I’m about to dig In to restoring my 73-75 style top, I plan on gel coating the whole thing as it was from the factory. I’ve got two questions, firstly, anyone who’s done it before know roughly how much I’ll need? Multiple coats without wax and one with wax. My main question is about color. You can buy cans of white all day long, but my concern is it won’t be similar enough to the white I plan on using as the middle stripe in my two tone paint scheme. First thought was to just have an auto paint shop tint some for me, but I’m thinking that’s overkill. Frost white will be the 2nd color tone for the middle. Do we think the factory color matched the whites or just used a pre colored white when forming and finishing the tops?
CK5
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Gel coat questions
- Thread starter Jake_C_
- Start date
Watching this thread! I've got a 74 top that will need to be restored and hope we get some great commentary on the topic.
I’m guessing not a lot of people on here have dealt with gel coat before which would explain the lack of replies. I see a lot of people bed lining their tops but not a lot of gel coat. I’ve got a game plan and I’ll post my progress and how it turns out. Hopefully we get some people in here that know what they’re talking about before I mess anything up too bad!
Are you sure the top isn't painted?
https://ck5.com/forums/threads/adding-gelcoat-to-the-fiberglass-top.285881
https://ck5.com/forums/threads/adding-gelcoat-to-the-fiberglass-top.285881
Not totally sure, it’s definitely been top coated after the fact because there was a hole that someone filled with silicone and the silicone also had that top coat. I’m guessing like a truck bed liner since it’s a rough texture. Underneath, there’s a glossy smooth finish. I’m guessing that’s factory gel. My plan was to sand past the bed liner, into the old gel, and after fixing any holes or chips in the fiberglass, rolling on the gel coat to give it some texture.
Fell down a rabbit hole today...
That was some major repairing done on the hatch, impressive. Give me confidence with my minor repairs.
He seems super knowledgeable about fiberglass work and gel coat. If he’s still on the forum id love to pick his brain.
the cranium awaits your inquiries..... 
@ryoken sorry for the late reply, thanks for joining! Here’s my plan of attack: sand top down past whatever top coat is on it, 
Ive started this process, it’s slow by hand but should keep everything pretty fair. im at 40 grit now, will probably go to 80 or 120 to finish. Next make any necessary repairs/get resin on any exposed fibers. Then hit any remaining dings or low spots with polyester filler. Flip top and repeat. Get two gallons of white gel coat and some wax additive. Clean well and roll on unwaxed gel coat 1-2 coats inside and 1 waxed coat to finish. Let cure and flip, 2-3 coats unwaxed on the top side then 1 final coat of waxed. Let cure and have a beer. A few reasons I want to use gel coat instead of a bed liner or some other kind of paint: compatibility with fiberglass with no primer, ability to roll on instead of spray, (not practical to spray in the shop right now) I like the textured look of straight rolled gel coat, and finally, if I ever get into boats, which I plan to, I’d like the experience of working with it. I’m still open to any other top coats, those are just my reasons. I realize gel coat needs occasional maintenance to keep it from getting chalky. Would the texture from rolling make it harder to maintain?
Is there any part of this plan that sounds even close to correct? Thanks in advance for the advice!
Ive started this process, it’s slow by hand but should keep everything pretty fair. im at 40 grit now, will probably go to 80 or 120 to finish. Next make any necessary repairs/get resin on any exposed fibers. Then hit any remaining dings or low spots with polyester filler. Flip top and repeat. Get two gallons of white gel coat and some wax additive. Clean well and roll on unwaxed gel coat 1-2 coats inside and 1 waxed coat to finish. Let cure and flip, 2-3 coats unwaxed on the top side then 1 final coat of waxed. Let cure and have a beer. A few reasons I want to use gel coat instead of a bed liner or some other kind of paint: compatibility with fiberglass with no primer, ability to roll on instead of spray, (not practical to spray in the shop right now) I like the textured look of straight rolled gel coat, and finally, if I ever get into boats, which I plan to, I’d like the experience of working with it. I’m still open to any other top coats, those are just my reasons. I realize gel coat needs occasional maintenance to keep it from getting chalky. Would the texture from rolling make it harder to maintain?
Is there any part of this plan that sounds even close to correct? Thanks in advance for the advice!
grit work sounds fine, I'll often shoot right over 80 if I'm loading up some mils...... just make sure to wet out any dry areas with resin.. I like to thin it out a bit so it soaks in better.......
i tend to prefer PVA as a drying aid, as opposed to wax, but either way can work.... I don't recommend any use of styrene, always been a prob with yellowing anytime styrene is in a mix... for gel thinning I only use MEK, no yellowing...
