Re: New gel-coat....how hard to do???
Back to your question.<br /><br />To regelcoat you will first prep the hull just as if you were doing a fine paint job on an automobile (lots of work even if the hull is in pretty good shape to start with). Then you will apply the new gel coat which can actually be done any way paint can be applied, and it really doesn't make much differenct how lumpy it is, because no matter what you do you're still going to have to finish it. Finishing is simply wet sanding and polishing. I say simply but that is really a misnomer. It is extememely hard work and will require multiple sanding with progressivly finer wet paper and then a full buffing followed by a full sealing. And what you have when you finished, if you got it just right, is a boat that will probably look very much like new. On the other hand if you go with Awl Grip you will have less work in it, probably about the same money, and a finish that will be better than just about any factory gel coat job. As for the lifecycle the gel coat wins out over the Awl Grip, but not because its really any better, only because it can continue to be resanded and polished as it degrades. You can not sand and repolish Awl Grip, not from day one to day last. Awl Grip attains its maximum gloss at about 21 days and gets harder and harder for years after application, but in truth it has a life of about 10 years before it needs to be repainted. Oh, and the paint is expensive.<br /><br />Also, you should know this, gel coat can be repaired and blended in of course. Its a pain to match colors and to be blunt about it most places and people do a poor job of matching, but it can be done. Awl Grip can not be repaired and blended. You can't just reshoot a patch, wet sand it and then polish it in. With Awl Grip if you have to repair a section you will either put up with a repainted patch that is visable or you will reshoot the entire hull section, but you will never be able to blend a patch in.<br /><br />Thom
