RE: Coverite paint and Coverite fabric covering, what went wrong?
I did some experimenting while repairing the wing on my DR-1. Initially, I had allowed the latex paint to cure for about 3 days before clearcoating it (latex interior house paint base colors with Top Flite LustreKote clear spray top coat), and had no compatability problems. When I painetd the repaired and newly recovered wing (natural color Solartex) I let the latex dry about 2 hours, and then clearcoated with the LustreKote---same result. My workshop is unheated except for a small space heater I use while in the shop, and this time of year it stays about 25 degrees warmer than whatever the outside temp is, so the temp fluctuation can be between 45 to about 65 degrees F. My finishes come out very smooth, no cracking, no peeling. I even took the cover that I removed from the damaged wing (also Solartex / latex paint / LustreKote ) and wadded it up, folded it, flattened it out, twisted it (like wringing water out of it) and still had no peeling or cracking of the finish.
I noticed that after I had painted the Solartex , and then clearcoated, that the fabric seemed to have "relaxed" a little; not quite as tight as when I shrank it, but not sagging either. After about three weeks on the undamaged parts of the plane, the cover is drumhead tight. Now my repaired wing is about a week out, and it is tighter than it was right after I painted it.
For your Cub, I hate the thought of you having to remove all that and start over. Have you tried just sanding the paint smooth, or are the cracks too deep?. I would be hesitant to try a solvent to remove the paint, as it may attack the prefinished surface as well as the underlying adhesive. If you do remove the cover and re-do it, I highly recommend Solartex with latex paint over it. I obviously got a good bond between paint and fabric, without using primer. I used a paint called American Traditions Signature, an acrlic latex made by Valspar, and available at Lowe's. It's the premium paint, costs about $10 /qt, and they can mix whatever color you want if you have a chip. They wouldn't mix less than a quart, but a pint will easily cover a 1/5 scale triplane. I used five colors, so I have enough left over to paint a whole squadron of planes. Lowe's will sell what they call a "sample" mixed to your desired color, for about $4, is about 1/2 pint, you might be able to get by with that.