Gelcoat 102

[Member: 71]

Kudos on an excellent thread, very interesting stuff. :bowdown:
Suxs, I just came across it. Looking forward to more updates.:thumbsup:thumbsup

 

[RetroBoats]

Phone's drowned:thumbsdown

Your right there,liquid sucks for tapeing on,doesn't work worth a shit.Honestly I dont know if just going over it with another release wax will work,you may have to strip it.

Meguires gold mold release.:thumbsupI think its #8

So far I hven't come across any one using it on the boat molds.Some of them are using it for high traffic one color small parts,and like it.

The good guy sales men that know their product will know and tell you tape wont stick up front.
Out of the mold shine on the hull wont mean much if you plan to wetsand and buff the boat anyways. Honestly I never saw a diff. between the two in that dept.

Some how I keep missing this thread. Yes, we use #8 as well, just wondering if there was something better. Did you get your cell dried out yet ??

 

[Gelcoater]

So how I keep missing this thread. Yes, we use #8 as well, just wondering if there was something better. Did you get your cell dried out yet ??

No and no.:grumble:

 

[RetroBoats]

Doing any boat projects at the moment ??

 

[Gelcoater]

Doing any boat projects at the moment ??

Yes,but its TOP SECRET.SHHHHHHHHHHH ! It will be seen here eventually,but I cant say anything more at this time.

 

[Dave Wettlaufer]

So I wasn't supposed to tell anyone???

 

[Gelcoater]

:swear

So I wasn't supposed to tell anyone???

NO.

 

[RetroBoats]

Yes,but its TOP SECRET.SHHHHHHHHHHH ! It will be seen here eventually,but I cant say anything more at this time.

Hope you aren't working out at Area 51.

 

[Dave Wettlaufer]

Hope you aren't working out at Area 51.

I was told I can't say anything!But I do have this photo!

 

[Dave Wettlaufer]

...and these.
See, I didn't say anything.

 

[Gelcoater]

Damnit Dave! Now the secret is out.

 

[Cooperider]

I love this gel coat stuff, thanks for the great thread.

 

[Gelcoater]

I love this gel coat stuff, thanks for the great thread.

You should check out the thong thread.

 

[Cooperider]

You should check out the thong thread.

I've been checking that one out too.

 

[Cooperider]

Hey Gelcoater, I just want to share a few pics with you to show you that us midwestern guys can shoot some gel too. I've even done some RC stuff for a few guys.

 

[Gelcoater]

Hey Gelcoater, I just want to share a few pics with you to show you that us midwestern guys can shoot some gel too. I've even done some RC stuff for a few guys.

:thumbsupWhat mfg is the big boat? You should post some more pics,man.

 

[Cooperider]

The big boat is a Checkmate.

 

[Cooperider]

A nice flag graphic.

 

[Cooperider]

Still two steps to go on this one. A stripe that intersects the graphic, and then the side color.

Sort of like the graphics in this boat but the sides are not white.

 

[Gelcoater]

:thumbsup Hey what a concept,tilt the mold,rather than building up makeshift scaffold boards.You wouldn't believe how many of these west coast builders build a 30 ft V bottom mold just like a 20 ft ski boat mold,with no way to reach the center of the deck,and even standing on boards,stacked on boxes,cant reach the chine on the hull. Then they cant understand why im grouchy they sold a boat with all the graphic down the center of the deck,and along the bottom 3 inches of the hull.:grumble:Then when I tell em i cant reach any of it,they call me a premadona.:fsakes

 

[Cooperider]

I haven't really had a deck wide enough to tilt. But the hulls, I've developed a lot of tricks over the years.
Like the yellow on that big hull was actually 2 steps, I don't try to pull good lines in the air like that, too much of a risk for the gel to sag. So I did one side at a time. I tilt it so that one side is almost level with the ground to spray. Gel coat stays put on a horizontal surface, then I flip it to do the other side, covering the first. I've got that hull set up to finish out, all that was left was the white. If I tried that graphic with the hull sitting on the ground, I would get light spots, or sagging lines.

