We liked the original blue and white gel, but after ripping out the interior to replace bulkheads, we really wanted a red and white boat, so the color change issue was a pretty easy one to make. In addition, our boat had Pacalon, which I thought was a distinct Campbell "look" so saving what was there or redoing it was a major factor in this decision.
I did like everyone else would do and began to research this issue on the internet and through various boat web forums trying to get as educated as I could. What I found was that there were almost as many lined up on either side as the other. Along with the web forums, I contacted and sought the advice of several veteran boat builders as well as long time Campbell boat owners.
Some memorable comments I received:
"Go down to the harbor (I live between two, the Channel Islands Harbor and the Ventura Harbor) and look at all those boats. 90% of them are painted."
"Paint costs less but will not hold up as long as Gelcoat."
"If you're gonna keep it, do gelcoat!"
"Not sure what the wood looking stuff is but, I think I can save it" (from a well known local Ventura boat painter).
"The new UV protected automotive paints can do everything gel can, no reason to spend all the money on gel."
"If You bounce off the dock just once with paint, you will be repairing that paint job."
One horror story I heard (1[SUP]st[/SUP] hand) was from a well known and connected boat owner who paid big money for a new paint job on his 24ft Campbell. On its maiden voyage from Havasu to Park Moabi, the new paint ripped away from the hull and when he arrived needless to say a lot of "custom paint job" ribbing ensued.
It was time to start getting some experts to look at it and give me hard estimates of what they could do and then make the hard decision. Almost all of the paint estimates were right around the same price. Gelcoat on the other hand was all over the map. At least two shops (along with the vets) told me that a good Gelcoat job should start around $2,000.00 more than a good paint job, as the Gelcoat process is far more labor intensive than paint.
Again like everyone else, I looked to friends and reputable shops who could recommend the right guy to handle this project. My wife's input was "have it done right!" as we were most likely not going to do this again anytime in the near future.
I decided I would look at Gelcoat shops in Havasu as that seemed to be the center of the universe for Campbells and fiberglass boat restoration. Three shops were recommended that could handle a complete Gelcoat job. Calls were placed to all three along with a fourth shop in Orange County. Only one shop in Havasu called me back the next day (the others called back but it took several weeks). All four shops had high marks from satisfied customers based on internet comments and input from friends and other Campbell boat owners.
Pedro, from Saleen Fiberglass Restoration, responded quickly and we began to the project. Right away, I could tell this guy knew what he was doing and this was not his first rodeo. Email addresses were exchanged and I began sending photo's to go over the project in as great of detail as possible over the internet. It's important to remember the more detailed information you can give up front the more accurate the quote will be as the scope of the project is better understood by both parties.
The main concern while talking to Pedro over the phone and over the internet was the presence of "stress cracks" in my hull. This hull is almost 40 years old and while I thought it was in good shape when we bough it, I discovered that it had bad & broken bulkheads as well.
Pedro was patient and I am sure he understood when I kept emphatically saying "I think it's good!" I needed a ballpark figure to see if we were even close to my budget. Pedro gave me a ballpark quote and it was about $2000 more than paint. That gave me a feeling of confidence immediately becuase it was almost exactly what the veteran Campbell owners would say it would be for paint vs gel!
The plan was made to drag it out to Havasu to have Pedro lay hands on her to verify the scope of work and quote, and a date was set. The old saying "timing is everything" could not have been more accurate in this case. All of this activity was going down in the spring of 2013, which just happens to fall right in the middle of most shops busiest time of year as everyone wants to get their boats ready to go for summer.
I was fortunate that I was not in a rush. I knew I had already lost the summer use of her and would be lucky if I got it done in time for the Campbell Regatta in September. I was really more concerned that :
a. We found the right shop to handle this work.
b. The job would not go outside of my budget.
Now I have to admit I was a little concerned that I had just drug my boat over 300 miles to Havasu to have a person I had not met yet in person look at her. If this did not go well, I would most likely have to drag it back home and go to plan b! On a side note There really was no plan b so you can understand my concern.
Pedro and I began to "dance" as he went over my boat with a fine tooth comb. Telephone conversations and internet photographs do not tell the whole story and he started to see stuff that I had not seen previously. I began to get worried as we dug deeper and deeper into the hull and the project. "Where was he about to take me and how much is this going to cost?" Kept running through my mind as I watched him evaluate my boat.
Pedro took the time to point out and explain to me how the difference between sun cracks and stress cracks. Stress Cracks, if not fixed correctly, would reappear in the new Gelcoat and that was where most of the work would end up. Making sure that those little cracks were ground out and then new glass installed so that the area would be built back up would not to go quickly and is exceptionally labor intensive.
Pedro was confident that he could save the pacalon and make it look as nice as the rest of the boat (which was a key point in the restoration for me). Confident I had found the right shop to handle my project, all we had to do now was agree on a price. Pedro has obviously done this before and knew what he was doing. I, on the other hand, had to trust his reputation and what I had heard about him from others, and then try to protect my checking account. We kicked numbers back and forth but ultimately his new number was still a fair deal compared to what I had heard the other guys were getting for complete gelcoat jobs.
Once I pulled the trigger, and we agreed on the terms, it was a big relief to put this behind me and move on to the next phase of this project.
Pedro and I stayed in touch both texting and through email as his crew worked their magic on my baby.
(Captions Below the pics in this article)
Typical of Campbells of this vintage, cracks around the cabin. All ground out and ready for new glass.
Typical Campbell Stress cracks at the front of the hull.
More stress cracks along the top of the gunwale, obviously areas where you want it done right. The pacalon had no stress cracks in it at all!
More cracks at the base of the gunnel back by the transom.
We checked in with Pedro a couple of times when we hit town and as always, he made time to show me what had been done and the updates progress. As things wound down, Pedro was very concerned that he did not release my boat until everything was right.
We don't live in town so there was a lot of trust that he was going to deliver what we wanted. Our timeline was flexible so we both agreed having it done 100% and not having to bring it back, was more important then trying to get it done quickly. The plan was to finish at Pedro's and then move things to Rich Theophilus for upholstery. Once Pedro was happy with his work, he transported my boat across town to Rich's and dropped her off, which was above and beyond for me in the "service" department as again we don't live in town.
Our Campbell back home after it's Make Over!!
Once Rich was done, we made plans to drive out and pick her up. The Campbell Regatta was the happening in town on Friday night and we wanted to debut our new boat. I was pleasantly surprised when I met with Pedro to settle up the remaining balance and there were no up charges or additional things added in. Having experiences with other shops in the marine industry I have to say this was a refreshing change of pace.
I was on the fence as to whether to take the boat to the party as she was not looking her best after having been at two different shops. I mentioned it to Pedro and he offered to detail the boat before the Campbell party on Friday.
I picked her up from Rich's and dropped her off back at Pedro's and then left to goof off on the lake. When I returned to Saleen's, she was dressed and ready to go to the party and man did she look and feel smooth!!!!! When I tried to pay Pedro for the detail work, he would'nt take my money! I got the impression he wanted to show off his work at the Campbell function as much as I wanted to show off my boat.
Needless to say, she was a hit at the party and we are very very happy with our decision to go with gelcoat at Saleen's instead of paint.
- Written by Bob Steele -
For more information regarding Saleen Fiberglass
Saleen Fiberglass Restoration
905 Port Dr.
Lake Havasu City, AZ 86403
928-486-4529
http://saleenfiberglass.com/
