| Re: Any Gelcoat Finishing Guys Out There?
[Re: Seeker]
#106946 05/15/07 06:19 PM 05/15/07 06:19 PM |
Joined: Mar 2003 Posts: 263 SC zander
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Posts: 263 SC | I was in the paintbooth with Jake and we shot both Franks Blue boat and my White N20, I couldn't be happier with the results. We both shot everything below the decks, Jakes might have been alittle lower. There was a lot of prep and as waterbug said it was worth it. Also as Basketcase mentioned I did wetsand through in one spot but i reshot it and resanded it in a weekend. I do think it is more durable than paint and I like keeping the finish that the boat was built with.
Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won't expect it back.
| | | Re: Any Gelcoat Finishing Guys Out There?
[Re: fin.]
#106949 05/16/07 10:04 AM 05/16/07 10:04 AM |
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 241 Largo, Florida papayamon2
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Posts: 241 Largo, Florida | I agree about just redoing the bottoms. With my Prindle 18, I taped off the offending portions on the bottoms, roughed them up, then applied gelcoat w/ a foam brush. (I used the West Marine mix that sets up in air, so no covering was needed.) Once that dried, I wet-sanded it to smooth it out and to taper the edges in w/ the rest of the hull. The result was great, and it lasted two seasons until continued beaching started to wear through. No problem--just redo again. The total repair probably took 2 hours, including the sanding. Done deal.
Hey, my philosophy has become this: Don't put mega $$ into making a boat so perfect that anytime it gets a ding or scratch you have an emotional fit. Instead, sail it hard and give it some TLC as needed. As an old farmer once told me, "I've never had anything in life that was quite 100%." Pretty it up but not so much that you can't beach it w/out grimacing. | | | Re: Any Gelcoat Finishing Guys Out There?
[Re: fin.]
#106952 05/16/07 08:45 PM 05/16/07 08:45 PM |
Joined: Nov 2006 Posts: 30 Chattanooga, TN ChattanoogaBill OP
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Posts: 30 Chattanooga, TN | If the bottoms are the only problem, just redo the bottoms. I don't do anything cosmetic to the bottoms. Leave the repair raw.
What color is your boat? If it is white and you are refinishing white, that solves a lot of problems. The hulls are a basic white. I have decided I want to get the boat out on the water as soon as possible. If I want to go further with total paint/gelcoat I will start in the winter. So here is what I think I should do immediately. 1) Brush gelcoat on skinned off stripes on very bottoms and dab some touch up on any deep gouges/chips in topsides. 2) Sand and feather edges of new gel coat. What grit and type of sander? 3)Wet sand hulls and seal with Vertglass. What grit sequence? I appreciate everyones help in keeping me from getting carried away! <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> | | | Re: Any Gelcoat Finishing Guys Out There?
[Re: ChattanoogaBill]
#106953 05/16/07 09:30 PM 05/16/07 09:30 PM |
Joined: Aug 2003 Posts: 241 Largo, Florida papayamon2
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Posts: 241 Largo, Florida | Grit sequence is a slightly debated topic--just do a search on sanding and you'll see. As I said earlier, wet-sanding with 600/1000/1500/2000 is what I did, although some say that the 2000 is a waste of time. (Heck, some say that anything over 600 isn't necessary, but I think that's bonkers.) The 600 should work to feather the edges on the gelcoat, too, although you could back down to 400. Don't get too aggressive there w/ a coarse grit or you'll risk eating up the old gelcoat that you're trying to blend with.
As for the type of sander, it's called a hand. A powered sander is way too aggressive, and you don't want to take off any more than is needed.
Hey, have fun. I did, and I was admiring my shiny hulls just this afternoon as I was getting ready to leave my driveway. I think you'll be more than happy with the results. | | |
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