WELCOME TO RIVER DAVES PLACE

Gelcoaters

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
In another thread Uncle Dave posted

awesome.

How many guys in the world actually do this anymore?



UD

---------
A good question,it got me to thinking.
I can rattle off a list of guys that have retired from it and are doing other things now.

I can't think of any "newer guys" or,should I say guys I haven't heard of before.
There are a couple who dabbled in it for a while when things were humping,before the bubble burst.Then they moved on to other things.

AZMIDLYF said

Seems to be mostly west coast oriented as well.

Mostly,yes.
The gel mfg's in the past have told me clears don't work well and some colors act weird in the humidity of the mid west or east coast.

There are a few exceptions.RDP member Cooperider posted some stuff he'd done for Checkmate.I wish he would post here more.:grumble:He has some molds and the will,I wish he could drum something up.

Someone in Texas is responsible for those Skeeter Bass boats.

image.jpg

Some might say that looks fairly simple.Im here to tell everyone,that isn't easy.That black to silver? Or gray blend down the side is about the most difficult blend there is in the Gelcoat world.As one of the few guys who knows what it takes to lay down that fade,I say :bowdown: to that guy.
The stuff he's doing in metal flake...again,no way to explain how impressive that is.
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
All you feel free to share names I forgot,or share stories of your experiences with these guys.
Art..Don't know his last name.Did a lot of work for Commander and Hawaiian.

Gene Borwick..Sleekcraft among others.

Jeff Camire.Hallett,General Marine,Lavey Craft and later part owner of Lavey.

Paco Cassillas (Spelling??) worked with outfits in Northern Cal and later Eliminator.His wife makes the best tamales on the face of the planet.:thumbsup
Joel? Paco's son. Is he spraying? I know he has a successful glass shop here in so Cal.His mom makes the best tamales on the face of the planet. :D

Larry Cobb..know the name,never met him.

Danny Mancinni...Cole,Caliber1,early Ultra,Baker and others before creating Shockwave Boats.

David Mitchell?? Is he retired?Did work about everywhere,AZ builders,So Cal builders,HTM,Kachina,Cheeta,etc.


Jim Pringle...Advantage,Eliminator,among others.

Rod Rothrock...Eliminator,Stoker,Wellscraft.

Jim Sullivan...Eliminator,Warlock,Tom Papp Racing and others.

Stu Sutherland..Schiada among others.Im told he's the matriarch of multi color in the mold gelcoat.
 

Uncle Dave

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 7, 2008
Messages
9,826
Reaction score
10,929
All you feel free to share names I forgot,or share stories of your experiences with these guys.
Art..Don't know his last name.Did a lot of work for Commander and Hawaiian.

Gene Borwick..Sleekcraft among others.

Jeff Camire.Hallett,General Marine,Lavey Craft and later part owner of Lavey.

Paco Cassillas (Spelling??) worked with outfits in Northern Cal and later Eliminator.His wife makes the best tamales on the face of the planet.:thumbsup
Joel? Paco's son. Is he spraying? I know he has a successful glass shop here in so Cal.His mom makes the best tamales on the face of the planet. :D

Larry Cobb..know the name,never met him.

Danny Mancinni...Cole,Caliber1,early Ultra,Baker and others before creating Shockwave Boats.

David Mitchell?? Is he retired?Did work about everywhere,AZ builders,So Cal builders,HTM,Kachina,Cheeta,etc.


Jim Pringle...Advantage,Eliminator,among others.

Rod Rothrock...Eliminator,Stoker,Wellscraft.

Jim Sullivan...Eliminator,Warlock,Tom Papp Racing and others.

Stu Sutherland..Schiada among others.Im told he's the matriarch of multi color in the mold gelcoat.


Thats about what I expected - a handful of guys at most. Pretty much an art thats going away.

We can also add Ron Camire to that list- although he focuses on repairs more than whole boats he's one of the few that can make seamless repairs and or upgrades to existing complex designs.
I think he did a fantastic job capping Daves Sabre.



UD
 

Singleton

Well-Known Member
Joined
Feb 5, 2008
Messages
18,133
Reaction score
23,512
Only other guys I can think of.
Kevin @ KMG Boats
Whoever (can't remember name) is at DCB (used to spray for JW at Ultra).
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Thats about what I expected - a handful of guys at most. Pretty much an art thats going away.

We can also add Ron Camire to that list- although he focuses on repairs more than whole boats he's one of the few that can make seamless repairs and or upgrades to existing complex designs.
I think he did a fantastic job capping Daves Sabre.



UD
Those are the retired,Dave.
Ronnie is definitely not on that list,lol.
 

FASTJTBT144

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 28, 2010
Messages
1,116
Reaction score
63
Someone is going to have to step up and start teaching there trade to some new blood
this really needs to happen as most these guys are getting up in age now and been doing
it a long time.True its a great talent to gel coat and not for everyone.
 

El Guapo

HAVING FUN
Joined
Sep 1, 2014
Messages
751
Reaction score
1,380
Hi Guys......Off topic a bit, but do any of you fine gents have a referral for a good gel repair shop/guy in Phoenix? I usually pull the boat to Eliminator and they do great work. Tried to pm Gelcoater but is box is full.. lol

Again, sorry for taking the thread off topic.
 

AzGeo

Fair winds and following seas George.. Rest Easy..
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
8,298
Reaction score
7,921
When I needed a hull from Smiley (Ismael) Sanchez (great gel work) and he was backed up, I'd go down tho the shop, 'tape and spray', because I needed to rig and deliver the boat .

He also would call in a guy named 'Chris'? from time to time . This Chris went on to work full time at Advantage in Havasu (after 1987?)

Tried to pay a 'professional' to do this work, but it did not work out, so here I am 're-learning and getting dirty all over again' ..........

If it's the same DAVE, Dave Mitchell had his own brand name of boats for a while, layed up the first 5 or 6 Dana 27's, Calif. Cools, Placecrafts, in a shop in the rear of a complex in Anaheim .
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Kornowski fit into this group?

I've heard of him,but never met him.Does he do repair work or in the mold work?
I'm pretty much aiming this thread at in the mold gelcoaters.

While the repair guys and in the mold guys both use the same materials,the processes involved are completely different.
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Hi Guys......Off topic a bit, but do any of you fine gents have a referral for a good gel repair shop/guy in Phoenix? I usually pull the boat to Eliminator and they do great work. Tried to pm Gelcoater but is box is full.. lol

Again, sorry for taking the thread off topic.

Sorry but I'm not familiar with Phoenix repair shops,I'm sure someone will throw you a name or three.
As to my pm box,hmm.Thats good to know.
I wonder if that means Shintoooo won't be able to send me infractions anymore? :D
Hell,that box is full because of them!:eek
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
When I needed a hull from Smiley (Ismael) Sanchez (great gel work) and he was backed up, I'd go down tho the shop, 'tape and spray', because I needed to rig and deliver the boat .

He also would call in a guy named 'Chris'? from time to time . This Chris went on to work full time at Advantage in Havasu (after 1987?)

Tried to pay a 'professional' to do this work, but it did not work out, so here I am 're-learning and getting dirty all over again' ..........

If it's the same DAVE, Dave Mitchell had his own brand name of boats for a while, layed up the first 5 or 6 Dana 27's, Calif. Cools, Placecrafts, in a shop in the rear of a complex in Anaheim .
David Mitchell....:cool
How should I word this?
Dave liked to pull cork.:D
I got a lot of work back in the day because of that guy.He wouldn't show up,company would get pissed,and call someone else.
I met Louie at Kachina because of Dave.After a couple of bad experiences,no shows,showing up shitfaced,etc,Louie reached out to get me to travel.
It seemed to work,Dave didn't like showing up to start the job(5 days late) only to find the job already done.

Last I heard he was living in a hut,with a squaw,on a reservation somewhere along the river.
 

AzGeo

Fair winds and following seas George.. Rest Easy..
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
8,298
Reaction score
7,921
That must be a totally different person . This guy was clean cut and all business when I met him, as he was doing the Dana 27's and had one with a purple side stripe just completed . He had another one (27) in the mold, and was also building a Placecraft jet tunnel at the same time .

