How to gel coat large sections of the top deck?

G

Gman

New Member
Hi, is there anybody who can give me some advice on respraying the
topdeck of my laser, what to use i.e, gelcoat and how much. I bought
the boat last year and had to refiberglass some parts of the gunnels
top deck side. It has left the top deck very patchy...Is this
something I could do with a spray gun and a few litres of gelcoat?

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I thought I'd pass along some advice from the Hobie Cat forum:

If you're ever shooting gelcoat, I found the homeowners secret. For $9.99 at Kragen auto you can buy a cheap touch up gun that shoots gel pefectly!! If the pot hardens, toss it and go get another one. It's way better than thrashing my $300 pro gun and I get the same results.

This is from Jeremy at Surf City Catamrans. I haven't tried it myself, but it sounds like useful advice!
 
Why not call West Marine and see what they suggest? I've done similar repairs on old Sunfish with West Marine products and as long as the ratios were done precisely, the end product was better than I expected.
 
Could you post a picture?
It is hard to say how much good gelcoat will do. you might need to do some sanding before finishing it.
I would not spray, unless you are a prof! It is damned hard. You can apply it with a brush and a squezee, works fine, and should leave you with very little sanding.

Georg
 
Be sure to use an air dry additive. Gelcoat will not cure properly on it's own when exposed to open air. If you spray it with a cheap gun, thin it with acetone, and spray a few thin coats, then try to lay the last one on nice and thick without running.
 
Yea... Steve's got the idea. I do numerous large repairs at a sailing center every year, since my college "learn to sail classes" kill my poor boats and whatnot...

Get the cheap disposable sprayers, they gunk up less and you won't cry if gelcoat cures in your spraying mechinism. The acetone is very important. We use a 50/50 acetone/gelcoat mix so it sprays easier. Another nice part about the acetone is that once is dries, it will leave a texture about the same grit as the laser stock decks. It won't match, but it will feel almost the same.

As steve said, thin coats are the key. What we do is between coats, we blast the area with a heat gun to tack it up so the next coat bond easier and drips less. ALso, we put the gelcoat/acetone mixture and the spayer in the freezer to keep it cold, hence extending the pot life.

It's tedious, but the finished product is pretty nice. I did an entire gunwhale of my laser like this in the fall and she still sails/feels almost as good as she did before delamination.



Jon
 
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