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I'm planning to have the boat's exterior finish re-done. I have a couple of local prospects near me in Maine who I'm going to investigate to do the work for me. I'm looking for some tips on questions to ask, things to look for, etc. to help me identify the best person to do this work.
Anyone can say they're good, an 'expert', etc. I want to be smart in my selection and I'd appreciate any insight that some fellow Whaler fans can offer.
Thanks all in advance for your help... on this one and in the past.
Hi Mike, I am doing my 1974 Montauk right now and it is a tedious process. I had a lot of spider cracking going on in various spots and about a million screw holes that all had to be filled and patched. I have completely worn out a very new dremel tool.
I would say you can save yourself a lot of cash if you do the prep work yourself. Spraying on the Gel Coat is the least of the work and stripping the hull and prepping it for the GC is the time consuming part of this job.
Who ever does the work you must stress you want it done right. Any cracks must be V'd out and filled before the GC goes on. GC will not fill or even hide checking or spider cracks.
Unless your hull is in very bad shape then I would suggest you have an expert determine the best course of action. You might get away with some particular areas needing a complete sanding and GCing while most other spots might just require a good buffing and waxing. A good glass guy should be able to match the GC color and blend it in very well.
I can't even imagine what a shop would have charged me to do all this work right and then spray the GC on and sand it out with a final buff and polish. I think certainly as much as the boat may be worth to get it done professionally.