Dave Stockton sent me over to see the 27', so I would buy it, and put cash in his pocket .

This is right around the time Stockton bailed out, owing Smiley and leaving a mess .

Soon after, at the LA boat show, I learned that Stockton didn't even own the 27' molds . His buddy Dan was the guy who put up the money and owned all the tooling ......
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Someone is going to have to step up and start teaching there trade to some new blood
this really needs to happen as most these guys are getting up in age now and been doing
it a long time.True its a great talent to gel coat and not for everyone.

It's going to be a real challenge,training new blood.
One of the ways people learn is by doing.Volume of sales is low.
No one wants a beginner doing their boat,both customers and business owner alike.
Because,there's going to be mistakes and repairs.

Just the style of current gel scheme trends is a challenge to try and teach someone.
Back in the day of cap fades and several color bands,let downs,when the lines followed the lines of the boat it was a bit easier to train someone.
All this free form,multi fade bullshit they do now,full blend decks and sides,pearls,multi color pins,etc, not many people can get a grasp.
The noob also doesn't know when to say...No.
Sometimes a customer wants something really out there,or from a technical standpoint will add hours and hours to a job,often times it's a roll the dice scenario if what they want is even possible.
So,there are times when I say...No.
Why? Because my past experience tells me so.And I have no problem telling a production manager or company owner this.
"we'd be saving everyone a lot of frustration if I just stay home and watch Bonanza on TV,and you take two grand, cash,light the bills on fire and throw it in the trash."

A noob wouldn't know,and will try.Then it either turns to shit before he's done spraying,or,he didn't know any better and pushed it through production.
Then everyone's pissed at him when that boat needs to be completely resprayed externally.

Then there's the teacher,me.Or someone like me.
You tell a buisness owner you want extra money to train someone,they freak out.
You can try and explain that this job that would take me 5 hours is now going to take 9 hours because you're training this guy.No one seems to want to accept that.

Since 1989 I have tried to train no less than 6 people.Of them,one guy picked it up.When the economy tanked so did his job.He's into classic car restoration these days.

One guy was so dumb,(a high school drop out) he couldn't read a tape measure.
I set him up on one side of a boat to measure and call out the measurements to me so I could transfer them to the other side.
13 and three little lines?WTF?
So,I had to explain in terms he could understand.

One inch = one ounce of weed.:eek
Cut your oz in half,what do you have?
Cut that half again,what do you have?
Cut that quarter,what do you have?

Then he got it.I said "Congradulations,now you can read a tape measure.Dumb Ass,you should go back to school"

I had one guy,that at two weeks in and his taping was just horrid,ask me when he could start painting.:eek

I said when you can learn how to tape,by yourself,with no help from me."
He didn't like that.
Then I asked him how he would paint,did he have a spray gun?
Of course he said no.Then suggested he could borrow mine.
I had to remind him my gun was about a $500 rig,and it's how I feed my family.
No way no how he's using my gear.
Apparently he thought he could learn more than a decade of knowledge in a few days and have him a career.
Didn't see him again after that day.That mind set seems to be the norm these days.
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
That must be a totally different person . This guy was clean cut and all business when I met him, as he was doing the Dana 27's and had one with a purple side stripe just completed . He had another one (27) in the mold, and was also building a Placecraft jet tunnel at the same time .

Dave Stockton sent me over to see the 27', so I would buy it, and put cash in his pocket .

This is right around the time Stockton bailed out, owing Smiley and leaving a mess .

Soon after, at the LA boat show, I learned that Stockton didn't even own the 27' molds . His buddy Dan was the guy who put up the money and owned all the tooling ......
Maybe you were thinking Dave Holland?Tall guy?
 

AzGeo

Fair winds and following seas George.. Rest Easy..
Joined
Jan 28, 2009
Messages
8,298
Reaction score
7,921
That's the correct name ! THANKS
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
That's the correct name ! THANKS

Makes much more sense.:thumbsup

Holland is a solid guy,been doing this stuff for decades.I worked under the same roof with him at Ultimate Warlock and Aftershock.We've called each other on occasion to make sure we're not stepping on each other's toes when requested to do a job for a company we don't normally work.
He's been doing all the Shockwave product for quite a while now.
 

