73 Skier Restoration

From what I can tell most guys are using bilgekote brand paint for the bilge. Does US composites sell a version? My resin and cabosil came yesterday and of course my golden glass hookup could not get me what I needed so I am putting in what I hope to be my final order today and would like to get it all in one shot.

If bilgekote is the preferred paint- how many gallons do I need to get for my 16 foot skier? How many coats should I use? How much primer do I need? IF using an airless sprayer to apply, will I need the thinner?

Thanks guys!

Keegan, I forgot to mention in my email that you wont need a full gallon for the bilge... a quart should be plenty. I didnt use primer- just wiped it down with acetone first. One coat covered great- but 2 wouldnt be a bad idea. I bought a gallon and barely made a dent in it. I brushed it on and it came out very nice- no brush marks, etc. I wouldnt hesistate to do it the same way again.

Keegan.

I have used the bilgekote on 2 SN 2001 bilges.
Cleaned well with soap and water. wiped with acetone, no primer.

This has worked well for me and I applied with a brush. I was told this paint requires thinner and a respirator if you spray it so be careful there.

I purchased white and gray and blended to get a lighter color gray.
Bilges look like brand new, glossy and slick after 3 coats. (no thinner)

I would not mess with a roller because you will need a brush also.

Dennis

82 Nautique 1 wrote: Keegan, I would not mess with a roller because you will need a brush also. Dennis

Dennis,
I believe Keegan is asking about the rollers used for rolling out the glass/resin and not a paint roller for the Bilgekote.

Keegan,
Since your working in a small area, stick to a small roller. 3". Keep a squeege handy too and try both. The nice thing about the squeege is you can use it to remove excess resin. The bad thing about it is they have a tendency to pull the glass out of place.

Keegan & Pete

On my 88 SN I just finished the stringer and floor on I found the rollers were a PITA after using 2 of them and discovering I could not clean the rollers I felt I would use two many rollers with the multiple applications and mixings.

I had great success just using the ribbed roller used to roll out the air pockets. If you pour the resin out of the mixing cup then you can move the resin around the mat where it is needed.

This is just what I did and it worked very well for me. When done with the roller placed in a mixing cup with acetone to clean and it is ready to reuse.

I purchased 8 roller sleeves and only used 2

Dennis

Maybe I am confused about when to use the rollers. I thought every layer of cloth basically needed to be rolled after being wetted out and applied to the surface? DO you only need to roll when you get an air bubble or do they happen all the time?

I am going to get a little practice repairing the fiberglass molds in my seats before this new US composites order comes in.

Also how much 5200 do you guys think I will need to seal everything that needs to be sealed on a 16 footer, including under the rub rail?

Keegan,

Wakeslayer is correct use the roller on all lifts of glass. You will see that as you roll it in the color of the mat changes as you roll the bottom resin in and you start to roll in resin in top. This is using the ribbed roller. The other roller that is nappy like a paint roller is what I refered to as a PITA. The nap roller will not seat in the mat and resin

Dennis

Thanks for all the help today. I was in a scramble to order my glass and related accessories today so I have them for spring break next week.

I am getting the seats ready for my upholstery guy. I need to make some repairs to the fiberglass before handing it over.


I know this is a silly thing to do but why not. Look at that shine!


I got some jack stands at harbor freight for $20 a pair and leveled the boat and lifted it off the springs a bit so that when I am in it it stays level.

Keegan, snap a few more pictures of those seats... theyre a bit different than the bare bucket that Reid sent me. Interesting!

If you also want to brace the hull (not just level) then I would suggest 2 more jack stands in the front, all the way out at the edge of the hull.

Wax paper will release better than anything else Ive tried.

Be sure to grind that crack out (down to a knife edge sharpness) before laying new glass.

Personally, I wouldnt bother wrapping the whole thing. That will take quite a bit of glass and be a PITA at all the edges and curves. Id put a layer or 2 over the holes, fix the cracks, reinforce the weak points and call it a day.

Yup, the angle between back and bottom is the weak point. Thats where Reid's bucket was busted too. Id add a few layers in that area at a minimum. Not sure Id bother with more than one on the bottom though- I think one layer of mat would be enough. It will be sandwiched between 2 layers of wood, so there wont be much stress on it.

Some of the cracks go all the way from the angles down into the bottom. I bought some cloth and mat at Home Depot. My thinking was to use mat on the bottom and top o the base and cloth to reinforce the breaks since cloth is stronger. Does that sound like the way to go? I will post pictures as I go.

Kind of like a dog likes to hang his head out the window and let their tongue wag in the wind.

I have been guilty of sitting on the seat back a million times, and was surprised that it still felt so solid, and to see how many cracks there were. It was springy but never made any cracking noises or felt like it was going to give. As with many things that Po's and my self used to do to this boat will now be off limits!

Like Mike said there is something about the feeling of sitting up high- in the wind with a commanding view. Kind of like "mouth of tired dog"-Borat