Nauticat 52 Refit

[minaret]

My idea of heaven.

[minaret]

Too much good stuff. Sure am glad for merchant accounts.

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by minaret

Too much good stuff. Sure am glad for merchant accounts.

You're trying to drive me crazy with fiberglass envy aren't you?

[minaret]

Originally Posted by knottybuoyz

You're trying to drive me crazy with fiberglass envy aren't you?

All part of my evil plan!



Sheesh, you get up even earlier than I do! Or that was a really long layup last night, lol!

[Exile]

Originally Posted by minaret

Spraying reduces more than just sanding time. Brush marks and imperfections in brushed gel often require you to sand off the majority of what you put on. You really want to be leaving gel of a similar thickness as the original, usually 16-24 mils (quite thick). This means you must brush on several extra coats, which makes the repair larger and harder to block out fair. It's a can of worms, really. I would never brush a blend repair, ie one that must be blended into original gel on all sides.

Non-skid is a whole different can of worms. The method used depends entirely on the type of skid. A practical seal is quickly achieved in many cases by simply dabbing on a little color matched gel with something like a match stick, but in most cases this is not a cosmetic fix. Molded in skid is the most difficult thing I work on. I could spend several pages discussing methods of repair for it, and in the past I have on other threads. Gel paste is a waste of time. So is bondo. Flex molds can be made to work in many cases, but they are a PITA and definitely not for the layman. The method I most often use is also advanced and requires special equipment and techniques, also very much not for the layman. If you have molded in skid, seal any dings by dabbing and get a pro repair from someone who can show you an example of their results. Or, much better, do what I often convince customers to do. Grind off the molded skid and go with Griptex. This is relatively easy for the layman to repair, durable, looks great, more comfortable to lay on than molded, etc. etc. I can usually do a whole deck this way in less time than it takes to do a pro 1' by 1' repair in molded skid that is totally invisible.

When you mention Griptex, am I correct to assume you're talking about mixing it in with Awlgrip paint? I didn't think using Gelcoat for this process was viable but maybe I'm wrong.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Exile

When you mention Griptex, am I correct to assume you're talking about mixing it in with Awlgrip paint? I didn't think using Gelcoat for this process was viable but maybe I'm wrong.

I do Griptex in Gelcoat too. It's tricky to do, but results in the worlds most durable non skid. You have to get a perfect surface cure though.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by minaret

I do Griptex in Gelcoat too. It's tricky to do, but results in the worlds most durable non skid. You have to get a perfect surface cure though.

To hire a pro to do this (too bad you're not on the e. coast!), do you think the costs would be significantly higher than doing the same in Awlgrip?

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Exile

To hire a pro to do this (too bad you're not on the e. coast!), do you think the costs would be significantly higher than doing the same in Awlgrip?

No, much less. Just have to find someone who's done it before.

[knottybuoyz]

Originally Posted by minaret

All part of my evil plan!

Sheesh, you get up even earlier than I do! Or that was a really long layup last night, lol!

I get up early with the Admiral and make her coffee before I shuffle her off to work to pay for this monstrosity!

[Exile]

Originally Posted by minaret

No, much less. Just have to find someone who's done it before.

I guess that makes sense since there's far less prep work. It's funny, all the pros I've talked to seem to hate gelcoat and want to use Awlgrip. I'm actually pretty relieved that I can work with what I already have, even though some of it may not be for the layman. But then again, neither is applying Awlgrip from what I've read.

[Warby12]

Hey Mineret? You will take us on a photo tour of the boat when it's finished won't you.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Warby12

Hey Mineret? You will take us on a photo tour of the boat when it's finished won't you.

Of course. Getting close. I'm really tired, not more than two or three days off since Dec. 4th...

[cpa]

Originally Posted by minaret

Of course. Getting close. I'm really tired, not more than two or three days off since Dec. 4th...

I could not imagine going at it as often as you do. I work 4 days a week and look forward to my working days, because I can let my body rest.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by cpa

I could not imagine going at it as often as you do. I work 4 days a week and look forward to my working days, because I can let my body rest.

Yeah, I'm gonna sleep for a week when I'm done. It's hotter than Hell in the tent these days too. I'm goin in right now...

[Sailmonkey]

Originally Posted by minaret

Yeah, I'm gonna sleep for a week when I'm done. It's hotter than Hell in the tent these days too. I'm goin in right now...

Define hotter than hell. I'm in Houston and was wearing tyvek this weekend