06
Mar
After you have made a layer of gelcoat on your boat it is important to use a fine grain sandpaper to smooth out any rough surfaces and brush marks that may be left behind. For small sections of fiberglass apply the gelcoat with a brush.
I power sanded the entire bottom with 150 and then 220 grit sandpaper and got it as smooth and dirtcrud free as I could.
Re gelcoating a fiberglass boat. When the fiberglass is dry mix gelcoat with methyl ethyl ketone peroxide in a bucket to activate the gelcoat. For small sections of fiberglass apply the gelcoat with a brush. If youre covering a lot of fiberglass.
You will need 3 or 4 coats like this to build up the 06 to 08mm gelcoat thickness the canoe should have had when new. Ive done reasonable size patches say 1200mm square but not a whole canoe. It is pretty time consuming and the key is to cut the gelcoat at exactly the right time in the cure.
All it takes is to apply a wax layer every three to four months wash the hull with marine boat soaps and store the ship in cool dry places away from sunlight. Just using a good quality carnauba wax sealant and fiberglass stain remover often will save the hassle of a labor-intensive Gelcoat job. Average Cost Estimate to Re-Gelcoat a Boat.
Step 3 - Sand Down the Gelcoat. After you have made a layer of gelcoat on your boat it is important to use a fine grain sandpaper to smooth out any rough surfaces and brush marks that may be left behind. Removing these areas will allow you to place several coats or gelcoat on your boat without having a broken seal.
Allow 2 or 3 minutes between overcoats to get your 10 mils. Spray about 5 mils over a given area and re-coat that area in 2 - 3 minutes. Let the final application fully cure before sanding.
Minimum 24 hours 48 hours would be best. If you find small hairline cracks in your boat you can repair it yourself by using epoxy. Fiberglass epoxy is available at most boat supply stores.
Follow the instructions on the epoxy for repairing the cracks. If the crack is deep or larger than a hairline crack youll need to take your boat. Just for the hell of it I decided to re-gelcoat the hull.
I have used gelcoat for smaller fiberglass patches but never an entire hull bottom. I power sanded the entire bottom with 150 and then 220 grit sandpaper and got it as smooth and dirtcrud free as I could. A good wash will ensure that your fiberglass has a smooth surface and therefore that the gelcoat will pour or spray evenly onto the boat.
Once you have washed the fiberglass give the area where you will be pouring your gelcoat a good buffing with some sandpaper. Re-Gelcoating a Boat Will it workyessort ofbut not really. Gel coat does not level or flow very well especially when applied with a roller so you will need to sand off more than 50 of what you put down to try and get it level and even that may not be enough to make it look right.
Spraying the final clear gel coat. Fairing the hull before with paint systems or after with gelcoat is what takes the time. Gel coat is almost half the cost of quality spray paint like Awlcraft 2000.
A quality paint finish is down to the prep which is where all the hours go. With gelcoat the man hours are all at the end of the process. Bruce My boat was painted with AwlCraft color Claret and cost me 1840 1440 for labor for preppainting 400 for materials some of the material cost was to fix a couple of damaged spots.
The labor part of the damage repair was separate from the 1440. How to Prepare your Boat for Painting a Gelcoat. If the gelcoat is in good condition with no major cracking or crazing the job is relatively straightforwardclean and prepare the surface apply an epoxy primer sand the primer remove the sanding residue and.
Applying gelcoat is a process that requires a bit of skill a lot of know-how and the right tools and materials. So before you spray or brush the gelcoat on you want to make sure you prepare the surface you are recoating for the best results. Step 1 You will want to start off.
After sanding with fine grit wet or dry sandpaper wipe the hull clean using acetone. Then apply the base coat the color behind the flake. After that clean the hull and apply the flake suspended in a marine clear gel coatYou will need to determine the ratio of flakes to a measure of the clear gel coat.
Many but not all production boats built today apply a vinylester barrier coat at the factory under the gelcoat to prevent the blisters that plagued many earlier production fiberglass boats. Around 85 or 86 we long-boarded the gelcoat exposing nearly all of the laminate and then rolled and tipped six coats of 105 Resin206 Slow Hardener. Turn the boat upside down if you can so you have a better working angle.
Clean with soap and water and wipe with a rag damp with acetone to remove old wax oil or grease. Wipe the boat again with a rag damp with styrene. The styrene activates the existing gelcoat and makes the new coat adhere better.
Finishing your Gelcoat Application. If youre using our Professional Grade Exterior Gelcoat youll be ready to sand and buff your freshly gelcoated surface after about 1- 3 hoursIf youre using our Brushable Gel Coat youll want to let it cure overnight to make sure its completely curedBegin wet sanding with the finest grit that will remove orange peel in the re-sprayed area. Identify the Boat Finish.
Gelcoat cannot bond to a painted surface so it is vital to identify the boat finish before beginning repairs. Boats that already have gelcoat fiberglass or polyester resin surface do not need any additional steps before repairing. Painted boats will need to have the paint removed before applying the gelcoat.
Thank you for the detailed reply. It was very informative and should be very helpful for all that are curious about the process of re-gelcoating. Due to what I have learned here I will be seeking out a quality gelcoat tech to do my boat.
This is truly a first class top quality website. I am glad to be part of the community. Keep up the great work.