How to apply gelcoat to a fiberglass boat

Mix the Gelcoat. In todays episode we are painting the deck of the boat.

Apply the gelcoat using a brush if youre covering a small area.

How to apply gelcoat to a fiberglass boat. Use a sandblaster to blast the gelcoat away from the fiberglass. Grind the gelcoat away from the fiberglass using a grinder and 36-grit griding discs on a soft grinding pad. Scrub the entire area with detergent and then rinse with clean water.

Smooth the area with a Scotchbrite pad once the surface is dry. Similarly how do you apply gelcoat to the bottom of a boat. Step 1 - Clean Your Boat.

Apply the gelcoat using a brush if youre covering a small area. To apply the gelcoat with a brush dip the brush in the gelcoat so theres a liberal amount of gelcoat on it. Brush the gelcoat onto the fiberglass using short vertical strokes.

Avoid spreading the gelcoat. Making sure that your gelcoat is applied evenly on the paintbrush go over the base of the boat beginning on one side and working your way over. Make sure that you give your boat a thick layer as a thin layer may not give a complete seal.

If available you can use a spray gelcoat. Starting with 40 or 80 grit and finishing with 100 or 200 grit use low-grade sandpaper and scale it up. That should remove debris and rough up the surface sufficiently to bind with a fresh gelcoat.

The trick will be accomplished by a power sander bringing the blistered region back to the fiberglass. First thing you want to do is look at the surface you want to apply gelcoat to. If the surface is already covered with gelcoat or if the surface is a fiberglass or polyester resin then applying gelcoat will be a snap.

If the surface is paint then the paint would have to be removed before applying the gelcoat. Select a rubbing compound formulated for fiberglass and use it exactly like polish rubbing it with a circular motion until the surface turns glassy. The gelcoat on your boat is about 10 times as thick as the paint on your car so compound shouldnt cut all the way through it as long as you are careful not to rub in one place too long.

You will alwaYz have to sand wet sand then buff gel-coat no matter how you apply unless directly to mold it ALWAYZ orange peels. The1much Jul 27 2007. You must log in or sign up to reply here Show Ignored Content.

25 yr old foam sandwich constructed sailboat Small hole in floor. Gelcoat should be applied in temperatures of 60ºF to 80ºF. Always use eye and hand protection.

Gelcoat should not be applied over paint wood metal or concrete. It usually will not adhere to these surfaces. Gelcoat will not fully cure without adding a surfacing agent or wax additive sanding aid.

You can over-spray with PVA before gel coal reaches its gel stage 5-10. Mix the Gelcoat. After you have color-matched the amount of gelcoat needed for the repair add catalyst aka hardener.

Different gelcoat resins require different catalysts so make sure you are using the proper formula as well as the right two-part ratio eg four drops of catalyst per teaspoon of resin. A good wash will ensure that your fiberglass has a smooth surface and therefore that the gelcoat will pour or spray evenly onto the boat. Once you have washed the fiberglass give the area where you will be pouring your gelcoat a good buffing with some sandpaper.

Apply DiamondFinish Clear using a bristle brush foam brush or tight-knap foam roller to a test area first. Dont use polyester knit or woven roller that might shed lint. When brushing or rolling the self-leveling properties of DiamondFinish Clear.

Apply a third gelcoat and allow it to harden overnight. The third coat should have no tack at all after four hours. Three coats should do it but if you need to add another just follow the same procedure as before.

Sand the entire hull with 1000-grit sandpaper or fine steel wool to bring the surface to a dull luster. In todays episode we are painting the deck of the boat. 522011 Hold the spray gun about 1 foot 030 m away from the fiberglass and spray the gelcoat onto it in short even strokes.

11262007 Simply rub away the oxidation until the gelcoat shines and then apply the Premium Boat Shine. Welcome back to Zachs Garage. New and used models for sale.

Buff and polish your boat with a suitable polishing compound. This abrasive compound will gently remove small scratches stains and other imperfections whilst restoring the gelcoats natural shine. The final step is to apply the boat wax of choice with a clean soft cloth.

Allow the wax to dry usually about 5-10 minutes. I prepped the boat sanding patching cracks fiberglass filling bondao sanding and finishing up with a acetone wash before starting to apply the gelcoat in a heated vented humidity controlled garage. Doing the math it came out that one quart of gelcoat would be a bit more then one coat on my 14 foot sunfish hull.

Dilute with 10 parts warm water to one part of KBS Klean and use a spray bottle to liberally wet the surface. Scrub thoroughly with a scouring. The outer surface of a fiberglass boat is normally a special resin called gelcoat.

Gelcoat has little structural value the underlying laminates of resin-saturated glass fabric provide that but gelcoat protects the hull and gives it its color and shine. The outer surface of a fiberglass boat is normally a special resin called gelcoatGelcoat has little structural value the underlying laminates of resin-saturated glass fabric provide that but gelcoat protects the hull and gives it its color and shine. Before you start to apply the gelcoat paste to the scratch take a screwdriver and run it down the scratch to open it up a little wider into a V shape.

The reason for this is because the gelcoat paste is very thin and if its applied over the scratch then itll just end up forming a bridge over the scratch leaving a void under the newly applied gelcoat paste.