After I'm done with that, I'll tackle the refinishing project. Here's what I'm dealing with:
Old scar repair. When the white was sprayed on it was just too transparent or just not built up enough.![[Linked Image]](https://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-Zd8341Xh-2U/Ud3dTQT-bVI/AAAAAAAAlTU/AwAOpNcbcxk/w1039-h779-no/SAM_0018.JPG)
Yellow side repair. This was gel coat that never fully kicked. It also happens to be the spot where I tagged the lowered tailgate of Jake's truck with the boat while trailering down at Columbia sailing club. Last time I tried to do anything with this spot, it just got tacky and sticky like I had just pulled off a decal there. I think the only way I'm going to fix that is with a big decal... Jake???
![[Linked Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-tgQSZNJSYQk/Ud3dTphYCmI/AAAAAAAAlTY/BmY0tRk_thU/w1039-h779-no-Ut/SAM_0020.JPG)
Then the gel coat flaking. Just need to sand it down I think so it stops then properly wet sand, compound and polish.
![[Linked Image]](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-d_WWvk0_23M/Ud3dTa9ZyGI/AAAAAAAAlTQ/hyzc2neCFNc/w1039-h779-no/SAM_0019.JPG)
Boat is going up for sale this winter likely so I need to get her looking respectable at least.
Interesting...the white bow repair where it flaked off - that was gel coat with duratec (I did this part) but it looks like it's back too far and on shiny gelcoat. This is probably why it's flaking off....in my defense, I hadn't anticipated how transparent the duratec would make the gelcoat and I ended up having to put much more on and feather it back further than I intended to blend in the thickness...but now I know. Thanks for the pics.
My guess from the pic is the flaking started around the tang and then spread. When you have a break in the surface like that tang hole offers you give the elements a way in. Given that area flexes a lot it also helps loosen the bond of the new stuff. One thing to do in the future is take a razor knife and dig around the tang to clean it out and if any rust is present use some rust remover on the tang to clean it off. After the repair you can use a little 5200 to seal.
Another thing about spot repairs is when you blend them in and sand, the blend edge is very thin. This is another weakness of the surface that will degrade faster allowing the elements to get behind the repair.
Gel coats and paints have a minimum thickness required to be durable. I think Gel is around 15 mil. paint 4-5 mil.
I honestly think you are over thinking this. Just removing the mildew might make a pretty solid improvement. 😉
It seems that the duratec repair (although clearly chipped but not a fault of the duratec) is still pretty glossy...is that the case?
Decals are not a problem...our graphics shop has improved and grown and our newly created 900 sqft is getting small already.
I may be overthinking it - but I caught a lot of friendly jabs at Sizzler about my boat looking like sh*t so I decided that I shall once again, for the third year in a row, try to polish and wax the thing. Those blemishes aren't going anywhere unless I completely refinish the boat or cover them up with some swanky graphics 😛 Like I said I'll be selling the boat this winter so I'm not going to be dumping a whole lot of cash into it now.
The duratec spot actually mildewed a bit more than the rest of the boat - its not glossy anymore but then again the tarp that covers the boat doesn't quite make it all the way out to the ends of the bows so its pretty much uncovered in the floridian aun all the time.
Is that a picture of the
new
garage-mahal? Thats pretty boss.
Yes...that's the 2nd story - the office of Green Room Graphics. The garage downstairs is mostly done and getting close to finally having it's tile floor. Here's the downstairs (pictures are crummy). Garage was sized so a Nacra 20, complete with mast, would fit inside on trailer with no shuffling. I've got a back garage door that opens to the back yard so I can pull straight through. Turns out that made for really incredible breeze through the garage on nice days and sanding dust exit with both doors open and a big fan moving the air through from one end and out the other.
![[Linked Image]](http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=12686&filename=photo%201.JPG)
![[Linked Image]](http://www.catsailor.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=download&Number=12687&filename=photo%202.JPG)
Jealous.
Gotta thank whoever it was at Sizzler that said
Jesus Tad your boat looks like crap!
I'm pretty sure it was Ding or Karl but whoever it was, thanks - you shamed me into putting work into it.
Can't remember the last time I could see my reflection in the hull.
