To Gel or Not to Gel - That Is the Question

[Fishman_Tx]

Tami, you down Biloxi/Gulfport way?

[Fishman_Tx]

Where the heck does one find a gelcoat planer in the US?

[LtBrett]

Below the water line, bottom paint goes on directly over the barrier coat. Awl Grip, Imron, etc are not rated for continuous immersion. And there is one big difference between Imron and Awl Grip--the way they set up. Awl Grip cures with a tougher skin than Imron, but if you break it, it is more difficult to blend in new Awl Grip. Imron cures uniformly and after a few years of wear can be sanded to bring it back to new. I used Imron for most of my hull, and Awl Grip for the non-skid.

As for removing gel coat, I've seen gel coat strippers in action and they are indeed time savers. I found you can power gel coat off pretty quickly with a buffer/polisher and 30 or 40 grit paper. I was faced with removing all the gel coat from my transom due to excessive checking. Instead, I glassed over it. That may be an option for you as well.

Brett

[Fishman_Tx]

Below the water line, bottom paint goes on directly over the barrier coat.

Other than West system 422 additive and such, has anyone used Seahawk barrier coat products? What is the "gray stuff" I've seen go on before the ablatives?

As for removing gel coat, I've seen gel coat strippers in action and they are indeed time savers. I found you can power gel coat off pretty quickly with a buffer/polisher and 30 or 40 grit paper. I was faced with removing all the gel coat from my transom due to excessive checking. Instead, I glassed over it. That may be an option for you as well.

Well I was hoping not to have to sand it off. Serious P.I.T.A. I was hoping to take off the little bit of chop mat underneath it also. Oh well, I surrender to the inevitable....

[tami]

sorry for delay, I've just seen your question. Yes, I am in the BLX

[Fishman_Tx]

Originally Posted by tami

sorry for delay, I've just seen your question. Yes, I am in the BLX

Wonderful place! I was stationed at Keesler for a while and would have stayed forever if i could. Sucks BIG TIME what Katrina did to Biloxi and Gulfport. Dang and the Copa Casino just got off that goofy crooked boat too! Only to find the new Casino in the middle of the highway.......

[Fishman_Tx]

As for removing gel coat, I've seen gel coat strippers in action and they are indeed time savers.

I wonder if it's the planer itself that is special or just the blades? I know they build one and call it a GelPlaner, but in reality, how different is it from a standard power plane? hmmm.....

[Fishman_Tx]

Ok we got most of the gel off below the waterline on one side along with the 3 coats of paint.
2 questions:
1. Under the white gel was a thick "black" layer of something between the gel and the chop. Any ideas?
2. We found a nice large patch, 14-16" wide of JUST resin (NO mat) over a depressed area of hull at least a half inch thick in the center on TOP of the gel. The depression is centered over the bulkhead between the head and v-berth. We can see the rise inside the hanging locker but the roving is covered over with a patch. Our thought was to leave the interior alone and remove the exterior patch and build up with mat and polyesther resin (original boat resin). Or would epoxy be better?

Here's an older pic, you can see the part of the patch. Sorry, I didnt have my camera last weekend. I'll try to get some better pics.

[David M]

What do the experts at the boat yard who have dealt with hundreds of boats with blistering problems and deteriorated gelcoat have to say? Nobody here can see your boat in person, they can.

[Fishman_Tx]

The expert passed away last week, all that's left are the hands; at the funeral. Besides we'd like a concensus as we've seen some pretty poor decisions on the part of the "hands". Sorry, I didn't think the questions that difficult.

1. Under the white gel was a thick "black" layer of something between the gel and the chop.

for all I know it's just more gel or polyesther resin. It's all gone now, so I guess it's irrelevant. But I would have liked an opinion...

2. mat and polyesther resin (original boat resin). Or would epoxy be better?

The patch is coming off, the rest is self explanitory.

If you don't want me to ask questions of the forum, I'll go somewhere else....moderator.

[David M]

Originally Posted by Fishman_Tx

The expert passed away last week, all that's left are the hands; at the funeral. Besides we'd like a concensus as we've seen some pretty poor decisions on the part of the "hands". Sorry, I didn't think the questions that difficult.


for all I know it's just more gel or polyesther resin. It's all gone now, so I guess it's irrelevant. But I would have liked an opinion...

The patch is coming off, the rest is self explanitory.

If you don't want me to ask questions of the forum, I'll go somewhere else....moderator.

Please...ask away! That's what this forum is for! I hope I did not give the wrong impression.

I would hire a professional to come take a look, even if it costs you a couple hundred dollars. It may save you thousands in having to replace delaminated epoxy coatings underwater or delaminated LPU coatings above the water later on. It might be a false economy to guess at the correct solution.

[Fishman_Tx]

May have to then, because this looks like she took on a piling and lost. Would it be wise to remove the patches first then to see what the real damage may be?

[David M]

I don't know. I can't see your boat nor am I a professional who has given advice hundreds of times on how to fix this type of problem. I wish I could help. Have you considered paying for advice from another yard or going to another yard? I realize that you don't really want to put your boat in the water in this condition to move it to another yard, but it may be the best option if you cannot get someone else out there. I would search around for an expert and pay him for his time.

I used to be the type of person where I tried to do every last thing for myself. As I got older, and hopefully a little wiser, I now tend to consult with experts who although can be expensive up front, usually end up saving me money in the long run. I'm not saying you are this way, I just think its sometimes a good idea when one feels they might be unqualified to make decisions on potentially expensive things. Many sailors are the independent type who try to do things for themselves, and that's a good thing to be independent, but sometimes I see some sailors taking this to an extreme where they do something for themselves where they would have been much better off if an expert had done the work or made the decision in how to accomplish something.

[Solitude]

I'm a bit late in this and saw that you were asking about barrier coats..

I Just wanted to add that when your ready to do that I used Interlux Interprotect 2000. It is the greystuff. It is very good. As stated don't use gelcoat on the bottom. I used west system and colloidal silica to fill the blisters. Don't thicken with micro ballons or talc. Water will penetrate it.

I have seen some very and I mean very good results with one and two part poly painted hulls (above the waterline) ... by using the tip and roll methode of painting.



Now I'll shut up and let you deal with the patch problem. (While your dealing with that make sure all your blisters are open and drying out....)

[David M]

I have multiple layers of Interlux 2000 and a sandable filler epoxy on the bottom of my aluminum hull boat. Its held up for many years.