
> autobody paint specialist friend how to deal with the deteriorating
> gel coat. He said " Why don't you just paint it with house paint". I
> took his advice and applied it with a roller and paint brush after a
> good scrubbing. Two tone with a third color mimicing graphics on my
> ship. So far it is holding up well.

The house paint I'm familiar with chalks noticeably over time. Is yours
chalking or is it retaining a good gloss?
--
Change "netto" to "net" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell - Washington State, USA

www.motorglider.org - Download "A Guide to Self-launching Sailplane
Operation"

[Birdbones]

Eric Greenwell wrote:
> The house paint I'm familiar with chalks noticeably over time. Is yours
> chalking or is it retaining a good gloss?

I used a semi gloss latex paint and so far it is not chalky, but it is
only two years. It is probably not the best way to go if you are
looking for a pristine finish. I used it on a 25 year old trailer to
extend it's life and protect the contents. I may have to repaint it
again sometime in the future as one would a house.
Randy Cone

[Ray Roberts]

I will put in a vote for the white,glossy, single-part-polyurethane paint
widely available from marine stores (sorry, I don't remember the
manufacturer's name).
I brush-painted the fiberglass parts of a glider trailer with this. It went
on easily, looked good, had a good self leveling action so the brush marks
largely disappeared, and it held up well for several years, during which the
trailer sat out in all weathers without ever being waxed or otherwise
protected.
Ray Roberts

"Chris Reed" > wrote in message
news:e9q5k2$20l$1@qmul...
>I think the problem with shingles (or the UK equivalent) is finding nails
>which will hold up to trailering along farm tracks. Would the modern
>equivalent of corrugated iron roofing be better?
>
> Gary Evans wrote:
>> With that logic he should have used shingles which
>> would last even longer.
>>
>> At 10:30 20 July 2006, Chris Reed wrote:
>>
>>>A friend of mine has just repainted his trailer with
>>>masonry paint (designed for the plastered/rendered exterior walls
>>>of houses). This gives a matt finish, but it looks pretty good.
>>>
>>>His reasoning is that the paint has to stick to the
>>>house for 10 years or so, so it should stick to a trailer equally well!
>>>
>>>Will try to remember to report in 10 years time how
>>>it's holding up.
>>>
>>>Birdbones wrote:
>>>
>>>>I have an old Eiri Avion fiberglass trailer. Two years
>>>>ago I asked an
>>>>autobody paint specialist friend how to deal with
>>>>the deteriorating
>>>>gel coat. He said ' Why don't you just paint it with
>>>>house paint'. I
>>>>took his advice and applied it with a roller and paint
>>>>brush after a
>>>>good scrubbing. Two tone with a third color mimicing
>>>>graphics on my
>>>>ship. So far it is holding up well. Cost: less than
>>>>$40 in materials.
>>>>I live high up in Colorado and a house paint that
>>>>does not deal with UV
>>>>would have little value. Should you be in Moriarty,
>>>>take a look of some
>>>>of the old trailers on the tarmac with enjoyable graphic
>>>>paint jobs. It
>>>>gave me the sensation that a trailer can be a fun
>>>>billboard. Many of
>>>>these were done quite awhile ago and seem to be holding
>>>>their colors.
>>>>
>>>>Randy 'Crash' Cone
>>>>.
wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing
>>>>>faded vinyl trim
>>>>>strips indicates pilots are serious about making their
>>>>>[gliders'] rides
>>>>>look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old
>>>>>glass-top
>>>>>Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require
>>>>>work this
>>>>>winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough.
>>>>>And I'd rather save
>>>>>my refinishing money for the glider itself some day.
>>>>>So what's been the
>>>>>experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top
>>>>>trailers?
>>>>>
>>>>>Chip Bearden
>>>>>ASW 24 'JB'
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>

[Bruce Greef]

Chris Reed wrote:
> I think the problem with shingles (or the UK equivalent) is finding
> nails which will hold up to trailering along farm tracks. Would the
> modern equivalent of corrugated iron roofing be better?

Have seen at least one constructed with this as the cladding. Not pretty, but it
was presumably better than open...

>
> Gary Evans wrote:
>
>> With that logic he should have used shingles which
>> would last even longer.
>>
>> At 10:30 20 July 2006, Chris Reed wrote:
>>
>>> A friend of mine has just repainted his trailer with
>>> masonry paint (designed for the plastered/rendered exterior walls
>>> of houses). This gives a matt finish, but it looks pretty good.
>>>
>>> His reasoning is that the paint has to stick to the
>>> house for 10 years or so, so it should stick to a trailer equally well!
>>>
>>> Will try to remember to report in 10 years time how
>>> it's holding up.
>>>
>>> Birdbones wrote:
>>>
>>>> I have an old Eiri Avion fiberglass trailer. Two years
>>>> ago I asked an
>>>> autobody paint specialist friend how to deal with
>>>> the deteriorating
>>>> gel coat. He said ' Why don't you just paint it with
>>>> house paint'. I
>>>> took his advice and applied it with a roller and paint
>>>> brush after a
>>>> good scrubbing. Two tone with a third color mimicing
>>>> graphics on my
>>>> ship. So far it is holding up well. Cost: less than
>>>> $40 in materials.
>>>> I live high up in Colorado and a house paint that
>>>> does not deal with UV
>>>> would have little value. Should you be in Moriarty,
>>>> take a look of some
>>>> of the old trailers on the tarmac with enjoyable graphic
>>>> paint jobs. It
>>>> gave me the sensation that a trailer can be a fun
>>>> billboard. Many of
>>>> these were done quite awhile ago and seem to be holding
>>>> their colors.
>>>>
>>>> Randy 'Crash' Cone
>>>> .
>>>> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>> An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing
>>>>> faded vinyl trim
>>>>> strips indicates pilots are serious about making their
>>>>> [gliders'] rides
>>>>> look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old
>>>>> glass-top
>>>>> Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require
>>>>> work this
>>>>> winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough.
>>>>> And I'd rather save
>>>>> my refinishing money for the glider itself some day.
>>>>> So what's been the
>>>>> experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top
>>>>> trailers?
>>>>>
>>>>> Chip Bearden
>>>>> ASW 24 'JB'
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>
>>
>>