FreeBird236

Well-Known Member
Joined
Apr 21, 2012
Messages
13,419
Reaction score
12,041
Maybe I missed it, but how about Tom(Retaocleg) from Nordic and E-Ticket and maybe more around Havasu?
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Maybe I missed it, but how about Tom(Retaocleg) from Nordic and E-Ticket and maybe more around Havasu?

Tom would be on the active duty list,those that I have mentioned are retired from the field.

I guess I need to make an active duty list,and with the help of the inmates it could be pretty cool.
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Please add anyone or details not mentioned!
I'm sleep deprived at the moment,help me out here.

David Holland...Probably the oldest active and Pribably the most experienced of active GC's.

Tom,retaocleg here in RDP.Currently,I consider him top dog.

Juan (don't know his last name) active at Cobra,Interceptor and others

Me! Gelcoater here on RDP

Anyone know the name of the guy at DCB?
Or Advantage?i know they have a guy and a youngster in training.

KMG..Kevin?

Mike at Howard,putting out some quality stuff.:thumbsup

I'm sure there are several Havasu gel guys I'm missing.
 

ultraboats

Member
Joined
Oct 28, 2015
Messages
23
Reaction score
55
Please add anyone or details not mentioned!
I'm sleep deprived at the moment,help me out here.

David Holland...Probably the oldest active and Pribably the most experienced of active GC's.

Tom,retaocleg here in RDP.Currently,I consider him top dog.

Juan (don't know his last name) active at Cobra,Interceptor and others

Me! Gelcoater here on RDP

Anyone know the name of the guy at DCB?
Or Advantage?i know they have a guy and a youngster in training.

KMG..Kevin?



Mike at Howard,putting out some quality stuff.:thumbsup

I'm sure there are several Havasu gel guys I'm missing.

Jaime is at DCB. Worked under Martin until he moved on.
Patricio does quite a bit in Havasu besides Nordic as they have Tom
 

River Lynchmob

What can I do to u for u?
Joined
Sep 21, 2007
Messages
13,250
Reaction score
9,298
I've heard of him,but never met him.Does he do repair work or in the mold work?
I'm pretty much aiming this thread at in the mold gelcoaters.

While the repair guys and in the mold guys both use the same materials,the processes involved are completely different.

Kornowski is a repair guy and is as good as there is out there.
 

noli

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 23, 2014
Messages
474
Reaction score
517
.


any good gelcoaters in the NorthEast, like NY, NJ areas?




.
 

AZMIDLYF

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2015
Messages
2,931
Reaction score
3,173
Out of curiosity..how much does a custom Gel add to say a single or two color basic job?
 

David Mitchell

New Member
Joined
Jan 12, 2011
Messages
1
Reaction score
3
In another thread Uncle Dave posted

awesome.

How many guys in the world actually do this anymore?



UD

---------
A good question,it got me to thinking.
I can rattle off a list of guys that have retired from it and are doing other things now.

I can't think of any "newer guys" or,should I say guys I haven't heard of before.
There are a couple who dabbled in it for a while when things were humping,before the bubble burst.Then they moved on to other things.

AZMIDLYF said

Seems to be mostly west coast oriented as well.

Mostly,yes.
The gel mfg's in the past have told me clears don't work well and some colors act weird in the humidity of the mid west or east coast.

There are a few exceptions.RDP member Cooperider posted some stuff he'd done for Checkmate.I wish he would post here more.:grumble:He has some molds and the will,I wish he could drum something up.

Someone in Texas is responsible for those Skeeter Bass boats.

View attachment 499683

Some might say that looks fairly simple.Im here to tell everyone,that isn't easy.That black to silver? Or gray blend down the side is about the most difficult blend there is in the Gelcoat world.As one of the few guys who knows what it takes to lay down that fade,I say :bowdown: to that guy.
The stuff he's doing in metal flake...again,no way to explain how impressive that is.





