Finding the best GELCOAT application method for my JET BOAT
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- Опубликовано: 31 авг 2023
- This journey of restoring this 1979 Centurion has been much more than I expected. From the initial tear down to replacing the transom wood. Cutting, fitting, and installing the new stringers, floors, and bulkheads. Now that all the structural work on the boat is complete and behind us, I can shift my focus from strength and function. To beauty and style. And my vice of choice? Applying three different colors of gelcoat on the inside of my bilge!
Given my lack of knowledge and experience with gelcoat, some would say that I am being a bit too ambitious with my plans for the bilge of my jet boat. However, I have a lot of experience with custom paint and automotive bodywork. After a lot of research, reading, and speaking with people who know a lot more than I do when it comes to gelcoat, I have a plan to achieve the results that I am looking for. Or so I think.
I really want the bilge of my jet boat to be the crowning jewel of this build. I have a very specific idea of what I want the finished product to look like. However, due to my lack of experience, I am still determining the best and easiest way to achieve the results I am looking for.
There are a lot of additional factors to consider when doing this relatively simple three-color scheme with gelcoat rather than paint. The main difficulty is getting enough build-up of the gelcoat and considerations for the wax additive. Plus, I want the level of all three colors to be the same height. I want the finish to mimic the appearance of being applied in a mold. I have thought it through and have a game plan, but before I jump right into the bilge of the boat, it will be best to try my ideas out on a test panel. This test will help me familiarize myself with the product and process I want to use. Will I prove my theory, or will I have even more questions?
~ Nick
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Take a peek at some of my additional projects & content that you may enjoy:
1988 BMW M5 (E28) Full Restoration:
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▶️ 1979 Centurion Jet Boat:
• 1979 Centurion Jet Boat
▶️ 2001 BMW M5:
• 2001 BMW M5
▶️ Tech Tips & Technical Deep Dives:
• Tech Tips & Technical ...
▶️ Hot Rods & Domestic's:
• Hot Rods & Domestic's
▶️ Dinan E28 M5 (1988 BMW M5):
• Dinan E28 M5 (1988 BMW...
▶️ 2006 Subaru WRX STi:
• 2006 Subaru WRX STi
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About AutoTechNick:
Growing up in rural Oregon, I was always around Hot Rods & Race Cars. I imagine my early exposure to this culture ignited a spark of interest in cars, which remains my passion.
🎓 I am a proud Alumni of Wyoming Technical Institute, where I studied Automotive Technology, Performance Engine Building & Street Rod Fabrication. In addition to "WyoTech," I graduated from the BMW Service Technician Education Program, more commonly known as BMW S.T.E.P.
🏎️ I spent nearly ten years working in various BMW dealerships as a Master Technician. After a move back home to the PNW, I found myself no longer servicing German-made machines but now working with Italians. I spent nearly another ten years as a Ferrari Master Technician & Shop Foreman at a local Ferrari dealership.
🏆 Ferrari selected me as one of 12 technicians worldwide to compete in the "Ferrari Testa Rossa Awards" for four years consecutively. Finishing in 3rd place in 2016, & in 2019 I was able to place in 1st, winning the competition & earning the title of the "Top Ferrari Technician in the World!"
🚀 As my time with Ferrari came to an end, a new career path awaited me…. Aerospace. I am currently working at Blue Origin, helping to build & develop the BE-3PM and BE-3U rocket engines.
With my new career path, I needed an outlet for my automotive passion, thus the reason for this channel…
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I want to hear your ideas!!! Those of you who have experience with gelcoat, chime in and let me know how you would achieve this tri-color bilge.
~ Nick
I’ve done this a bunch of times. You should spray your stripes first with wax and build them up thick, then peel the tape while the gel is wet, let that start to kick or you can wait for it to fully cure, if you’re doing two different color stripes, then spray your background color as if the stripes are not there. After all that is fully cured, start sanding until your stripes pop through and you’re orange peel is gone. The transitions between colors will be seem less and all you’ll have to do from there is follow your regular sand and buff steps. Building up proper thickness and peeling your tape while the gel is wet are the two keys to making this process work so in order to do that you’ll need a large size spray tip (1.8-2.5) and minimal reduction.
Actually I forgot you can spray the stripes without wax since you’ll be covering them up with more gel coat
I am actually in the middle applying the gelcoat to my bilge. I am doing a bit of a hybrid method from what I covered in this video… and some methods similar to what you described above. So far it’s turning out well. Two colors down, one more to go!
~ Nick
Man, I’ve been watching all of your videos here recently, from the skunk 2 cams in the b18 all the way to your jet boat series. Keep up the good work man. You’ve been a huge help in my Biesemeyer project and my civic.
You’ve given me the knowledge to do my own stringer replacement all the way to how to take my 12jc pump apart and the tolerances of a pump. Thank you man.
Absolutely!! It is always really good to hear that the videos are helping others out on there projects. Thanks for the support!!
~ Nick
Keep thinking on it. You’ll figure it out 👍
But I second the vote to bring back the stache!
LOL, I am sure that the stache will make a comeback at some point!
~ Nick
Great advice!
