Gelcoat help needed

P

PBC1974

New Member
I will be working on bringinga 1976 Super Sunfish back to life and need to know if I need to scrape/grind all the gelcoat down to the glass then fill it? I'd like to have the entire bottom re-gel coated in factory orange. The person that is re gelcoating said the cracks need to be fixed first. Any guidance is appreciated!
 

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Big job if you're new to it. The person that is gelcoating ought to know about needed prep work too.....but no...just fix any damage, cracks, dings, etc. Gelcoat over existing after proper prep work. If you can feel a repair...its not ready for gelcoat...as you'll still see the repair.
Btw...its a boat bottom...go sailing!
 
I triple what has just been said. It’s not a racer so just sail it. If you decide to become a serious racer it’ll be cheaper to buy a regular Sunfish in good shape.
 
Yes, new gelcoat would be WAY too much trouble and expense, you'd be better off fixing those dings & cracks, sanding & prepping the hull, priming & painting it yourself... 2 coats each of LP primer & paint, and even THEN you'll be ahead of the game as far as hassle & expense go. Gelcoat work is not something for the uninitiated to attempt, and a hand can get ripped off as well... just my $.02, for what it's worth. Mixmkr called it correctly, I just think you'd be wasting money on new gelcoat. Good 2-part LP paint is reasonably priced, and you can do all the work yourself... it ain't rocket science. No matter what decision you make, be sure to fix those dings & cracks, you don't want those to get any worse. Good luck, and CHEERS!!! :rolleyes:
 
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There are two trains of thought on paint. I think I am in the minority, but I’d vote against paint. It’s easy to scratch, and no one cares what the bottom of your hull looks like! Just fix up the dings and enjoy.
 
beldar boathead said:
There are two trains of thought on paint.
Click to expand...

Yes, there are two trains... and I'm aboard the other one. 2-part LP is tough and durable, and when applied correctly it will last for several years, at which point it can be sanded & repainted without too much trouble. It's also flexible enough to not crack as a small hull works in a seaway... which is why I like LP so much. Of course, as an old school skateboarder I liked urethane wheels... maybe there's a correlation, lol. ;)

Gelcoat in itself is not prohibitively expensive, it's when ya farm out the work that the costs rise. 2-part LP is a viable alternative to gelcoat work, if the Op is willing to go that route. And working with paint is much easier than working with gelcoat, specifically for someone who has never used gelcoat. Meh, not my call & not my problem... at least there won't be any pigment matching involved if the OP uses gelcoat, THAT can be a royal PITA, lol. :eek:

I was a good glassworker back in the day, but I'd farm out gelcoat work to my friend "T-Bone" (or Tommy D.), whose family ran the first surf shop in Coronado for several decades. He was the master, especially at pigment matching, which was important when fixing all those dinged-up surfboards folks brought into the shop, lol. Damned good glassworker too, an artist with a Milwaukee grinder & sanding disc, lol. :rolleyes:

Working on those boards requires a finer touch, since the cloth weights are lower... if a worker is clumsy or inattentive, he (or she) can grind right through the glass and into the foam, wood stringer(s), etc. Boat work is a bit more forgiving, and the heavier cloth weights offer more protection once they are saturated with catalyzed resin and cured. But I digress... all the OP needs to know is that there's more than one way to solve that ugly hull problem. :confused:

I suppose if the boat is capsized and adrift at sea, that "Coast Guard Orange" color will help rescuers find the boat, lol. Moi, I'd go with purple or royal blue, maybe a darker blue like the old IACC 'Stars & Stripes' hull (dating myself here), but that's just my preference. That's also the beauty of working with LP, there are SO MANY choices available when picking a hull color... entire color charts full of possible choices. I always liked that part, selecting a new color, like a kid in a candy store... :)

ANYWAY, THE OP CAN FIGURE IT ALL OUT... BEING A MASTER SKIPPER INVOLVES SUCH DECISIONS, LOL. ANOTHER BENEFIT OF BOAT OWNERSHIP, IT TEACHES ONE TO SOLVE PROBLEMS... BOTH AT SEA & ASHORE. CHEERS!!! :cool:
 
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What's your end goal? All that work could be done, not inexpensive, and then you would be dragging her on and off the beach or investing in a nice dolly.

If you want to re-gelcoat the entire bottom then yes, the age cracks in the gelcoat would have to be repaired and the other damaged areas should be examined and repaired to ensure hull integrity.
 
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