1980 S&S Restoration and Modernization

[neil.anderson63]

Hail in the 316 is not something to scoff at. That stuff shreds the ordinary roof. If you ever get this beauty to Tablerock, I would love to see it and ski it!!

[WhiskeyTango]

Starting to experiment with the gelcoat. First went a swath of slate gray, which was sanded once cured, then taped off, then clear + gunmetal flake, then clear. I removed the tape while it was wet and it’s now curing. Lots of orange peel.

Once this is all cured, I’ll put kahuna blue on the rest and try to get it up level with the stripe, then sand and buff.

[waterlogged882]

I like it.

Still thinking on the size of the flake and the density (amount) applied.

I think I like it just the way it is. The blue will look nice.

One thing I always contend...never put the expense of a project in Excel.

.

[tph]

Flake

I think MC used larger flakes with less distribution and backed it with black.

[WhiskeyTango]

I think MC used larger flakes with less distribution and backed it with black.

I agree. That is how the original flake appeared to have been done.

This flake is the Mastercraft 2022 gunmetal flake blend and is 0.008. The manufacturer (Polycryl) told me very few boat builders are still using 0.015 flake. I suppose the colors and smaller flake are part of the “modernization” of this thing.

[ONTHECOAST]

What type of gun did you use? Tip size? What caused the orange peel? Was the product too thick. How do you thin it? I have many questions about gel coat and am very interested in the process.

[WhiskeyTango]

I like it.

Still thinking on the size of the flake and the density (amount) applied.

I think I like it just the way it is. The blue will look nice.

One thing I always contend...never put the expense of a project in Excel.

.

Chuck - the flake amount in this mixture is 10% of the quantity of clear by weight.

[tph]

Post

I agree. That is how the original flake appeared to have been done.

This flake is the Mastercraft 2022 gunmetal flake blend and is 0.008. The manufacturer (Polycryl) told me very few boat builders are still using 0.015 flake. I suppose the colors and smaller flake are part of the “modernization” of this thing.

My post was not a criticism. Just an observation. The work you're doing is incredible. I doubt this boat came out of the factory as good as it will be.

[WhiskeyTango]

What type of gun did you use? Tip size? What caused the orange peel? Was the product too thick. How do you thin it? I have many questions about gel coat and am very interested in the process.

Here’s the stuff I used. The gun is as recommended by the gel coat supplier. I mixed in the Duratec at 20% of the clear weight, which is supposed to help it flow out well.

From my research, this amount of orange peel is pretty normal. It should wet sand out…

[WhiskeyTango]

My post was not a criticism. Just an observation. The work you're doing is incredible. I doubt this boat came out of the factory as good as it will be.

Absolutely no offense taken! I was just explaining why I went a different route…

[WhiskeyTango]

Well, the clear never fully cured sitting in the shop at high 60F sort of temperatures. It was still a bit tacky even now after 18 hours.

So I stuck it outside in the sun. It’s warming up and we’ll see what it looks like after work.

[waterlogged882]

Chuck - the flake amount in this mixture is 10% of the quantity of clear by weight.

Keep on gettin' it. I like it and that is a good proportion ratio.

Love it.

.

[WhiskeyTango]

Kahuna blue applied. I gave it a very small overlap on the gunmetal to ensure it butted up against it fully. The goal is that, after sanding, you can’t really feel the line between them and are left with an inlay of sorts. Might get a hint of this in the second and last pics. We’ll see if it works…

The blue went down very smooth and shiny, with a bit less orange peel than the clear, and then as it started to cure flashed over foggy and dull.

Side note: I think I have a problem with the clear over the flake. It seemed cured after sitting in the sun, but got tacky immediately when I wiped everything with acetone… and then stayed that way.

[lakedrum03]

Looking awesome.

You might try using Fine line Tape at your transitions. That will help with your thickness issue at the butt joints. have used it on a few jobs and it worked well. Link below.

https://www.amazon.com/3M-06302-Fine.../dp/B00HSCMCL8

[WhiskeyTango]

I needed to answer some questions like, do I like these colors, how crappy am I at gelcoat finish work, can I get it to shine, etc. So today I did a quick-and-dirty sand and polish job on half of my test piece.

I am hand sanding and using auto compound, the wrong buffing pads, etc. since the correct products I need have yet to arrive. But I went ahead since I wanted to get the gelcoat on order.

Process was the following wet sanding grits: 400, 800, 1000 and 1500; and then two compounds.

I didn’t get anywhere near all of the orange peel or sanding scratches out, so this will all get redone, but I like it enough to proceed. Gel coat order placed…

Side note: I also learned that I need to rethink the way I do the blue-to-flake transition. It’s not perfect.