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Gel Coat thickness - build up
bruser	#1  Posted on 04/26/09 - 2:31 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 82 Comments: 2 Joined: 09/22/08	Hello All; In the repair of the Montauk, I have been spraying gel coat on the entire outside of the hull. When I finished I had quite a bit of orange peel to the finish. I sand down to get rid of the orenge peel and end up sanding through the gel I sprayed(in spots). I am at the end of my rode I sprayed two coats of laminating gel when dry I sprayed 1 clat of gel with wax, cut 50/50 with duratec. The whole surface is "textured" and didn't seam to level at all. I am thinking I should roll and tip another coat because the spray is not turning out. Any thoughts from the "experts" here? As noted by the amount of work so far, I'm not afraid to try anything. I have even thought about leaving the texture......
Blackduck	#2  Posted on 04/27/09 - 8:41 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 519 Comments: 0 Joined: 02/25/06	You need a spray a lot of material to get a build up of 15 to 20 mils. Maybe 10 coats or more, unless you are using spray equipment that can put down very heavy coats each time you spray. For example, a montauck console alone can eat up 2 quarts.
Eri	#3  Posted on 04/27/09 - 11:00 AM
Member Personal Page Posts: 157 Comments: 4 Joined: 10/09/08	Don't use gel coat. Use Awlgrip or another type of epoxy topcoat and make sure your prep is good.
kamie	#4  Posted on 04/27/09 - 11:36 AM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 2975 Comments: 3 Joined: 11/04/05	That is one of the challenges with gelcoat, enough thickness so when you sand you still have some left. I would double check your setup, gun and pressure and the measurements for thinning the gelcoat. You should get some orange peel but not so much that to get a smooth finish you sand thru it. Try some test shots on a section of plywood before you try the boat again.
Derwd24	#5  Posted on 04/27/09 - 11:39 AM
Member Posts: 1607 Comments: 9 Joined: 05/09/07	The other trick I've read is using dye on the orange peel before you start sanding. Once the dye is gone, you know you've completely sanded the surface, even the "low" spots in the orange peel, and it's time to stop working that area. Dave - 1983 Outrage 22
jquigley	#6  Posted on 04/27/09 - 12:55 PM
Member Posts: 269 Comments: 1 Joined: 07/17/07	I have heard a similar method, i think it involves applying a thin layer of black lacquer (i think), once its gone, you're smooth.
Turpin	#7  Posted on 04/27/09 - 2:37 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 434 Comments: 20 Joined: 07/04/08	that is one of the tricks I learned when sanding primer, Prime it then speckle it with a different color for sanding gauge. 1963 13' Sport 50hp Evinrude Maintaining a level of sanity that is socially acceptable
bruser	#8  Posted on 04/27/09 - 4:40 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 82 Comments: 2 Joined: 09/22/08	Thanks for the input guys, I may just sand to smooth then paint. Have to see how much gel is left. Its on real heavy, but the orange peal is killing me.
kamie	#9  Posted on 04/27/09 - 5:32 PM
Member Personal Page Project Albums Posts: 2975 Comments: 3 Joined: 11/04/05	are you shooting it to thick? Multiple thin coats vs few very thick coats
Derwd24	#10  Posted on 04/27/09 - 5:51 PM
Member Posts: 1607 Comments: 9 Joined: 05/09/07	This is a great article, maybe something in it will help? http://bertram31.com/proj/tips/re-gel...oating.htm Dave - 1983 Outrage 22
modenacart	#11  Posted on 04/27/09 - 6:19 PM
Member Personal Page Posts: 741 Comments: 4 Joined: 02/28/09	Based on the article it sounds like you don't sand between coats, just after the final coat. Is this correct?