![[Linked Image]](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-MFVQq7G6Ke8/Uf19ZPazDdI/AAAAAAAAlyY/D_NY06RS3TE/w1039-h779-no/IMG_20130803_175712.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-yS7wGzomGCM/Uf2iT9ddYxI/AAAAAAAAlzc/yMt3bz5PRWg/w1039-h779-no/IMG_20130803_175736.jpg)
Pitty I couldn't have it done in time for Gilligans <img src="<>/frown.gif" alt="frown" title="frown" height="15" width="15" />
What product did you use to detail your cat? (wax, newglass, polyshmeer, etc)
Jesus Tad your boat looks like crap!
I'm pretty sure it was Ding or Karl but whoever it was, thanks - you shamed me into putting work into it.
Can't remember the last time I could see my reflection in the hull.
Pitty I couldn't have it done in time for Gilligans <img src="<>/frown.gif" alt="frown" title="frown" height="15" width="15" />
Acetone baths after each step except between 6 and 7.
1) Buzzbox @ 320grit
2) Longboard sand @ 400
3) Wetsand @ 600
4) Wetsand @ 800
5) Wetsand @ 1500
6) Meguire's compound and polish with a 7
DA
7) Meguire's Marine Wax with 10
orbital buffer
8) Beer.
9)More Beer!
10)I need Another BEER!!
Nice Job!
Can I send you my boat, I'll fill the toy box with...BEER!
(and good beer too, Sierra Nevada Torpedo, not Bud Light!)
it seems i have been doing this backwards (beer first) and it severely effects the outcome.
1) Buzzbox @ 320grit
2) Longboard sand @ 400
3) Wetsand @ 600
4) Wetsand @ 800
5) Wetsand @ 1500
6) Meguire's compound and polish with a 7
DA
7) Meguire's Marine Wax with 10
orbital buffer
8) Beer.
Looks really good Tad!
Is that EVA decking grip on the hull?
Its something that Matt MacDonald sold me. He puts it on his boats that come out of his shop and its really nice, grippy material. Not sure what it is exactly but he was kind enough to measure my boat for it and have the pieces cut from patterns. Really have to thank him for it. Once I declutter the tramp from all the tools on it, I'll take a better pic but here's what the deck pieces look like:
![[Linked Image]](https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-gM8eQLUX12g/UeltlfyrmaI/AAAAAAAAleI/yuObfSPeLMA/w584-h779-no/IMG_20130719_124652.jpg)
Yep it's the 3mm EVA decking grip, Matt sent me a roll as well but I'm doing the slicing myself.
Did you remove the stock Nacra grippy gelocoat before you put on the EVA? That's what is putting me off most about the project, the need to sand all that out first <img src="<>/frown.gif" alt="frown" title="frown" height="15" width="15" />
Yes... that took a bit of time. I used 40 and 60 grit paper on the DA and buzzbox to get that crap smooth. It took forever but its worth it.
For repairs just prep it and spray as you would gelcoat, then wet sand and polish.
Sam99 get in touch with Bobby Muller at Muller Marine in Annapolis if you want someone to do it for you. You won't be disappointed. Tell him I sent you <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />
Bah
Only available in white <img src="<>/frown.gif" alt="frown" title="frown" height="15" width="15" />
Pigment
unpredictable results.
Just a quick follow up to this... I just painted the bottom of a 27' race boat with VC Performance Epoxy, and thought it a good time to do a test with pigment. Used System 3 Epoxy Pigment in black to get a nice
gunmetal gray
color, rolled onto a test panel, and it came out great. Application and drying were exactly as expected. Everything went just the same as the base white color.
Finally finished up with the refinishing project. The port hull needed a lot more work. I had to go:
220 dry
400 dry
600 dry
800 wet
1500 wet
compound
polish
wax
I still have some bad gelcoat on the bottom of this hull. Next project is a pseudo-bottom job. No new gelcoat but definitely a sanding and refinishing.
![[Linked Image]](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-80FPGXt4USM/UkiOJIrrXYI/AAAAAAAAn9E/uR2SAgjjld0/w1153-h865-no/IMG_20130929_162010.jpg)
![[Linked Image]](https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-izgB1wxlddY/UkiOJNT5yaI/AAAAAAAAn9E/7dK9O46IMhk/w1153-h865-no/IMG_20130929_162050.jpg)
wow...that looks awesome. Well done, sir.
Thanks Jake! <img src="<>/smile.gif" alt="smile" title="smile" height="15" width="15" />
I can brush my teeth in the reflection... lovin it.
I wouldn't paint it; did you ever try wet sanding it with a 800 first, then a 1000? Then use a fibreglass cleaner and wax. Collonite makes a great product and you don't need much at all.