My name is David Mitchell

I will still do some gel-coat work if it is worth the trip. started doing this work on the west coast back in the early 80s. Worked with most all of the manufacturers back in them days. Did a lot of work for Louie over at Kachina when he was around.
Still doing it once in a while. Anyone has a good offer. Let me know. I am in H.B. CA
[email protected]
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017




My name is David Mitchell

I will still do some gel-coat work if it is worth the trip. started doing this work on the west coast back in the early 80s. Worked with most all of the manufacturers back in them days. Did a lot of work for Louie over at Kachina when he was around.
Still doing it once in a while. Anyone has a good offer. Let me know. I am in H.B. CA
[email protected]

Son of a gun!
Welcome to RDP, Dave.
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
By the way, Dave.
Mancinni was asking me just last month if I knew where you were or seen you around.
I think he'd like to hear from you.

I sent him your Gmail address.
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Out of curiosity..how much does a custom Gel add to say a single or two color basic job?

I missed this post.

There are many factors at play there. The size and complexity being the biggest.
Most of us are independent contractors, how far and how long away from home can factor in as well.
 

BHC Vic

cobra performance boats
Joined
May 24, 2014
Messages
24,742
Reaction score
18,407
Who does cobra use. I can't remember if I met him or not
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Who does cobra use. I can't remember if I met him or not

Last I heard was Juan and his brother?
He does some stuff there and Interceptor, he's done some Eliminator stuff, I believe he started at Commander way back when?
 

BHC Vic

cobra performance boats
Joined
May 24, 2014
Messages
24,742
Reaction score
18,407
Last I heard was Juan and his brother?
He does some stuff there and Interceptor, he's done some Eliminator stuff, I believe he started at Commander way back when?

Cobra is building a new 230. Someone is taping and spraying 😎
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Cobra is building a new 230. Someone is taping and spraying 

Short Hispanic guy?

And a 230 huh? Someone take them up on that deal they were offering? :thumbsup
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
Who did Carreras gel in the late 90's?

The time frame is a little foggy in my head.
If you're referring to the boats done while Dennis owned the company it was a guy named Eddie. He retired sometime just before Dennis sold, diabetes related health issues sort of forced it.
He had a guy taping for him, another guy named Jose.
Jose moved on to Eliminator after that and was there until the economy melted.

If you're referring g to the post Dennis years, after the merger with Aftershock it could have been one of several guys, Dave Holland, me, our new member Dave Mitchel and I believe another guy who was trying to get into it.
 

old rigger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Messages
2,642
Reaction score
6,557
All you feel free to share names I forgot,or share stories of your experiences with these guys.
Art..Don't know his last name.Did a lot of work for Commander and Hawaiian.

Gene Borwick..Sleekcraft among others.

Jeff Camire.Hallett,General Marine,Lavey Craft and later part owner of Lavey.

Paco Cassillas (Spelling??) worked with outfits in Northern Cal and later Eliminator.His wife makes the best tamales on the face of the planet.:thumbsup
Joel? Paco's son. Is he spraying? I know he has a successful glass shop here in so Cal.His mom makes the best tamales on the face of the planet. :D

Larry Cobb..know the name,never met him.

Danny Mancinni...Cole,Caliber1,early Ultra,Baker and others before creating Shockwave Boats.

David Mitchell?? Is he retired?Did work about everywhere,AZ builders,So Cal builders,HTM,Kachina,Cheeta,etc.


Jim Pringle...Advantage,Eliminator,among others.

Rod Rothrock...Eliminator,Stoker,Wellscraft.

Jim Sullivan...Eliminator,Warlock,Tom Papp Racing and others.

Stu Sutherland..Schiada among others.Im told he's the matriarch of multi color in the mold gelcoat.

I don't know any of the current guys, but just to add some info...

Pringle and Sullivan worked together at kona back in the day. Those 2 were the first to figure out how to do blends and fades in the mold. A bid deal at the time. Worked with Jim P at Advantage and Jim S at Warlock.

Stu use to come by Warlock and hang out with Don Kirby, who ran the glass dept, but I can't remember if Stu actually shot anything there. He had his own deal going at the same time, just finished building a little party cat bottom and was trying find a buyer. It was only 20 feet long or so.

