glassdave

iTrader: (1)

if you want a really nice electric DA get the one from Porter Cable. I haven't used my air one in years. If you are going to use single stage sand it down with 320 at the very finest and if you plan to shoot a coat of epoxy sealer sand it with 240 instead.

For straight white i use PPG's DCC91050 (single stage Concept), its a very clean white that goes with just about everything (its a match to Donzi's factory white gel). DO NOT make the mistake of asking for the brightest white you can get, its probably the single biggest mistake people make. Tends to look harsh and makes all vinyls look dirty.


heres post i put up in another thread that has the basic run down of the paint process. Its for base clear but can be adjusted for single stage, drop out the sealer and shoot a few coats of Bulldog adhesion promoter instead. I mention re masking several times in the post, its important to pull and re mask several times during the paint process as materiel tends to build up on tape and paper and will flake off after it has dried , tends to make a mess. Feel free to call if you have any direct questions 419-461-4114

http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/1773196-post2.html

Mccafaz

Dave, Augie, thanks for the suggestions. Are the PPG products that you recommend safe for hull bottom. I was thinking of using Awlgrip or an interlux product on the whole boat in hopes that they will hold up better below the waterline. I plan to keep it on the trailer most of the time but the opportunity may arise to keep it in for a week or so and I want to make sure I am safe there. I am also not a very experienced painter and have heard that awlgrip is pretty tough to get right. Thoughts?? One more question, If i do not sand between coats on the bottom does this keep the paint from bonding as well or help the finished product look better. Im not concerned about how smooth the bottom of the boat is really so If i can get away from that It would be great, if not, I will survive. Thanks for everything.

Also dave, thanks for the link. Funny that I already had it saved and printed as a word document.

augie58

Dave's knowledge and experience is far greater than mine, but a few things I have learned the hard way.

When you go out to buy a sander do not buy a cheap POS.

Surface prep, Surface prep, Surface prep. Use a cleaning solvent, dewaxer a couple times in this process.

No silicon base waxes or sealants (armour all) near the building.

Do not leave masking tape on more than a few days. Dried on masking tape is a night mare.

Keep us posted

Mccafaz

Did some more sanding tonight. I bought a new DA today and feel alot more comfortable with it. Slowly but surely. Another issue that I have run into while sanding, there are a lot of fine cracks on the bow, I assumed that they were from too thick of paint. As I sand through all of that I find that these small cracks go through to the fiberglass itself. I am now unsure of what to do with sanding and such. If I paint it and dont do something with these cracks will the new paint crack like the old? Is there something that I can spray that will seal these up?? Sorry for being so needy. I really like this boat and am trying to bring it back to life the right way. I do thank everyone for their input....

Im not sure why I am unsuccessful every time i try to post pictures on here but I cant seem to figure it out. I reduced the file size to less than 100k.

Heres a link to some pictures of the cracks. Could it be hail damage????

If you look at the one with bare fiberglass, there are light lines through it that are the tiny cracks I am referring to, as well as some pics prior to sanding, they look a little worse because of the dust.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3343339...7622401212444/

augie58

Stupid question, If you run your fingernail across them does it catch?

How long did you sand and with what grit?

augie58

Is that plywood I see in those pictures? If so you are way deep IMHO

Mccafaz

Augie, In those pictures you are seeing places that are unsanded and then there are a couple of spots where I have gone down just barely to bare fiberglass to see what I have. It seemed that these cracks were deeper than the gelcoat on some. In the picture where there is bare fiberglass shown, the lighter colored lines through it are where the cracks are and seems that they are into the glass there. If I run my fingernail across right there where the picture was of bare glass, it catches very, very slightly. I am using a DA with an 80 grit ppad on it for now to get through some of these layers. Thanks

Mccafaz

Anyone? I am thinking of putting a coat of gluvit on the bow to seal what I can. The fiberglass repairs that are needed to repair the thermal cracking are a bit much for my skill level and I am afraid that it will come out worse than when I started. Is there any other option that may be beginner level and effective to fix these cracks besides grinding them all out and re glassing.

TomZ

iTrader: (2)

I think you need to have a professional look at that. You shouldn't be taking anywhere near that amount of gel coat off the deck.

TZ

Mccafaz

Its in process. After 96 hours of sanding grinding filling etc, i put the first coat of primer on. It looks a little rough in the pictures because there must have been a little water in the lines and I had some fish eyes that I recoated. I have since invested in a couple dryer balls. The plan is to catch the decent weather this weekend and try to get the rest of primer on and 2 coats of topcoat. I will keep pics posted. Thanks

http://www.flickr.com/photos/3343339...7622552685093/