New Trawler Owner

[Peter B]

Originally Posted by O C Diver

First remove the peeling gel coat. Nothing will be long term if the underlying surface is peeling. I would go back with gel coat first. Painting over the gel coat is optional as many boats only have a gel coat exterior.

If you're not familiar with gel coating, read and completely understand preparation requirements before starting to prep the area.

Ted

OC, I agree there would be no point in both gel-coating, and painting over that, assuming you could get as good an end result with sprayed on gelcoat. But I'm interested as to why you would do that, in preference to just good prep, removing all old powdered gelcoat, then 2 packing painting..? I suspect getting a nice even shiny finish with aftermarket gel-coat would be more difficult, but you may know something I don't..?

[psneeld]

Redoing an exterior with gel has gained favor in some circles. I saw a boat being done in a crowded yard. The theory is because it can be applied a lot thicher, it tolerates imperfect prep and application (meaning not sprayed)...but needs a lot of final sanding and polishing (easier where spraying can't be done but vacuum sanders are allowed).

Gel coat repairs are done all the time and if done correctly last like the original.

Also, polyester resin is often used to repair large areas. One explanation I got was try to match the same characteristics as the original hull so with the hull working , there are no "hard" or "transition" spots. True the actual bond is stronger with epoxy, but where a proper scared can be done with poly (sometimes vinyester) it is considered to be as strong as the original hull.

Of course there are many who disagree with polyester repairs, but having seen and read about them at major yards on large yachts...my guess it is an accepted practice. If in doubt, research it bit before just accepting the small, DIY epoxy repair mentality.

[O C Diver]

Originally Posted by Peter B

OC, I agree there would be no point in both gel-coating, and painting over that, assuming you could get as good an end result with sprayed on gelcoat. But I'm interested as to why you would do that, in preference to just good prep, removing all old powdered gelcoat, then 2 packing painting..? I suspect getting a nice even shiny finish with aftermarket gel-coat would be more difficult, but you may know something I don't..?

It depends on how fair a surface you are after. If you apply several layers with a paint roller, it does a great job filling voids and is easier and faster to sand fair than fiberglass. I have no experience spraying gelcoat, but am told you can get a nice finish spraying it. Any sprayed finish will be thin. So having a faired and sanded base underneath the sprayed coating would likely be ideal.

Ted

[O C Diver]

Nothing wrong with polyester resin for boat repair. Use commercial grade product. Almost all failures with it are from poor surface preparation, incorrect mixing ratio, or other application mistakes. In general, sanding the surface and wiping it down with acetone will yield excellent results.

Ted

[hatch1906]

This is what I am working with. What is my best option?

Thanks,
R
Hatch06

[CPseudonym]

http://www.trawlerforum.com/forums/s...-etc-5739.html

Post #6 of the above thread should help you post photos. A moderator may have to approve the post first as the forum uses an automated spam filter that flags a new member with less than ten posts trying to load pictures or hyperlinks

[hatch1906]

Here are the photos now:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15_I...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-jJ...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UXi...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cEN...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19zZ...ew?usp=sharing

[O C Diver]

Originally Posted by hatch1906

This is what I am working with. What is my best option?

Thanks,
R
Hatch06

Posting pics will hopefully eliminate confusion.

We all want our boat to look good. There is an expression, "my boat looks good at 50' (away). The closer you want your boat to look good, the fairer the surface under the paint or gelcoat needs to be. At 10', surface preparation can be 95%+ of the finished product. Good to understand how close you want your boat to look good before you start.

Ted

[Star0210]

Originally Posted by hatch1906

Here are the photos now:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15_I...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-jJ...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UXi...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cEN...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19zZ...ew?usp=sharing

Well I don't know nothing about nothing but I'm looking forward to seeing what you do with it.
Good luck to you!

[O C Diver]

Originally Posted by hatch1906

Here are the photos now:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/15_I...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1-jJ...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1UXi...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1cEN...ew?usp=sharing

https://drive.google.com/file/d/19zZ...ew?usp=sharing

Ok, you have some work ahead of you. You will need to focus on areas or you may get overwhelmed. Let's start on the back cabin. All of it will need some sanding. I'm talking about about a variable speed sander that takes 7 or 8" discs. If there is any exposed wood, it will need to be covered with fiberglass. Sanding will allow you to fair the fiberglass repair on the port side. Modest sanding the gelcoat will remove the oxidized surface without taking off all the gelcoat. Any poorly attached or flaking gelcoat needs to be removed down to the fiberglass. Once you have done all of the above, you need to decide if you want to fair the cabin or just protect it and paint it later. There are 2 types of gelcoat, with wax and without. With wax will cure to a smooth surface. Without remains tacky and is for multiple coats, with the last coat having wax to make the surface tack free. If you want to fair it use several coats without wax (until the minor voids are filled ) and one final with wax. You can do the fairing fine sanding days or months later. If you're not looking for as fine a finish, one thick coat with wax will seal and protect the surface. Later you will likely lightly sand and top coat or paint over it.