Larry Cobb, big skills. I got to know him a little when I worked for Roger Weiman. Roger and I would tape and shoot on some builds but Larry did several boats for Roger. He was also a bull rider, drove wide open everywhere in a jeep. Dave Mitchell, same thing... blew some gel for us at Rogers. These 2 guys worked everywhere but I only worked with them at Rogers. Never a problem, and nice clean lines. Shit, now I can't remember if it was Dave Mitchell or Holland at Rogers. I do remember he was a blond guy, looked like a so cal surfer. That was a long time ago.

Art, (I can't remember his last name either) might have shot gel at the later Hawaiian, but not at the '74 to '80 Hawaiian. He was a mold prep guy back then. Damn, I worked 30 feet from him for 6 years, you'd think I would remember his last name.

Mel, can't remember his last name either, shot gel at Tahiti when I was a kid. Nice guy, blew lots and lots of metal flake back then. He had flake everywhere, he never wore anything covering his head, just a little respirator and shot barefoot sometimes too then he'd wash his off with acetone to try to remove the gel/flake/clear. He had this super strength soap he'd use that was in a container hanging by the sink. Someone, who shall remain nameless, squirted a bunch of Nair hair remover into his soap one time and as he was washing up his hair was coming out in big chunks. They did the same thing to the painter at the old A&M trailer shop in Bellflower which was in one of the old Tahiti buildings. Mel was Somoan but a little guy. He was also deaf but a really nice guy, taught me how to shoot clear and then flake over it. I still have my Binks gun he gave me. That thing has to be almost 50 years old!

Lots of fun and some fucking god awful ugly boats in the mid to late 80s. 8, 9 and 10 colors but just fucking ugly. ;)
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
I don't know any of the current guys, but just to add some info...

Pringle and Sullivan worked together at kona back in the day. Those 2 were the first to figure out how to do blends and fades in the mold. A bid deal at the time. Worked with Jim P at Advantage and Jim S at Warlock.

Stu use to come by Warlock and hang out with Don Kirby, who ran the glass dept, but I can't remember if Stu actually shot anything there. He had his own deal going at the same time, just finished building a little party cat bottom and was trying find a buyer. It was only 20 feet long or so.

Larry Cobb, big skills. I got to know him a little when I worked for Roger Weiman. Roger and I would tape and shoot on some builds but Larry did several boats for Roger. He was also a bull rider, drove wide open everywhere in a jeep. Dave Mitchell, same thing... blew some gel for us at Rogers. These 2 guys worked everywhere but I only worked with them at Rogers. Never a problem, and nice clean lines. Shit, now I can't remember if it was Dave Mitchell or Holland at Rogers. I do remember he was a blond guy, looked like a so cal surfer. That was a long time ago.

Art, (I can't remember his last name either) might have shot gel at the later Hawaiian, but not at the '74 to '80 Hawaiian. He was a mold prep guy back then. Damn, I worked 30 feet from him for 6 years, you'd think I would remember his last name.

Mel, can't remember his last name either, shot gel at Tahiti when I was a kid. Nice guy, blew lots and lots of metal flake back then. He had flake everywhere, he never wore anything covering his head, just a little respirator and shot barefoot sometimes too then he'd wash his off with acetone to try to remove the gel/flake/clear. He had this super strength soap he'd use that was in a container hanging by the sink. Someone, who shall remain nameless, squirted a bunch of Nair hair remover into his soap one time and as he was washing up his hair was coming out in big chunks. They did the same thing to the painter at the old A&M trailer shop in Bellflower which was in one of the old Tahiti buildings. Mel was Somoan but a little guy. He was also deaf but a really nice guy, taught me how to shoot clear and then flake over it. I still have my Binks gun he gave me. That thing has to be almost 50 years old!

Lots of fun and some fucking god awful ugly boats in the mid to late 80s. 8, 9 and 10 colors but just fucking ugly. ;)

Great post.:thumbsup

I might know you?
I was in and out and around the Warlock camp during a couple of ownerships.


During the Don Kirby days I might have waxed a few molds for him in the winter to survive.
That guy was one of a kind.:thumbsup
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
I don't know any of the current guys, but just to add some info...