[Alex[_1_]]

Detco Sterling sells a two part linear polyurethane (the ultra glossy,
long-lasting Imron type stuff) that has a special catalyst that allows
it to be applied by brush. It has flow-out characteristics that allow
amazing results. My father has used it on boats in S. California for
years. He painted a couple of his cars with it and had a number of
other people asking him to paint their cars with it for them when they
saw the results. I think it would be ideal for painting a fiberglass
glider trailer (or maybe even the glider). It's expensive but worth
it. You can get it through WestMarine. This page has more info:
http://tinyurl.com/jh2xf

> >>>> wrote:
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>> An amazing (to me) amount of interest in refreshing
> >>>>> faded vinyl trim
> >>>>> strips indicates pilots are serious about making their
> >>>>> [gliders'] rides
> >>>>> look good. But what about the trailer itself? My 14-year-old
> >>>>> glass-top
> >>>>> Cobra has a few cracks, nicks, etc., that will require
> >>>>> work this
> >>>>> winter. Matching the existing gel coat looks tough.
> >>>>> And I'd rather save
> >>>>> my refinishing money for the glider itself some day.
> >>>>> So what's been the
> >>>>> experience repairing/refinishing/painting German glass-top
> >>>>> trailers?
> >>>>>
> >>>>> Chip Bearden
> >>>>> ASW 24 'JB'
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>>>
> >>
> >>
> >>

[Jim Vincent]

"Ray Roberts" > wrote in message
. ..
>I will put in a vote for the white,glossy, single-part-polyurethane paint
>widely available from marine stores (sorry, I don't remember the
>manufacturer's name).
> I brush-painted the fiberglass parts of a glider trailer with this. It
> went on easily, looked good, had a good self leveling action so the brush
> marks largely disappeared, and it held up well for several years, during
> which the trailer sat out in all weathers without ever being waxed or
> otherwise protected.
> Ray Roberts
>

I think you're thinking of something like Easypoxy, which is what I used on
my trailer. One of the tricks is to use "tipping." In that, you apply the
paint with a roller and then go across the roll direction with a wide brush
to pop all the bubbles and level it even more. This works best with a two
person team; while one rolls, the other brushes.

My trailer is white topped with a blue bottom, demarcation at the midpoint
height of the trailer. I noticed a big difference in the paint. The white
gets dirty much easier and has faded somewhat. The blue, on the otherhand,
looks as good as the day it was applied and still has a nice freshly waxed
look to it.

The top of the trailer has developed some hairline cracks. Time to try a
house paint primer and latex paint.

[Graeme Cant]

Chris Reed wrote:
> I think the problem with shingles (or the UK equivalent) is finding
> nails which will hold up to trailering along farm tracks. Would the
> modern equivalent of corrugated iron roofing be better?

The modern equivalent of corrugated iron is ...corrugated iron. It's a
traditional cladding material in Oz (not just roofing) and is used for
almost everything once you leave the cities.

I've seen a number of glider trailers clad in it and it seems quite
effective. Just tricky to seal at the ends.

They did use pop rivets though instead of the normal, all-purpose, rural
fasteners - roofing nails, fencing wire and binder twine.

GC

[ContestID67]

I painted my trailer with two part white epoxy paint. It left a
beautiful finish and is just about bullet proof. Costs about $100 for
2 gallons (one each part A and part B). Two gallons did it.

You can find it at high end paint only stores (not Menards, Home Depot,
etc). I used Benjamin Moore "Polyamide Epoxy". It is tintable so you
can get any color your heart desires.

Enjoy, John

[[email protected]]

ContestID67 wrote:
> I painted my trailer with two part white epoxy paint. It left a
> beautiful finish and is just about bullet proof. Costs about $100 for
> 2 gallons (one each part A and part B). Two gallons did it.
>
> You can find it at high end paint only stores (not Menards, Home Depot,
> etc). I used Benjamin Moore "Polyamide Epoxy". It is tintable so you
> can get any color your heart desires.
>

Spray or (gasp) roller or (groan) brush?

Serious question, actually. I'm intrigued at the ingenious solutions
revealed in this thread, the "shingles and roofing nails" contribution
notwithstanding. I'm afraid that I, too, occasionally fall victim to
the notion that if something for the glider rig doesn't cost a fortune
and/or involve exhorbitant amounts of effort and skill, it can't be
worth very much (see the ongoing "Quiet Vent" thread for further
discussion of this).

Chip Bearden
ASW 24 "JB"