gel coat

[kalla man]

im in need of some gel coat advice! I want to gel the boat before paint. Im wondering if i can use a regular cup gun for the job or if i need a gel gun. Is the gel too thick for the cup gun? also looking for some advice on PSI, thickness (whats the tool to measure?) and parafin waxes...any other tips are welcome and appreciated.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE PROJECT.......
s99.photobucket.com/albums/l309/kallaman/

 

[Bondo]

Re: gel coat

"I want to gel the boat before paint."

Most folks do 1 or the Other...............

Why would you want to do Both,..??....

 

[Tail_Gunner]

Re: gel coat

"I want to gel the boat before paint."

Most folks do 1 or the Other...............

Why would you want to do Both,..??....

Agreed that would be a nightmare to prep

 

[kalla man]

Re: gel coat

im going to gel the whole boat and paint with a non-skid on top. I realize that painting with a two part urethane is the way to go for the best look, but its a fishing boat and i dont care to much about looks. lets put it this way..the hours of prep )sanding filling sanding etc.. is not worth it to me.. ive painted cars before and i know how much work is involved. BUT ive never done gel SO....advice??~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE PROJECT.......
s99.photobucket.com/albums/l309/kallaman/

 

[Solittle]

Re: gel coat

I assume you are talking about the deck only (for the non skid surface). I would get a fine screen much like a flour sifter and a fine grade of sand. Put down a coat of paint and sift the sand over the surface. Thin the paint some and go over the area with a roller.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: gel coat

No gel coat is needed, if the surface has defects that need to be filled use a sanding primer under the paint. But you said you are going to put a nonskid down, so no defects will be seen. Unless there is more to this story, the job just got a lot easier for you.

 

[CodyGrizz]

Re: gel coat

Agree. Gel coating (a nightmare) for home users can be rather daunting and is generally if you are trying to get the factory look back. Many people forget the color is in the gel and was sprayed in the mold before the glass was. Just use paint.

And I know you dont want to do all the work as its just a fishing boat, but maybe take some time and see if there are any bigger spots to take care of. Not only will it LOOK better (and remember, darker colors show all flaws, not sure what color you have planned) but it might save future repairs. A simple dent/crack/gouge now might be a structure problem later. Not saying fix them all but d/a it and see if there are any real low spots. Also non=skid paint will "puddle" in real low spots, kills the look.

I like that idea of the fine sand and sifter, use like a white beach sand or lanscapers sand..would work great! And if it was on an angle that the sifter wouldnt cover..you can get a small sandblaster gun from Harbor Freight, turn down the compressors PSI so it didnt have as much force..and use that!!

Best of luck to you on it!

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: gel coat

Ok...since nobody is actually answering your questions...I will try. I have recently attempted to re-gelcoat the entire bottom of my boat. So far it is looking like a success story...but I am waiting until spring before I sand/buff it to get the final verdict.

Check out this link...
http://www.iboats.com/bbboard/bbBoard.cgi?a=viewthread;fid=26;gtid=550032;gpid=550053#gpid550053

and my signature link to my project page.

Basically, I jsut used a Lowes spraygun...I thiink it has a 1.5mm nozzle...not 100% sure. I thinned out the gelcoat to a whole milk - buttermilk consistancy...about 4 oz acetone per quart gelcoat I just used the recommended psi for the gun I had and adjusted until I got the spray I wanted.

Generally speaking...most people either re-gel or paint...your wantign to do both is alittle...different. Are you saying that you want to re-gel the bottom and paint non-skid on the top? or Re-gel the entire boat and then paint the top?

Either way...good luck.

-JMW

 

[CodyGrizz]

Re: gel coat

JMW did you color it or use a clear coat? If you used a color..how uniform was the color? I know when I have tried it on sub boxes we sometimes had issues with darker spots than others and had to either redo it or just paint it.

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: gel coat

JMW did you color it or use a clear coat? If you used a color..how uniform was the color? I know when I have tried it on sub boxes we sometimes had issues with darker spots than others and had to either redo it or just paint it.

I tinted it with brown and yellow to match the original gelcoat color...I think I came darn close. I mixed up the tint and white gelcoat completely. I stirred for a good 15 minutes to make sure... I then added the acetone to get the consistancy I wanted. At that point...I had about 1.5 quarts all tinted and thinned. I poured about 1 pint in the gun and added the hardener to that...mixed for about 5 minutes then sprayed. Before re-filling the spraygun...I give the mix a few more stirs to make sure it doesn't separate.

Unfortunately, the boat is put away until warmer weather...so I won't know the results until the spring.

-JMW

It looks uniform...but I won't know until I get it into the light and buff it nice and pretty.

 

[drewpster]

Re: gel coat

Did either of you have trouble with the sprayed gelcoat not curing properly? I thought gelcoat would not fully cure in the presence of air. Did you coat it with mold release so it would cure?

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: gel coat

The first coat I used unwaxed so I wouldn't have to sand between the 2 coats. The top coat I used waxed. It has been pretty cold since I sprayed it...so I am letting it cure over the winter before I do anything to it. It is dry to the touch...but I don't know if it is fully cured yet....and since I wont be doing anything else to it until spring..I am in no rush to "test" it.

-JMW

 

[beauff]

Re: gel coat

I gel coat the back of my boat. I rolled it on sand & buffed. It's ok but not like new. I found out gelcoating is not easy. A little harder then painting a car.

 

[neat]

Re: gel coat

I did mine in gel-coat. I sprayed. It is easy as easy can be.

 

[Darkhorse1201]

Re: gel coat

wheres the best place to buy gel coat?

 

[flashback]

Re: gel coat

If all your doing is non-skid areas, the gel is really easy. I have rolled it on with a short nap roller then spray pva on it with a sprayer. did a whole houseboat roof once with this method used a garden sprayer for the pva and a roller on a stick. it came out really nice...8)

 

[JustMrWill]

Re: gel coat

wheres the best place to buy gel coat?

You can order online from uscomposites.com or mertons.com. Merton's is located in Springfield,MA (sorta local) and the owner is a wealth of info...I would give him a call and maybe make a drive out sometime. You get to pick his brain and save on the shipping costs. If you are going to drive out...call ahead and make sure he isn't on vacation/jury duty etc.

-JMW

 

[kalla man]

Re: gel coat

well, I decided to go with paint. I got a two part epoxy primer and a two part PU. I didnt realize how much thicker the marine PU's are as opposed to the auto PU's. I Sprayed two coats of Primer, then a first coat of paint, then i taped off a 1" boarder around the hatches and edges of the deck and rolled on a coat of paint mixed with a silicate non-skid aggeragate. and and finished by spraying a second coat of paint. I am extremely happy with the results. Thanks for all the oppinions fellas. I just picked up my rub rail today, which will be going on this weekend. I will post pic's on the progress soon!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
THE PROJECT.......
s99.photobucket.com/albums/l309/kallaman/

 

[ManOfwar690]

Re: gel coat

If your doing above the water line i wouldnt gell coat id use AWL GRIP its easy and just as good as gell coating maby beter and with brush roller or spray comes out slick as snott http://www.boatus-store.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product/20002/-1/20002/1195/20002/91/11204/4
and will save you time and a ton of money

 

[neat]

Re: gel coat

How will save money? Gel coat is like 20 $ a gallon.