You only need enough bell coat to make the color. It appears that you are getting full coverage with one coat. So I’ll suggest you mask the stripe, spray the white one layer with wax less, back mask with a small margin (let’s us 1/16”) of white showing, spray your stripe wax less and peel the tape while the colored stripe is wet-ish. It will slump into the white, and leave a 1/16” ridge. Now use a razor blade and scrape the ridge till u have a crisp line, doesn’t matter if there is still some ridge left. Now Durante h and clear is your friend. There might be some print through from the ridge, but you will only need to color sand where the ridges are. And u may find it hides and then no sanding.
In PR, the base is made in gel coat and the other colors are made with car paint and clear. It is easier. Car paint is thinner than gel coat. You spend less work.
Theres a guy whos famous for custom painting jet boats. Kustom Kolors by Billy B. Hes been at it for decades. Im sure he would have the answers to your questions.
Maybe I'll have to reach out and see what advice he has.
~ Nick
Layering up and finishing with clear over top is more sanding, but sanding in my opinion is the best way to control the finish.
Excited to see what method you pursue, keep up the great work!
I gel-coated my project Checkmate. I don’t have the shop or means to do spray so I rolled. Even with the wax additive, it left a slight tack. If I had to do it again, I would paint. I even tried PVA. Good luck.
Auto tech Nick
Try testing step 1, light sanding, final coats with clear coats to achieve smooth finish
Great content, keep up the good works.
Peace
That is a method that I am heavily considering.
~ Nick
Oh my, I'm doing the exact same thing in my boat. Trying to two tone the outside and make it smooth with gel coat.
It's tricky, isn't it... Lots of good information out there on gel coat, however, most of it is for in mold, out just one color out of the mold. I haven't found anything on multi-color out-of-mold techniques.
~ Nick
@@AutoTechNick I spoke to an old jet boat guy that does fades here in SoCal, and he mentioned he has to clear everything to fill the tiny voids, or the gel coat will bubble when it gets wet.
Duratec sunshield top coat lays extremely flat and takes almost no polishing after sanding the gel or doing a heavy final topcoat. Duratec is self leveling. I gelled mine with Duratec mixed into final top layer of my gel colors then topcoated everything with a 50/50 mix of Duratec and clear Gelcoat. You can sand in-between your color and top coat. I never polished mine after and it looks like glass. Gelcoat is so forgiving if you mix right and cure with uv. Duratec is your air barrier.
I have looked into this. Now I see that Duratec is not recommended for use below the water line. I also read that it can bubble if exposed to water. Now, I certainly hope that I don't ever have that much water in my bilge. But considering how much time I have invested in prep and layout by the time I am done, I really do not want to risk it.
Can you share your experience with the Duratec and the effects of water exposure? It seems like a great product, but I am nervous about the long-term durability. I would be devastated if it bubbled down the road.
~ Nick
From what I've been told, all the stuff you hear about below water line has to do with people who leave their boats in the water full time. And, in most cases, they're speaking about saltwater boats. A jet boat, like yours, might see the water for few days in a row. That would do nothing to the gel coat. Just think if it rains for 5 days straight and your cover gets wet and waterlogged, nothing happens to the gel coat.
Ive heard good things about duratec vinyl ester based products. Ill be using them on my build. Im prepping for gel now.
@SmalltownBassin It's all I use now. Never touch wax anymore with gel. All Duratec and pva if im worried about humidity or something. I agree with everything you said. Every single jet boat builder offers a "flow coat" option. The only issue I've had with water and Duratec was due to a bad airline dryer that put moisture into my gun. You do have slight opacity that you may have to account for, but I never had to worry. It's so easy and lays out very nicely. Everything cures very well from my experience, and you get uv protection, which is huge for Gelcoat. I've heard it could yellow below the waterline if in the water all season, but so can gelcoat. I love the stuff, just wish it didn't almost double in price over the past 3 years.
Man, you are making a very compelling and strong case for Duratec. I do have a question, though. After I was done with the video, I sprayed some regular clear coat over half of my test panel. Naturally, it looks great over the sanded and polished section. But on the outer edges, there was unsanded gel that I also cleared... So, there is a fair amount of orange peel texture to it. After the clear, that texture is still very visible.
So my question is, when you apply your gel with no wax, then spray the Duratec over the gel, how does the gel below the clear look in terms of texture and smoothness?
~ Nick
P.S. - Bring back the Stache of Authority
😂🤣😂🤣😂
Roll on some bilge coat and call it a day.
I wish I could, but I just can't. I like to make it hard for myself. 🤣😂🤣😂
I’m restoring a 76 Regatta and your videos could not have come at a better time. If you had to estimate, how many yard of fiberglass and how many gallons you think this project ran you?
thanks!
It's good to hear that the videos are helping you out with your restoration.
As for the product used.... I think I have used 6 gallons of resin, two full rolls of 12" 1708, and about 3/4 of a roll of 4' 1708. I also did buy some smaller sections of the 1708 sheet to cover the transom.
I am sure that if one was very concerned with weight, they could cut down on some of the materials used. I was more focused on strength and waterproofing.
~ Nick
@@AutoTechNick Thanks for the reply, Nick. My boat looks like it came with foam under the floor, so weight isn't a big worry. I wanted to estimate how much this would cost as this is "value" project. Thanks again.
It’s a bilge. Are you taking this boat to SEMA?
Fair point. No, no SEMA or shows. I am fully aware that this is a crazy amount of work for a bilge. I am not afraid of doing things the hard way. I always do my best to not cut corners and go that extra mile. I want to push myself and continue to grow my skill set.
~ Nick