ANY texture will make it vastly more difficult to maintain, thus the reason gel'd non-skid on boats is challenging.. it's why patterned non-skid is nice over grit versions, you can run buffers over them easier... but if your running a foam roller, your texture will be very minimal..... thus it could more than likely be buff waxed down the road...
all that said, you may wanna check into Duratec Clear additive for your final gel coating... I used to do 2 coats unwaxed gel, than finish off with wax and Duratek in the last heavy coat... the shine holds VASTLY better than regular gel.... https://www.fibreglast.com/product/duratec-clear-hi-gloss-gel-coat-additive
technically, they where shot with a spatter gun at the factory, but you can also add extra course non-skid grit to a last couple coats to achieve that look, for the most part.. it's pretty close...
www.westmarine.com
i tend to prefer PVA as a drying aid, as opposed to wax, but either way can work.... I don't recommend any use of styrene, always been a prob with yellowing anytime styrene is in a mix... for gel thinning I only use MEK, no yellowing...
ANY texture will make it vastly more difficult to maintain, thus the reason gel'd non-skid on boats is challenging.. it's why patterned non-skid is nice over grit versions, you can run buffers over them easier... but if your running a foam roller, your texture will be very minimal..... thus it could more than likely be buff waxed down the road...
all that said, you may wanna check into Duratec Clear additive for your final gel coating... I used to do 2 coats unwaxed gel, than finish off with wax and Duratek in the last heavy coat... the shine holds VASTLY better than regular gel.... https://www.fibreglast.com/product/duratec-clear-hi-gloss-gel-coat-additive
technically, they where shot with a spatter gun at the factory, but you can also add extra course non-skid grit to a last couple coats to achieve that look, for the most part.. it's pretty close...
Awlgrip Griptex Non-Skid Additive – Extra Coarse | West Marine
Awlgrip Griptex extra coarse non-skid additive for professional application. Provides durable, slip-resistant surface on decks and marine finishes.
www.westmarine.com
Great info, much appreciated. As far as the final texture goes im leaning away from any grit, I’ve never really cared for it personally. The only reason I’d want that texture is to stay true to factory but in this case I’m not feeling it. For the sake of ease of maintenance, what are your thoughts on rolling and tipping? Either as the final finish or a starting point for sanding and buffing to totally smooth?grit work sounds fine, I'll often shoot right over 80 if I'm loading up some mils...... just make sure to wet out any dry areas with resin.. I like to thin it out a bit so it soaks in better.......
i tend to prefer PVA as a drying aid, as opposed to wax, but either way can work.... I don't recommend any use of styrene, always been a prob with yellowing anytime styrene is in a mix... for gel thinning I only use MEK, no yellowing...
ANY texture will make it vastly more difficult to maintain, thus the reason gel'd non-skid on boats is challenging.. it's why patterned non-skid is nice over grit versions, you can run buffers over them easier... but if your running a foam roller, your texture will be very minimal..... thus it could more than likely be buff waxed down the road...
all that said, you may wanna check into Duratec Clear additive for your final gel coating... I used to do 2 coats unwaxed gel, than finish off with wax and Duratek in the last heavy coat... the shine holds VASTLY better than regular gel.... https://www.fibreglast.com/product/duratec-clear-hi-gloss-gel-coat-additive
technically, they where shot with a spatter gun at the factory, but you can also add extra course non-skid grit to a last couple coats to achieve that look, for the most part.. it's pretty close...
Awlgrip Griptex Non-Skid Additive – Extra Coarse | West Marine
Awlgrip Griptex extra coarse non-skid additive for professional application. Provides durable, slip-resistant surface on decks and marine finishes.
at that point, just shoot it out of a gun... 1.8's do fine... roll/tip isn't a great gel app method... and sure you can go stoopid perfect smooth too.... wetsand it out, buff... i always prefer PVA in those apps....
Ok so updated plan: sanding and repairs still the same. Add duratec and pva to final coat of gel. I like the idea of a foam roller instead of nap. If I decided to go ultra glossy I’ll have a smoother starting point, and if not it should at least be a consistent texture throughout. No problem sanding with duratec?
you pva after you gel.. green or purple usually.. washes off with water when dry... duratec is ok to sand, ya just don't wanna go thru that to the "gel only" coats below... duratec is really for when ya wanna shoot and walk away, or minimal sanding/buffing... if your gonna go for a sanded smooth surface, i wouldn't even use duratec... just wetsand/buff when done...
Coming back to this thread because I’m finally ready to gel coat, here’s the newly updated plan: 1-2 coats unwaxed gel to underside, one coat unwaxed with duratec on top. Flip top, 2-3 coats unwaxed gel to topside, one coat unwaxed with duratec. All applied with brush and foam roller. I don’t plan on sanding at all. My only question now is i’ve read that duratec doesn’t need any wax/pve to cure, it will harden on its own. @ryoken has this been your experience? Or should I be adding pve over top? Thanks in advance!
Thank you, so just for total clarity because I’m a dummy. The duratec in the final coat will NOT act as an air inhibitor like pva or wax, therefore if I add duratec I’ll need to apply pva for the finish to harden?
I don't have anything to add to this but in for the pics.
I painted mine w/ Behr... lol
I painted mine w/ Behr... lol