Gelcoat is in the same family with fiberglass. It's base that you add a catalyst to. Cure time will directly be related to temperature and the sun greatly accelerates the cure. If you're going to do this outside, tenting the area with a poly tarp for the day will give you a longer working time before it kicks off. If you are planning multiple coats without wax, the area can be recoated as soon as the coating switches from wet to tacky. 4 or 5 coats with wax in the final top coat is possible in one day. If you plan to use gelcoat without wax, it comes in 5 gallon cans. Gelcoat with wax is usually sold in gallon containers. Covering an area like the back cabin can be done with disposable paint roller covers, pan with plastic liners, and a cut brush.

Before applying gelcoat over fiberglass, the entire surface needs to be clean. Lightly sanding the surface and then wiping it down with a rag and acetone should remove all wax, oil, detergent residue, etc. When the cloth rag gets dirty switch to a clean one or you won't remove the contaminants. Don't be stingy with the acetone either. If you don't get it clean, it will start to chip off years later.

Ted

[CPseudonym]

Take your time and research research research any and all advice you receive. The good thing about advice you get on this forum is there's no shortage of folks willing to throw the BS flag if someone takes you too far off the reservation. Even then please still research and vet all advice you get. Some of the best and worst advice will come from some "old salt" you meet locally.

IF IT WHERE ME, and it is not. First thing first before cosmetics is make the boat watertight from the top down. Buy a good tarp and cover it. With a little imagination and ingenuity some pvc pipe can be bent Conestoga wagon style. Seal all penetrations, re-bed all fasteners and windows is the logical first step. This will halt any and all potential for any further possible water intrusion.

Having said that I can hardly wait to see how YOU proceed with your project. A project like this has potential to teach us all something. Good luck hatch

Edit: great post Ted!

[dhays]

I like Craig's idea of first making it water tight, however I would be concerned that any rebedding you did now would need to be redone when you refinish each section.

I suggest that you first decide how perfect you want the final finish to be. Or as another mentioned, how far away do you want to boat to look good. For me, I would be happy with a "50' finish" so I could more quickly get out to use the boat. To do a really fine finish job will take a lot of time and work. A simply adequate finish will still be a lot of work but won't take as long. The difference could be another season of not using the boat.

I don't know enough about refinishing fiberglass to be able to offer any more advice than that other than don't ever be tempted to use a silicone bases sealant on the boat.

[alormaria]

Hatch,

You are in for the time of your life.

Good luck.

[boatpoker]

Originally Posted by hatch1906

I am looking to do the following as part of a partial refit.
a. Re-Fiberglass Boat
b. Gel Coat
c. Paint Exterior
d. Install new interior furniture/bulkhead wood
e. Install new electronics (Radar, Chart/Range Finder, etc.)

$100k minimum ! if you do it yourself.
I wish you well.
I've done it three times and they should have locked me up after the first. one.

[swampu]

How about the engines, gear? All that work ok? I would go around first and find all the rot, look around any Windows and doors. Find the rot and start with that and every thing else will fall in line

[hatch1906]

Engine and gears are workable. I will work on that after I get her in the water and up and down the St. Johns River.

Thanks for the great advice. It was the same information from what a salty liveaboard shared last week in the mariners bible "This Old Boat."

Any great websites to purchase gelcoat and marine paint at the lowest price?

Thanks,
R/Hatch1906

[O C Diver]

Originally Posted by hatch1906

Engine and gears are workable. I will work on that after I get her in the water and up and down the St. Johns River.

Thanks for the great advice. It was the same information from what a salty liveaboard shared last week in the mariners bible "This Old Boat."

Any great websites to purchase gelcoat and marine paint at the lowest price?

Thanks,
R/Hatch1906

If you're in a boatyard, you might talk to them about working out a deal. On my refit project, do to the size and volume of stuff needed for the refit, I received a very nice discount on everything off their normally discounted prices. Being a new customer to them, you might suggest giving them some money up front to pay for stuff as you get it in exchange for reduced pricing. This worked well for me as they had a well stocked store and received deliveries twice a week (without shipping cost) from their distributor (Paxton). There is a lot to be said for being able to walk in a boatyard store and get stuff as opposed to loosing a day every time you realize you're missing a key component.

Ted