Pringle and Sullivan worked together at kona back in the day. Those 2 were the first to figure out how to do blends and fades in the mold. A bid deal at the time. Worked with Jim P at Advantage and Jim S at Warlock.

Stu use to come by Warlock and hang out with Don Kirby, who ran the glass dept, but I can't remember if Stu actually shot anything there. He had his own deal going at the same time, just finished building a little party cat bottom and was trying find a buyer. It was only 20 feet long or so.

Larry Cobb, big skills. I got to know him a little when I worked for Roger Weiman. Roger and I would tape and shoot on some builds but Larry did several boats for Roger. He was also a bull rider, drove wide open everywhere in a jeep. Dave Mitchell, same thing... blew some gel for us at Rogers. These 2 guys worked everywhere but I only worked with them at Rogers. Never a problem, and nice clean lines. Shit, now I can't remember if it was Dave Mitchell or Holland at Rogers. I do remember he was a blond guy, looked like a so cal surfer. That was a long time ago.

Art, (I can't remember his last name either) might have shot gel at the later Hawaiian, but not at the '74 to '80 Hawaiian. He was a mold prep guy back then. Damn, I worked 30 feet from him for 6 years, you'd think I would remember his last name.

Mel, can't remember his last name either, shot gel at Tahiti when I was a kid. Nice guy, blew lots and lots of metal flake back then. He had flake everywhere, he never wore anything covering his head, just a little respirator and shot barefoot sometimes too then he'd wash his off with acetone to try to remove the gel/flake/clear. He had this super strength soap he'd use that was in a container hanging by the sink. Someone, who shall remain nameless, squirted a bunch of Nair hair remover into his soap one time and as he was washing up his hair was coming out in big chunks. They did the same thing to the painter at the old A&M trailer shop in Bellflower which was in one of the old Tahiti buildings. Mel was Somoan but a little guy. He was also deaf but a really nice guy, taught me how to shoot clear and then flake over it. I still have my Binks gun he gave me. That thing has to be almost 50 years old!

Lots of fun and some fucking god awful ugly boats in the mid to late 80s. 8, 9 and 10 colors but just fucking ugly. ;)

Great post.:thumbsup

I might know you?
I was in and out and around the Warlock camp during a couple of ownerships.


During the Don Kirby days I might have waxed a few molds for him in the winter to survive.
That guy was one of a kind.:thumbsup

Stu did do some Warlocks, at least one.
It's been a long time now but I saw it somewhere and had to stop and really look at it.
It isn't often I see an in the mold gel job that I can't figure out how the hell he did it.
From a technical point, on a one to ten scale, Stu goes to 11
 

old rigger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Messages
2,642
Reaction score
6,557
Great post.:thumbsup

I might know you?
I was in and out and around the Warlock camp during a couple of ownerships.


During the Don Kirby days I might have waxed a few molds for him in the winter to survive.
That guy was one of a kind.:thumbsup

Stu did do some Warlocks, at least one.
It's been a long time now but I saw it somewhere and had to stop and really look at it.
It isn't often I see an in the mold gel job that I can't figure out how the hell he did it.
From a technical point, on a one to ten scale, Stu goes to 11

I don't know, we might have crossed paths. Winters were always tough! I was lucky because I knew how to do everything except sew so I could always find winter work to pay the bills. Actually working with glass has always been my favorite thing in the whole process, liked it more than rigging.

I was at Warlock when it was owned by a gun manufacturer in Texas. To be honest all parties involved were bleeding this guy dry, in my opinion. I was rigging, in fact I was the only rigger for a while. Lance was my boss. I can't remember the guys name that had the in-house upholstery shop there but he went back to the old Hawaiian or Tahiti days but was doing outstanding work for Warlock. Just beautiful stuff.

When I was younger Kirby had his shop right around the corner from our house, he was on Clark in Bellflower. Cool gathering spot for funny car legends. Always something going on, like the time we popped a mold from a rented mercedes, lol.

