Gel Spraying Techniques

Bill:

Suggestion: Use a graduated mixing cup or what ever and keep track of how much Styrene you put in each batch. Once you find the perfect spraying consistency for the gun you are using, you can replicate the batch every time. I know your pains. That boat is going to be a beauty!

bump for an incredible project.

I know I'm not the only one anxiously awaiting updates.

I didn't realize that gel would spray on that rough. It looks like you have alot of sanding ahead of you.

Keep up the good work. Your boat is going to be great when you are finished.

Bill, That's great that you are getting the encouragement from Skibum Jr. How's Mrs Skibum handling it? Has the dust started to get into the house yet?

I am constantly chastized for the dust that gets into the house. The garage is a mess. The boat is still a mess. Everybody wants it finished so we can go skiing. Nobody wants to help. I don't let it get me down. I am trying to come up with a good plan on how to get it all finished. There are so many things left to do, even when the gelcote is done. The fins still need to be straightened, clean the wiring harness and cables, strip-clean-and paint the tranny, engine and mounts. Still got stuff going on the inside as well. When you look at the big picture it is almost depressing. I know I will eventually finish..

Had to go back a bit to move ahead. I worked for some time to get the remainder of the bottom of the boat covered in gelcote. Then I taped off a new stripe. Sprayed the blue on first. Then when it dried I taped onto the blue stripe leaving about 1/4" of the blue exposed at each end of the stripe. Once I sprayed the white I started sanding again. The results were much better than before but still not perfect. About 90% of the stripe has a brilliant, clean line. There are some areas with slightly jagged spots. Then even worse there are a handful of places where when sanding the white off the blue I sanded too deep into the blue. I'll have to tape those places off and try again.

Bill,

I've followed this thread and the other one on the stringer work you did. I just wanted to say...

Great job! It is really remarkable when you think about all the work you've put into the boat. You’ve still have a lot to do so hang in there…

Kyle

Bill, Looking better and better! You'll know you're done when there is a minimum of a 1/4" overspray stuck to the floor!

Bill, You know me ? Mr. purest/originality! I thought the boat did have some vinyl stripes on it so I wouldn't worry about it. The pros have a problem too. Of coarse, when you're done with it, you can go down to Florida and give them some pointers!

I'm glad you liked the Abralon pads. Yes they are expensive but they do last wet and they sure reduce the hand wet sanding. Nothing however as you are finding eliminates the hand sanding - Since the Abralon pads are soft, you still need to do some hard block wet sanding. You didn't trip the GFCI did you?

Well hang in there Bill, it's coming along very nicely.

Nice Job!

re: orbital sanding - once you get past the windsheild - towards the bow Lookout with the orbital- the contours of the bow makes it very difficult to wet sand evenly without removing too much gel. i just could not keep the sander flush with the contours.

anyway thats was my experience. good luck!

Our basic training company graduates this morning. I have been able to put in an hour here and there to work on the SN. I have taken a lot of pics that I'll post soon. Ran into a huge problem with reassembly. After running all the under water gear, wiring, and plumbing I installed the carpet. Then I removed the tires and left fender to allow easier access with the engine crane. Once I installed the engine/transmission I could not lower the back enough to properly align the shaft. The stringer height was incorrect! I had to trim 1/2" from the stringer height and repair the damage before I could reinstall the engine and get the proper alignment. Not everything is connected yet. But I will have some time off work to get it finished. I'll post pics as soon as I can. Thanks for all the support.

Bill: Welcome back! I am sure you have that company in good shape.

We are all waiting on the edge of our seats for an up-date.

john

Can't wait to see those pics!