 

[Gelcoater]

I haven't really had a deck wide enough to tilt. But the hulls, I've developed a lot of tricks over the years.
Like the yellow on that big hull was actually 2 steps, I don't try to pull good lines in the air like that, too much of a risk for the gel to sag. So I did one side at a time. I tilt it so that one side is almost level with the ground to spray. Gel coat stays put on a horizontal surface, then I flip it to do the other side, covering the first. I've got that hull set up to finish out, all that was left was the white. If I tried that graphic with the hull sitting on the ground, I would get light spots, or sagging lines.

:thumbsupI guess we can reach most of the v bottom decks,except some of the 38+footers. The big cats are the worst for reaching center deck,usually resort to going belly down on a 2x12 across the mold pulling tape under me and hoping like hell i dont fall in.
Im also hopeing like hell a couple of people(who shall remain nameless) read this section,a view of the real world outside their little bubble.

 

[Cooperider]

I'm still amazed at how some out that way, build a hull plug, then flip it to make the deck plug. Make the deck mold, then flip it again to make the hull mold.

Seems like one too many flips to me. But then, the ones I deal with are shoebox fit, not edge to edge.

I've got some print pictures to make some scans of, I'll have some more to post soon. I'd post some new ones but it will be March before I spray anymore around here.

 

[Gelcoater]

yulp! see it at :slomo: the L.A. show

Here it is done

 

[RetroBoats]

A nice flag graphic.

That is pretty damn awesome !!! The checked flag flows nicely around the hull.

Curious do know much about Checkmates that were gel coated back in the early 70's ??? I have an old race tunnel that is pretty unique, but can't find anything out about it.

 

[RetroBoats]

Here it is done




View attachment 132743

Very nice work !!

 

[Gelcoater]

I'm still amazed at how some out that way, build a hull plug, then flip it to make the deck plug. Make the deck mold, then flip it again to make the hull mold.

Seems like one too many flips to me. But then, the ones I deal with are shoebox fit, not edge to edge.

I've got some print pictures to make some scans of, I'll have some more to post soon. I'd post some new ones but it will be March before I spray anymore around here.

Not everyone does it like that.Most i see are one flip less.Hull plug,hull mold,deck plug,deck mold.The hull plugs/molds are much heavier,and take the weight of the deck better than the other way around.I could go on about this,but at that point starting to intrude on some mfg.s trade secrets. And in most cases alot of little plugs and molds for interior/hatch etc.

PS... I dont know about you,but i hate shoebox fit molds,their such a pain,from gel to assy,just a pain.

 

[Cooperider]

I've got a whole field full of those shoebox style molds. From 17ft to 26ft. Hopefully soon I'll get to start using them.
Been dealing with those shoeboxes all my life, so I'm aclimated to them. But I am always open to new methods.

 

[Gelcoater]

I've got a whole field full of those shoebox style molds. From 17ft to 26ft. Hopefully soon I'll get to start using them.
Been dealing with those shoeboxes all my life, so I'm aclimated to them. But I am always open to new methods.

I hope you get to use them all this year:thumbsup

Merry Christmas.

 

[Gelcoater]

Funny,all that talk about tilting big molds a few weeks back,and now this giant.

 

[RetroBoats]

Are you gel coating that big bad boy ??

 

[Gelcoater]

Are you gel coating that big bad boy ??

GelcoatED

 

[Gelcoater]

I helped out our friends at Schiada with a job as their gel guy is having some health issues,get well soon Gene.
So yesterday I tackled the deck of this 43 foot monster w/a 9.6' beam.The simulated windshield was white with a heavy pearl,and a gray pinstripe. The rest of the deck and liner were silver metalic also with a heavy pearl. First shot was a pin stripe then a coat of clear,followed by another clear coat with the pearl,followed by the white,then uncover all the masking. Again a shot of clear,clear with pearl,then silver.Finished around 7 pm,then an hour drive home from LB to Riverside(with a stop at In & Out) Nearest i can recall I sprayed over 20 gallons of gelcoat yesterday,2 quarts at a time,and today I feel like I was run over by a truck.
Lee tells me they may pull the hull sometime later this week,so I may have some pics of it to post sometime after.

