Changing colour of gelcoat question

[carlos515]

Yes, next time I will use my respirator.

Would surface veil E glass be good for sealing the wood instead of 1.5oz chop strand?

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

I don't see why not. It's more to help hold more resin than for structure. Use it if you already have it, but if you're ordering materials I would just stick with the mat.

 

[carlos515]

Ok, thanks. I need more mat, so hence the question. I will just order chop strand and more resin.

 

[carlos515]

I had a 1/4 quart of red gel. So it was suggested to gel the engine cover. Now I am torn between the Cobalt blue and the red for the hull.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Red fades to pink in the sun

Blue fades to light blue

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

Red fades to pink in the sun

Blue fades to light blue

He could use automotive clear on it, but if he did, then he might as well just base and clear it.

 

[carlos515]

Will it fade even with the 904? Did not think of the sun.......
How resilient are the vinyl marine decals? I was thinking of decals over the blue or red. Now what about white?

 

[carlos515]

He could use automotive clear on it, but if he did, then he might as well just base and clear it.

How does urethane hold up in a marine environment?

 

[Scott Danforth]

I changed from red to blue on my hull because of the fading

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

How does urethane hold up in a marine environment?

As far as environmental wear, it's not much different than a car that stays outside all the time. It will stay shiny much better than gel.

The downside is that it's more susceptible to physical damage. So you don't want to spray the bottom because the bunks will damage it, and the roller on the bow stand likely will too.

Also, vinyl decals will hold up for a long time, but will protect the gel under them. Meaning, if for some reason you need to remove the decals later, the protected gel won't match the exposed gel around it. It's usually deeper than a sand and buff will fix, but might not be an issue for a long time.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Blue handles UV better than Red. clear has no UV inhibitor, which is why you see cars in Florida rust from the top down as the clear coat fails, then the paint fails

Keeping your boat stored indoors and properly waxed helps

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

clear has no UV inhibitor

You have to get higher quality paint for it. That stuff gets expensive quick. We did a bass boat once that was going to Texas, so the boss wanted to spray a better clear than we usually do. I think it was something like $400 per gallon.

I read somewhere a long time ago that gel could be made with different mixes for better uv resistance too. It's a bit beyond my knowledge though.

 

[carlos515]

I will stick with gel. It seems somewhat more durable on a boat than auto paint. The white gel is an ISO NPG exterior UV resistant marine gelcoat. Now, as far as the motor cover goes, it will go white also. I plan on putting a foam pad covered in marine vinyl in the seat color down the middle. The whole rear seating is modular, and will be fixed to the floor with aluminum angle. This way, if needed, can be removed to work on the motor. Not finished with them yet, still have to glass the inside.

 

[carlos515]

Well, I unscrewed my old speed sensor tube on the stern. 2 minutes of streaming water came out of the holes. This is because of the winter, the tarp ripped, was not noticed till late spring. Looks like the floor will come out.....again. I need to see how bad it is under the floor.
On a side note, I did not like the floor height and installation from previous. Not that I like doing things twice, but the floor was bugging me.

 

[MikeSchinlaub]

Oof, that's not a fun job. Was the drain plug left in?

 

[carlos515]

No, but the access plate covers were not in. Wood feels wet. I used ACX. This time marine ply. Against better judgment and advice from on this forum, I used timbers for stringers instead of marine ply also. It does not pay to rush and not adhere to the collective voice. With the price for a new 21 footer, this time I will do the job properly. Talk about waste.

 

[carlos515]

What oz of chop strand mat for the stringers? 1oz be good, or .75oz? The 1708 I have. I am getting ahead of myself, but I know what I must do.

 

[carlos515]

The boat weighs, 3400lbs approx. How heavy would the cap be?

Edit: I have the boat supported on my custom boat stands this time, instead of sitting on the trailer. The bottom of the boat has what I believe to be roller indents ?

 

[Scott Danforth]

What oz of chop strand mat for the stringers? 1oz be good, or .75oz? The 1708 I have. I am getting ahead of myself, but I know what I must do.

The first layer of csm is just a binder. I use 1.5 oz

The two to 3 layers of 1708 are where the strength is

 

[carlos515]

Well, like I thought, the port side has standing water under the floor. Floor will come out, stringers will also be removed. I will actually remove the remnants of the original floor along the sides.