Need as much info on Gel Coat as I can get!!!
 

Hey guys I decided that the bottom of the boat should be Gel coated. The last time some one sprayed my boat with Gel it never hardened. I want to find out as much as I can before I spray it myself this time. I am looking for info on manufacturers, prep, mixing, and any suggestions you can about the layup.

Jon

I'm anxious to hear about it too, you saw what bead blasting the bottom paint did to my boat.:mad: Been kind of slow around here this weekend.

Jon When spraying gelcoat outside of a mold, you will need to add either a wax additive along with the hardner (MEK) " Methol Ethyl Ketone" or spray a coat of "PVA" (Poly Vinyl Alcohol" over it to seal the gelcoat after you have finished spraying it on the boat. What the PVA does is, it tricks the gelcoat into thinking it is inside a mold by sealing off all the air. When the PVA dries it is like a saran wrap film. After proper curing, you just wash the PVA off with soap and water. Either way, be prepared for wet sanding. Gelcoat does not flow as well as paint. There is another additive that can be used to make it flow better, but there will still be some sanding... That additive is called DURATECH. It comes in a clear, and you usually don't need much for it to do it's job.

Hey Sharkey thanks for the input. Can you think of anywere on the net that has prep info? My thoughts are that the Gel is needed to keep the bunks on the trailer from scatching the paint. What about Awlgrip?

Jon

Awlgrip is a tough paint, but it will scratch like everything else. You may want to consider using a true epoxy paint on the bottom. Epoxy is about as tough of a paint you can get. It's not porous like gelcoat, bonds well to old gelcoat, and it's not difficult to spray.

I don't know about awlgrip, but a buddy of mine painted his hunting truck 15 years ago with imron, and after running through brush and stuff, the only scratch you can really see is where he accidently shot his truck with 000 Buck.

Cuda the problem with Imron is that if it does chip it is prone to peeling off in sheets.

Jon

I have heard that when you Re-Gel a boat (out of the mold) you have to put it on very thick then sand most of it back off just to get a smooth look. I guess it goes on real "orange peel like"?!?

I thought they said something like, spray on 8 mils then sand off 5 mils to get a good finish???:eek:

Spray, sand, spray, wetsand, buff to get a reall nice finish it is not easy and is certainly a winter job. Call If you need more info, Cook makes the best gel, hands down.
Chris

Just so you don't make a mistake the catalyst is MEKP methyl ethyl ketone peroxide. Most guys just refer to it as MEK but be sure to use MEKP. You really need to read some info before pulling the trigger. You want to make sure you catalize the mixture properly. under catalization can result in a "never cure" over catalization can result in you being very mad at your spray equipment when it stops spraying and the gelcoat gets hot in the pot. Make sure you use a fluid tip that will allow you to build a mil thickness relatively fast since sanding is inevitable. Most gelcoats can be reduced or thinned down with styrene between 10 and 20 percent. I like the idea of using surfacing wax to obtain a tack free ready to sand surface. I like it better than the PVA because it allows the gelcoat cure to against an airtight surface as it exotherms which in my opinion will yeild a more durable and easy to work with finish. When using the PVA method, chances are your gelcoat will be cold or cured before the pva could be apllied. Unless you had someone come right behind you putting it on. I agree that Cook makes a great gelcoat. If you use Cook and the wax method you might want to add a little more wax than with other brands as Cook tends to not put as much parafin in their products.