hello all.

i'm getting ready to reassemble the stringers, bulkheads and batery boxes in my pantera project. i'm using ve resin and 1708 cloth.

my question is this: should i paint the bilge or try to gelcoat it. i'm going to cover just about all the surface area as i have ground all the surfaces to a smooth finish.

my thoughst on painting it are this: do i need to let the area cure and then have to resand all the surfaces for paint? if so, i'm wondering if it would be better to gelcoat it. (not really looking to resand all those tight nooks and crannies)

does the gelcoat go on right after the last layer in the layup or can it cure overnight and then be gelcoated the next day without the need for sanding.

also, i'm assuming that a gelcoat finish is the better end product as far as duarbility goes.

also, i've read here some refernence to "dump guns" for the gelcoat. where do i buy one of those or can an old conventional automotive gun be modified for the application?

lastly, is it true that "gelcoat" is just a final coat of ve resin with a color pigment added?

i know it's a lot of questions but i don't want to foul this step up.

thanks guys.

ps. happy easter.

I usually put in a heavy coat of waxed gel with the dump gun, let that cure then sand it down with 80/180 being careful to not go through to badly. Then put in a good coat of gel/Duratech through a cheapie Harbor Freight gun with the fluid tip drilled out a bit. Works like a charm.

Heres a dump gun on Ebay, these things are invaluable.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/SPRAY-GUN-GE...adddbb&vxp=mtr

To the other question of sanding before paint (and help me out here Dave if I'm wrong) but I believe you would still have to sand or rough up at least the final lay up course before painting.......... not sure about gelcoat prep though.

if you use a non wax ve resin then you could go rite over it the next dat with out touching it with a grinder..it will be tacky so no need for sanding..

thanks guys! where do i buy "gel" and do i add the color or do i buy it in white?

am i correct in reading that it's a two part process? first a waxed gel coat and then a finish coat of gel?

i thought duratec was grey in color and i want a white bilge.

can you please elaborate dave. this is a very important step and i want no regrets.

thanks, rob

Waxed gel would be your last coat, the wax additive (or waxed gel) is what allows gel (or ester resin) to completely harden. It comes in white, you can order it online (www.uscomposites.com) or find a local retailer. There is a guy out in Ashtabula (http://stores.infinityfrp.com) I've bought stuff from on occasion. There are a couple other fiberglass places over there but I cannot recall the names at the moment.

Duractec comes in a primer or a clear gloss additive. The clear gloss additive allows the gel to cure without the wax additive.

For bilge finishing i wax the first heavy coat because you will be doing the bulk of you fairing at this level. Dump a bunch of waxed gel on and sand that smooth as you would like. Then the final coat is layed on with Duratech/gel to obtain a good hard final gloss. Pretty simple two step process. You can also use this process with a waxed gel as the final top coat but it will not have the gloss and will not lay as well as gel/Duratech. Trick with using this two step process is you want all your coverage in before the final gloss coat, the Duratech tends to make white gel very opaque.

I think this process is pretty much industry standard and about the simplest for a good lasting bilge finish, i prefer only gel unless epoxy is used.


1- grinder finish any major rough spots and generally knock the surface down with 80. Get out all the burs and sharp edges.

2- with a dump gun whale in a good heavy coat of waxed gel and let that cure over night.

3- sand down the waxed gel to your desired level of smoothness. I start with 80 on a DA and then soften it at the end with 180. Take care to try to not sand through if at all possible, if you do expose the fiberglass go back and spot that if with a brushed or sprayed on coat of waxed gel again. You want all good coverage at the base layer because the gel and Duratech gloss coat does not cover well at all. For really really smooth bilges this step can be repeated as many times as it takes.

4. Once you are happy with the fairing step mix up gel fifty fifty with Duratecs high gloss additive and spray in with either a cheapie automotive gravity type spray gun or a dump gun. I actually prefer one of those fifteen dollar purple Harbor Freight guns with the tip drilled out to 5/64'ths. Adjust the gun down to a round heavy pattern and let 'er fly. For a smoother finish you can open up the pattern a bit but you have to work closer and slower and split up the surfaces in zones.

you can get pretty much everything from uscomposites.com

thanks alot dave!