The guys at Schiada are some talented people,all of the under deck construction such as bathroom walls,birth walls,flooring, etc are being built from scratch! No parts i saw were from existing molds,making this a true custom built boat.All of the nonskid areas in the liner will be replaced with custom wood inlay. There were extensive blueprints of everything,something rarely seen in the custom boat world. This thing should be amazing when done.
Many thanks to the Schiada crew for the oppertunity to be a part of this project.

 

[Gelcoater]

Here's a shot before the masking was removed.

 

[Cooperider]

2 Quarts? You need a bigger pressure pot.

But dang, freaking awesome mold to spray.

 

[Cooperider]

Here is a little 17ft Checkmate Sportfire from back in the late '80's. Would have been more pictures from back then, but film and processing was expensive.

 

[Cooperider]

Metal Flake fogged edge. We never really tried this with regular gel coat. But we made up for it with lots of flake ones.

 

[Cooperider]

Can't forget all the hot pink and greens and blues from back then.

 

[Cooperider]

This might be backwards to some, but for us it was easier to use a lot of paper, and paint the stripe first. This way if we messed up, we didn't have to blow out anything more than a stripe. Much easier and cheaper than blowing the gel out of a full boat.

 

[Cooperider]

Classic tape for a 251 Checkmate Convincor.

 

[Cooperider]

This was originally a five step hull. Bottom, stripe, sides, stripe, then trim. I changed the tape off and made it a three step hull. Bottom, stripes, and then sides and trim together.

It worked great because there was a tiny little style line in the mold where the top stripe is. Big enough that it would keep the stripe from sagging.

Years later when the hulls didn't have this line, it was back to the five steps, otherwise that top stripe could sag and look wavy.

 

[spotondl]

Great thread. Never noticed it before but I'm most certainly watching now. :thumbsup:


Spot

 

[Gelcoater]

Cooperider,you building anything yet this year?

Gotta love those old school hockey stick designs you posted.:thumbsup

 

[Cooperider]

Cooperider,you building anything yet this year?

Gotta love those old school hockey stick designs you posted.:thumbsup

Thinking about building one for me, but can't decide on colors. Or if I wan't to get out the polyflake.

I need a color chart and some darts.

 

[Gelcoater]

Thinking about building one for me, but can't decide on colors. Or if I wan't to get out the polyflake.

I need a color chart and some darts.

Funny how we can pick colors for someone else but not for ourself?

You should pick a few color combos and post a poll in the lounge.I figure your going to sell it at somepoint,so pick wisely.The combo that wins the poll will be fairly accurate to what the majority of buyers would want I would think,just don't listen to Tom Brown.

 

[Cooperider]

Yeah, its always been like that. I might put up a poll with some designs for the next one. This one, I'm probably going to see what I got the most of laying around, and go from there.

Although, I'm kind of thinking, maybe just one color, basic Black.



This one had a Mint Green stripe on the deck and hull. A little tweek in photoshop and I'm liking it.

 

[Gelcoater]

Black boats sell in your part of the country?

Around here it takes that 1 in 100 person,with the form over function mentality to get a black unit. They look great,but holy crap they get hot.

 

[Cooperider]

Black boats sell in your part of the country?

Around here it takes that 1 in 100 person,with the form over function mentality to get a black unit. They look great,but holy crap they get hot.

I agree, hot as hell. Built more than a few over the years.

I was looking around at what gel I had. I think I'm going to go with a Red base color, a white stripe, then black trim. Nothing fancy, so I'm even going to do some youtube vids of the whole thing.

 

[Gelcoater]

I agree, hot as hell. Built more than a few over the years.

I was looking around at what gel I had. I think I'm going to go with a Red base color, a white stripe, then black trim. Nothing fancy, so I'm even going to do some youtube vids of the whole thing.

:thumbsupcant wait! This section needs some action.Wish I wasn't so far away,I'd lend a hand.
Ya know,black and white make gray,buy some Ice pearl and some clear,and add some sparkle.With a little planning you could make something great with those colors.

 

[t&y]

Ok..... So you spray the gel colors onto the mold and then it get's ??????? which makes it bond to the fiberglass layup of the boat :headscratch: