Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

[ctopher]

Hello all, new member here and needing some advice. A few years back I picked up a '96 Glastron SSV175 for next to nothing as a project. It needed basically everything from the ground up. I for sure could have bought the same boat in excellent condition by now with all the $ I have put into it, not to mention the labor. I have done some personal touches and made it the way I wanted it so in the end I guess it's worth it.

I have plenty of expierience in the auto body and paint field and was going to go with a bc/cc finish. It would be far easier for me to work with and lay down a nice shine. I am doubting the durability of it. I think that gelcoat would give me a more durable finish, especially on the bottom. I have the boat about 90% ready to paint and need some opinions. Looking around online I see many choices of products, I don't want to end up with a end result that is less than par or will have problems down the road. Can anyone please give some insight as to what are good brands? Also is wax or no wax better? I would also like to get a nice high gloss. Been looking at Duratec and it may help me in that area, any thoughts? I have never worked with gelcoat before and only know what I have read online. Seems every site I look at has a different product and different way of using it. Thanks in advance for any help you can send my way.

Chris

 

[proshadetree]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

I am sure the pros will be in here shortly. I have shot very small amounts and found it is a pain in the butt. I have tried to spray as suggested but have found that one must over thin to spray. This is said to degrade the finish but after a year plus of reading everyone seems to have to do it to spray it. Get ready to sand sand sand.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

Hello all, new member here and needing some advice. A few years back I picked up a '96 Glastron SSV175 for next to nothing as a project. It needed basically everything from the ground up. I for sure could have bought the same boat in excellent condition by now with all the $ I have put into it, not to mention the labor. I have done some personal touches and made it the way I wanted it so in the end I guess it's worth it.

I have plenty of expierience in the auto body and paint field and was going to go with a bc/cc finish. It would be far easier for me to work with and lay down a nice shine. I am doubting the durability of it. I think that gelcoat would give me a more durable finish, especially on the bottom. I have the boat about 90% ready to paint and need some opinions. Looking around online I see many choices of products, I don't want to end up with a end result that is less than par or will have problems down the road. Can anyone please give some insight as to what are good brands? Also is wax or no wax better? I would also like to get a nice high gloss. Been looking at Duratec and it may help me in that area, any thoughts? I have never worked with gelcoat before and only know what I have read online. Seems every site I look at has a different product and different way of using it. Thanks in advance for any help you can send my way.

Chris

Ayuh,... Welcome Aboard,....

Gelcoat is made to be shot into a mold, 'n a boat built on top of it...
Yes, it can be shot over an existin' boat, but as shadetree says, it's a real pain in the butt, as you'll end up sandin' 1/2 of it back off to get it smooth, 'n shiney...

I've been shootin' boats for years with a single stage Urethane paints...
Martin Seynour Prizim is my current favorite, 'n is plenty durable, both above, 'n below the waterline...
Most of the hulls I've shot are dock boats, 'n they're still holdin' up just Fine, after years at the dock...

 

[alligatorgars]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=465692&highlight=gelcoat

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=516156&highlight=inlays

 

[ctopher]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

Thanks guys, I do understand that there is a lot of sanding and buffing involved and I'm not a real big fan of that. I have fixed every single crack, chip, and scratch inside and out so it would be a major chore to sand and buff. The boat will probably very rarely see a dock, and I hope it will never see the shore edge. I usually go from trailer to water and back to trailer at the end of the day. That should help with the durability issue but I still like the thought of having a little protection. Bond-o have you tried the Prism bc/cc or only the single stage? I have always preferred clear coat as it is a little more fade resistant.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

Thanks guys, I do understand that there is a lot of sanding and buffing involved and I'm not a real big fan of that. I have fixed every single crack, chip, and scratch inside and out so it would be a major chore to sand and buff. The boat will probably very rarely see a dock, and I hope it will never see the shore edge. I usually go from trailer to water and back to trailer at the end of the day. That should help with the durability issue but I still like the thought of having a little protection. Bond-o have you tried the Prism bc/cc or only the single stage? I have always preferred clear coat as it is a little more fade resistant.

Nope,.... Bc/ Cc is just a pain in the butt, almost right up there with Gel...
Ya can't do any repairs because of the 2 layers...

This is after 2 years at a dock, without cleanin' nor polishin',...
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo303/Bond-o/Boat pictures/100_4563.jpg

This is 10 years old,without cleanin' nor polishin',....
http://i386.photobucket.com/albums/oo303/Bond-o/Boat pictures/f15464.jpg

Both shot with single stage Martin Seynour fleet paints...

 

[oops!]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

hi welcome to iboats !

lets see this puppy !

since you are going with paint.....i can only suggest what is being used around here....even tho i havent used it...

Enron or Endura. they are an epoxy based paint......very hard surface.....

but in any case....lets see it

cheers
oops

 

[alligatorgars]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

The links Ive provided are great study guides to get a feel for what you would need to gel coat. The posters in the know on those threads are presently active and willing to answer specific questions (not old dead threads). Posting pictures of the project at hand seems to get more results (participation). Paint (awlgrip)http://www.awlgrip.com/Pages/home.aspx
is always going to be more popular than gel coat because of the pia factor and sweat equity involved. I personally like gelcoat on hulls.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

Enron or Endura. they are an epoxy based paint......very hard surface.....

I think oops was thinking Imron .. not Enron ..

Same thing as awcraft 2000 ( awlgrips Imron basically ).

BCC is gonna be a hardship for you for below the waterline.

Gel for a 17.5 is not that big of a job ( I am a proponent of gel for small vessels ).

Its really not as hard as it seems .. and its really not more difficult then a pant job ( research my posts ).

Gel is a " Lost art ". It seems most people are afraid of Gel for full sprays because of the Very LOW pot life. When you mix IT YOU GO !

After the application .. your only problem is sanding out the Orange Peel. .. then sanding a few more times .. then buff it out to a mirror.

Its really up to you if you want to full spray gel .. or sand/prep prime/reprep ..spray/brush/roll topcoats.

Gel you can sand and buff at your time.. Paint is GO go go until its top-coated ( hope you did it right the first time ).

Just me though...

YD.

 

[oops!]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

I think oops was thinking Imron .. not Enron ..

Same thing as awcraft 2000 ( awlgrips Imron basically ).

YD.

lol.......thanks for watching my back......

its 9 am Sunday morning here and i hadn't had my first cup of coffee yet.....lol

 

[proshadetree]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

I am still going to go gell with my hull. I have not made up my mind between the original flake job or swap to solid colors. Just informing you of the amount of labor involved. Yd states it isn much more work but I think him and opps have Pop Eye arms from all the sanding they must do.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

You would do the same for me ..

YD.

 

[ctopher]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

Thanks for more info, I have some decisions to make for sure. I haven't taken any pictures in awhile but these are the day I brought it home and after the floor had been replaced. Since then I have built the entire interior, had all pieces reupholstered, and put in new carpet. The engine is in and the interior is now out and I have cut a hole in the floor and installed a hatch with tub in the bow passenger compartment. I put a drain line to the bilge and am gonna try this for a small ice chest and if not it will just be another storage compartment. I'll put more up to date pics later today. Hoping to get it painted in the next week or two and be on the water by spring.

 

[giericd]

Re: Ready for some color, need gelcoat advice

i just re-gel coated my boat and if i was going to do it again i would do it a different way! i work with gel coat all the time and go through a few gal a month my advise would be to find your water line and from there up use a good quality marine paint! self leveling paints will leave a great finish with a higher shine than gel coat. gel coat you will spray one day and sand for a week, then spary again and sand for a nother week to get a smooth shinny result that wont shine as well as the marine paint. for the water line down i prefer some thing a little unconventional. What i do since the bottom is going to get scratched any way from beaching it, bumping bottom, on/off loading from the trailer what i did was i got a $20 chrome looking spray gun from walmart. mix the gelcoat and work fast so it doesn't kick off in the gun. when sprayed on the hull with that gun produces a orange peal affect with millions of shallow dimples (like on a golf ball). spray on 2 coats like that (gel coat with wax). as foon as you finish spraying the boat start again by then it will be ready for the second coat,when done with the second coat you are done no sanding, shinny surface that the water beads up and run off of and looks good,from a few feet away you cant see the little dimples and i feel it helps with the hydrodynamics. before regelcoating my boat ran a consistant 35mph (aired out) now with a lot more gel coat (weight) than was on there before i run a consistant 38MPH aired out. good luck