For my money Jim Pringle is/was the greatest gel coater on the planet, Sullivan a close second. But I'm not a gel coater, if I was I might give that nod to someone else. Pringles stuff was amazing. As much as I can't stand multi color work (I'm color blind and can only see blue) or whatever the flavor of the decade is now with it's big ugly flowing blobs, when he laid down 10 1/8" lines without a flaw, it was just beautiful to look at.
 

RCDave

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2011
Messages
9,953
Reaction score
15,825
Love hearing all this history.

Where did Mancini cut his chops?
 

wzuber

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
6,533
Reaction score
8,946
Retired list-
DeWayne Jones and brother...Bahner boats.
Merrill Combs? Aqua Craft

Active list-
Alex Torrez?
 

wzuber

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 7, 2009
Messages
6,533
Reaction score
8,946
lol... I am not sure so I was kinda asking you for confirmation, hence the question mark. (same regarding Merrill Combs)
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017



My name is David Mitchell

I will still do some gel-coat work if it is worth the trip. started doing this work on the west coast back in the early 80s. Worked with most all of the manufacturers back in them days. Did a lot of work for Louie over at Kachina when he was around.
Still doing it once in a while. Anyone has a good offer. Let me know. I am in H.B. CA
[email protected]
Hey Dave, give me a call when you can!
 

old rigger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Messages
2,642
Reaction score
6,557



My name is David Mitchell

I will still do some gel-coat work if it is worth the trip. started doing this work on the west coast back in the early 80s. Worked with most all of the manufacturers back in them days. Did a lot of work for Louie over at Kachina when he was around.
Still doing it once in a while. Anyone has a good offer. Let me know. I am in H.B. CA
[email protected]

I missed this post last time around.

There were 3 guys that blew gel for Roger in my 6 years working for him, I'm almost 100% Dave was one of them. If I'm remembering right he was a thin blonde guy, kinda looked like a surfer. If I'm wrong I'm sorry. I started to work for Roger almost 40 years ago so some names have slipped away.
One of the other guys, and I'll be damned it I can remember HIS name right no!, stocky guy built like a fireplug and was also a bull rider. Drove around in a jeep with the top down all the time.
The third guy is totally lost in my memory.
All three guy did great work, nice crisp lines in the gel.

Every now and then Roger and I would tape the molds and we'd shoot the gel ourselves. Usually when the layout was straight forward or no one else could do it.

It was a great time to be building boats... I can smell resin just thinking about it.

I just remembered the name of another guy that blew gel, Dave Holland. He might have been the 3rd guy I couldn't remember, or he might have been the surf cat, damn memory.
 

old rigger

Well-Known Member
Joined
Dec 20, 2007
Messages
2,642
Reaction score
6,557
Larry Cobb was the guy that rode bulls or horses in the rodeo, and one of those Dave's rode a motorcycle to work.
 

Gelcoater

Well-Known Member
Joined
Sep 26, 2009
Messages
21,606
Reaction score
36,017
I missed this post last time around.

There were 3 guys that blew gel for Roger in my 6 years working for him, I'm almost 100% Dave was one of them. If I'm remembering right he was a thin blonde guy, kinda looked like a surfer. If I'm wrong I'm sorry. I started to work for Roger almost 40 years ago so some names have slipped away.
One of the other guys, and I'll be damned it I can remember HIS name right no!, stocky guy built like a fireplug and was also a bull rider. Drove around in a jeep with the top down all the time.
The third guy is totally lost in my memory.
All three guy did great work, nice crisp lines in the gel.

Every now and then Roger and I would tape the molds and we'd shoot the gel ourselves. Usually when the layout was straight forward or no one else could do it.

It was a great time to be building boats... I can smell resin just thinking about it.

I just remembered the name of another guy that blew gel, Dave Holland. He might have been the 3rd guy I couldn't remember, or he might have been the surf cat, damn memory.
Holland is well over six foot tall, Mitchell is a few inches under 6 if it helps:) I think Mitchell is from Huntington area??
 

guest hs

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jul 15, 2010
Messages
6,288
Reaction score
6,837
Patricio is the main gel coater at Advantage now. I know he has been there long enough that he has done every XFlight they have built.
 
Top