i have a 1983 g cat 5.0 and there are several spots where the hull and deck seams are cracked. it looks as though the old filler has crumbled out. i plan on grinding out the old filler and re filling with epoxy. does this sound ok to do or does anyone have any suggestions. thanks

gizmo, is that the 5.0 you picked up from Tom down in Bryant, AR? had my eye on that, was working a deal with him but you got to it 1st. Your plan is good, remove old glue using either a dremel or a 4" grinder, be careful not to remove too much fiberglass though, that will be the tricky part. Epoxy in this case is the way to go, use clamps untill epoxy has setup, remember to clean the area to be epoxied, you can use acetone, cheap and works great. Drop me a PM sometime.

renovator

yes it is. i couldnt pass up the winter project. ive started using a dremmel and it is working great and im using west system epoxy and clamps. i just wanted to make sure that is how others did it. when done i will paint the boat and hopefully it will all turn out good. i am taking photos of the renovation so i can possibly post them to give others ideas and help as i have always received great help from these sites.

Gizmo, can I persuade you not to paint the hulls? 1st, use Scotch Brite non-scratch scour pads to remove mold and mildew from the hulls, then use 800 or 1000 grit sanding waterpaper and remove the dead outer layer of the gelcoat that has oxidized, for the textured decks use barkeepers friend and a stiff brush, using water mix powder into a runny paste, when that is done, use either Poliglow, www.poliglow-int.net



or Zep Wet Look Floor Finish, from Lowes



both are acrylic based clearcoats that you just wipe on, after the 3rd or 4th coat your hulls will look like new.

The poliglow is a little more expensive but comes in a kit with the poliprep and the poliglow, but also with applicator and scrub pad. The poliprep is for removal of wax and crud but if you use waterpaper to remove oxidization, then you wont need the poliprep, then go with the Zep using Barkeepers friend to prep the textured surfaces. http://www.barkeepersfriend.com/fiberglass

I would rather not paint the hulls but there are quite alot of gelcoat blisters where it looks as if it were moored for a long time. do you or anyone have any good fixes for these so i wont need to paint. Im not sure how i can get them all out without alot of sanding and ending up with bare fiberglass. Please let me know any solutions

Just thought of another item. The 3 cross beams are black and the rest of the spars are silver anyone ever removed the black or painted spars so they will match. i would rather have all silver spars.

Bummers about the gelcoat blisters, depending on the severity, they will have to be removed, but there again, even if you were going to paint the boat, they would have to sanded down. If they are not severe, I would ignore them, but if they are to the point that when you press on the blister with a fingernail and they crack open then you have a winter project. But do some research on gelcoat and you will be surprised at how easy it is to work with, you can paint it on with a disposable brush if you dont want to mess with spraying it on. As for the crossbeams, are you sure they are painted? aluminum can be extruded either black or silver.

The bliters have some areas where the gelcaot is just cracked and some where ther is a small pit. as for the crossbeams they are the black anodized and the mast, boom and tillrs are all silver anodized. im thinking some parts were replaced on this boat. is regelcoating easy as painting, ive never done that?

g,
before you start removing what looks like paint from your crossbeams, you may want to determine if it's an anodized finish. sanding off anodizing removes the protective layer that is on aluminum to prevent oxidation. silver aluminum is quite often 'clear anodized' and looks like raw metal, but it's not.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing

http://www.youtube.com/wa…E2i1pTn0&feature=related

j

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Aquacat 12 (sold)...'87 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'03 Nacra Inter18 (sold)
Venture 15 (sold)....'89 Nacra 5.8 (sold)...'91 Nacra 5.8NA (sold)
'99 Nacra Inter20 (sold)
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http://www.youtube.com/wa…mybTevss&feature=related

parts 1-4

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iqcd7oQGnTQ

google "how to apply gelcoat"