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When repairing a hull, des one need to put on several coats of Gelcoat? I will be filling holes and fixing cosmetic spider cracks and then re-gelcoating those areas, but should I re-coat the etire insde surface of the hull? Is there a problem with just putting on one layer or two layers of gelcoat over the existing gelcoat to make it look like new again? Of coarse i will prep the area by sanding, but I'm not sure if I need more than one or two coats for a soldid end product.
Any help would be great.
Thanks

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I just did a full restore on a beater '69 13 and gel coated the whole damn thing! First did all the cosmetic repair with west and then just sprayed on Evercoat gel coat with a cheap LV spray gin from Harbor Freight tools...about 20 bucks. Had to of course thin the stuff down, but after masking simply took about four laps around the boat and Presto! By the time you went around the first coat was set and ready for more.

Dry sanding took off the orange peel and then three passes with progressivly finer wet paper followed by rubbing compound and wax...looks like a showroom new boat not a 38 year old pig. The blue interior is a bit more of a science project to match( hah) the blue. Re shot the smooth after repair but left the non skid alone...just a scrub with bon-ami to take off the chalking.

Spraying the gell coat is the trick and I am now considering this rather LP on my '69 Ericson 30...much easier and much cleaner end results and easier for little repairs. Shot my sons sabot at the same time and just left the orange peel.

As a side note the Whaler restore was a diversion from my real project...the sailboat. The little 13 was a snap compared to a full monty on a 30' boat!

A few pic's attached...hope they go thru

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No pics blake... You make the spraying sound pretty easy. Isn't there a step to make the gel kick and harden (wax spray)? Any chance you could give a quick outline of the spraying steps? I'd also read that there's a purple tool die you can put on the hull after the gel dries, and when you sand. once the purple is gone, that level of grit is too... Helps as a gauge in knocking down the orange peel. Thanks,

Dave

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Lots of info at fibreglast.com... check the discussion boards under "marine." Note the unusual spelling.

I think you could blow a couple of coats over the old, if you want. Rough it up, catalyse, and shoot, sand, sand, sand, sand, compound, and buff. Derwd, you're thinking on the last coat. Some put styrene wax in it, which floats to the surface to seal it off so it isn't gummy. Others spray over top with PVA sealer, which washes off with the first sanding. Some guys in the biz don't put anything in the last coat. They just scrub the gummies off with acetone.

Our member jjaywill is in the biz, and he has been helpful to me on my project. Maybe he'll check in. Bob Kemmler, Jr is also now in the biz. Good luck with the project, and let us know how it goes.

Blake... your post is an inspiration! I've been dreading that step! So you just run around the boat a couple of times with a gun in your hand? :D

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Sorry if this is a dumb question, but what are you referring to when you speak of the "Orange Peel" ? :o

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Not a dumb question at all. The "Orange Peel" refers to the texture of a surface after it's been sprayed, in our case with paint or gel coat. You'd think it would be a totally flat surface given that you're spraying on a liquid, but it isn't, there are little tiny bumps left by the atomization of the paint as it's sprayed. Once dry, the texture of the surface resembles that of an orange peel and can be wet sanded "smooth" with progressively lighter grit sand paper, then buffing compounds, to produce that truly flat, mirror like finish that we'd all like to have!

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Was searching around for a overall description of spraying gel on a whole hull and came across this article that describes how to spot repair very well, worth a read to gain an understanding how it's done. Doesn't look that difficult... (on paper anyway!) Article

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Guys..I gotta tell you...I have rolled and tipped a ton of 2-part LP with all of the crazy prep work, priming sanding etc. I am sold on spraying gel coat!

Doooo not forget one thing...you need a top drawer well fitting resperator or your lungs are toast...even with a top pot sprayer.

The huge benefit is future repairs and a polish to renew. To answer the wax / curing agent question...use finishing gelcoat with a built in wax. As long as the stuff has not completely kicked you canovercoat until you run out of hose from being wound around the trailor / sawhorses.

I am no expert at this process by a longshot but I found it much easier to just blow the stuff on with reckless abandon ( no drips or sags please) and then sand dry/wet then buff and wax. LP is a pain.

Posted are many accounts of folks afraid of the process of a refurb. If you do not take shortcuts and really take your time the results you will be rewarded ...but you are best stripping the boat and starting from scratch. Otherwise you are just puting perfume on a pig.

I guess a I considered a 13 BW a snap...and a diversion from my primary projecet...full monty on the '69 Ericson 30...and yess I will spray gell coat.

Sorry about the pic's I'll try again...shots before and after being kissed by the princess!

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Here is a great article on gel-coating.