Opinions? - Spraying Gelcoat Difficulty??

[76SeaRay]

So, this 76 Sea Ray appears to be all original gelcoat. The hull appears pretty good and the guy that glassed my new transom did some touch up work on scratches and gouges around the outside of the hull. When he buffed the hull areas the shine seemed to come back pretty good. The deck on the other hand (this is a hard top so has extra "deck" pieces) is pretty faded, chalky and there are scratches, a few small holes to fill, and a few stress cracks to cover. I plan to redo the gelcoat on the deck (rub rail up) and hardtop but budget is getting thin. I would rather have someone do it but down to doing it myself to save money. I haven't done any gelcoat work before. I have messed around with auto paint (epoxy primer, base/clear) a bit and will be repainting the outdrive. I have two gravity feed guns but the nozzles are somewhere around 1.5 or 1.75 if I remember correctly. I also have an old suction gun but don't know the nozzle size. I have an 80 gallon dual cylinder compressor. The boat is in a closed shop and I have a small heat pump to warm the shop (running 32 to 45 degrees outside right now) and it struggles but can get to 65 to 70 degrees.

First question is how hard is it for a newbie to do a gelcoat spray job??
Second question is the best gun to use as a beginner??
Third question is how forgiving is the gelcoat, getting it mixed, and maintaining the right temperatures?

Thanks.....

 

[alldodge]

Gel coat is sprayed on with a dump gun. Folks on OSO have told me its easy to use but finding the correct mix. Would practice on scrap stuff to figure it out. Gel once on can always be sanded smooth. Always spray downward. Member Glass Dave is the best on OSO

I have a dump gun but have not used it yet. Maybe this yet I will get to finishing my Chrysler

 

[76SeaRay]

Thanks, guess I will order a dump gun as that may be easier and cheaper than finding a larger nozzle for my existing guns... I have two areas I can test with.. The PO had cut two speaker holes in the top of the dash and hit two structural members so couldn't install the speakers anyway. Going to glass those in and then gelcoat.. They both get covered with black vinyl so any screw up will be hidden. My second test area with be the transom in the engine bay.. Any screw up there will be hidden inside the engine bay. Maybe that will give me enough practice....

 

[Scott Danforth]

spraying gel is easy. no need for a dump gun. you do need a HVLP gun with a 2.0 or 2.3 nozzle. get the vapor brand, the correct one will be green. Amazon or northern tool (about half of buying the exact same gun from your local fiberglass supply house)

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200319459_200319459

https://www.amazon.com/Vaper-HVLP-Spray-Gun-Plastic/dp/B000BTJALA

some reading

gelcoating the whole boat down to the waterline

Well I’m looking for new info on this process of gelcoating the whole boat down to the waterline. I have purchased 2 gal of 180 clear gelcoat and 2...

www.boatdesign.net

and starting from here is where I started spraying. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/1988-rogue-2420.486013/page-9#post-3435736

use the 904 additive to spray with a 2.0 or 2.3 tip. or without the additive, plan on a bigger tip - in the 3.5 to 4.5 range

remember, gel is like spraying pudding. the 904 additive is worth its weight in gold as it makes it spray like paint.

 

[mickyryan]

I personally used a husky hlvp that i drilled out with a bit so the tip would flow better if i can find the bit and check it i will let you know but it works flawlessly for my use and its basically throw away if things go bad i put the bit up with tape on it to tell me it was the bit but now i got to find where i put it not to forget where i put it

 

[todhunter]

spraying gel is easy. no need for a dump gun. you do need a HVLP gun with a 2.0 or 2.3 nozzle. get the vapor brand, the correct one will be green. Amazon or northern tool (about half of buying the exact same gun from your local fiberglass supply house)

https://www.northerntool.com/shop/tools/product_200319459_200319459

https://www.amazon.com/Vaper-HVLP-Spray-Gun-Plastic/dp/B000BTJALA

some reading

gelcoating the whole boat down to the waterline

Well I’m looking for new info on this process of gelcoating the whole boat down to the waterline. I have purchased 2 gal of 180 clear gelcoat and 2...

www.boatdesign.net

and starting from here is where I started spraying. https://forums.iboats.com/threads/1988-rogue-2420.486013/page-9#post-3435736

use the 904 additive to spray with a 2.0 or 2.3 tip. or without the additive, plan on a bigger tip - in the 3.5 to 4.5 range

remember, gel is like spraying pudding. the 904 additive is worth its weight in gold as it makes it spray like paint.

Thanks for explaining the taping. That is something I have been wondering about.

 

[76SeaRay]

Thanks for the info. I went ahead and ordered a Vaper Gun as I need my other guns for paint on my sterndrive and trailer. I will order the Duratec 904 additive as suggested and pick up some wide rolls of masking. What is a good total volume to mix and shoot at one time? If shooting small quantities do you need to clean the gun quickly between batches or does the next batch flush the gun as you shoot so the first batch doesn't set up in the gun? I plan to have a helper to mix more if I need to mix small quantities at a time. My helper has to help with coloring the gelcoat also as I am partially color blind..

 

[Zippys Gelcoat and Fiberglass Repair]

Thanks, guess I will order a dump gun as that may be easier and cheaper than finding a larger nozzle for my existing guns... I have two areas I can test with.. The PO had cut two speaker holes in the top of the dash and hit two structural members so couldn't install the speakers anyway. Going to glass those in and then gelcoat.. They both get covered with black vinyl so any screw up will be hidden. My second test area with be the transom in the engine bay.. Any screw up there will be hidden inside the engine bay. Maybe that will give me enough practice....

I have used regular pot guns and gravity fed guns over 1000 times for gelcoat. I use a 2.0 tip. Now what I did if the surface was on the floor I made the pot up with more patch aid then usual so the gel would be " more slicker" or runny when sprayed so I wouldnt have to sand it. I just wiped it with acetone to remove the styrene and buffed it. On the deck ya dont want too runny. But I've seen them paint a finished deck and get a run in it and they kept spraying and blowing the rub down the deck. The end result was about at 2ft by 4ft long icicle melting off your gutter effect. Basically, ya cant screw up painting gelcoat. Over spray? Dont worry about it. It wont stick to anything you havent sanded and wiped with acetone.