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lakelollie View Drop Down
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Joined: November-04-2010
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    Posted: November-04-2010 at 10:30pm
Hello all, I am new to CCF and want to jump right in! I recently purchased a 72 Skier, it is green and the hull has some nicks, dings, and scratches down to the glass. I plan on fixing all of the blemishes and want to spray gel or paint with awlgrip, alexseal or similar. Which would be better gel or paint (price, ease of application, longevity)? I don't think anyone could ever match the green as some has obviously faded. I love the color and want to keep it original, but it is in dier need of a face lift. I will also be putting in new floor and having the two front seats reupholstered, the rest of the boat looks good and runs good. Bye the way is the proper name for this shade of green? Splash green?
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storm34 View Drop Down
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Joined: November-03-2008
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Matt,
Post a picture of the boat and color.

How bad is the gel? I have a Skier project that has gotten a buff job and looks great for it's age but it does have it's scratches and blems. I think you will be surprised what a little elbow grease will do to your gel.


If you want a show winner then go with Gel. A good gel guy can match the gel back to original. Paint will look good for a while, but will not last and in the long run you will spend more money. Gel should be a one and done deal if you take care of it and prep correctly.

Welcome to the site, looking forward to seeing what shade of green you have!!!
Project skier the day I bought it.


My Skier after


Our old green machine (74) belonged to Billy Grahm before we rescued it. Pretty rare color.



Another shade of green in the early 70's
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TRBenj View Drop Down
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I agree with Chris 100%. Its amazing how bad gel can look (oxidation, scratches, dings, etc) and still come back without resorting to a full refinsh (be it re-gel or paint). Wetsanding and buffing can really bring a dull finish back, and chips are not too tough to repair. If you do decide to go with a full refinish, then gel is the way to go for sure. It is labor intensive (requires a lot of man hours to smooth after spraying) but the prep and materials themselves are no worse than paint. Gel is much harder and thicker and will be a much better finish in the long run.

Regarding the green color, your timing is very good- ReidP and I were discussing the different shades of green available in the '70-73 timeframe just the other day. Hopefully he will chime in with corrections if need be, but here is what we determined.

Inca Gold, available ~'69-72:




Splash/Lime, available '72-73:







Autumn/Lynn? Available ~68-72






Fern... available +/- '68



Like Chris said, get some pictures... there were multiple greens available in '72.
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lakelollie View Drop Down
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I will post some more pics of the gel damage but here is a pic to show the shade of green.

Thanks for the quick reply!
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lakelollie View Drop Down
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Points: 6 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote lakelollie Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-05-2010 at 2:41pm
TRBenj,

The pic of the Skier sitting in the water is the boat I found and bought from this site.
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TRBenj View Drop Down
Grand Poobah
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Points: 21189 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TRBenj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-05-2010 at 3:00pm
In that case, Id be surprised if the gel wasnt worth saving... that Skier looks pretty clean based on the pictures. Ive seen boats oxidized and faded to the point where I was somewhat unsure of the original color- and yours is nowhere near that bad. A little bit of wetsanding and buffing and it would come right back if its lacking a little bit of luster. The small chips and scratches will diminish with sanding. If they need to be filled, a good gelcoat guy can match the color and make them disappear.

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storm34 View Drop Down
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Originally posted by TRBenj TRBenj wrote:



Splash/Lime, available '72-73:









Good info Tim, but our 'splash lime' green Skier was a 74. Maybe an early 74 since it was considered a Promo boat. I guess we'll never know unless I can track it down some day. I have a few contacts to try, but haven't given any effort yet.

Matt, I would think you could bring that thing back to look even better than it already does! Do some searching on the site for wetsanding and you will find lots of information. This should give youa good start

3m products
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TRBenj View Drop Down
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Points: 21189 		Post Options Post Options   Thanks (0) Thanks(0)   Quote TRBenj Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: November-05-2010 at 4:13pm
Chris, Reid and I were discussing the colored hulls and neither of us have actually ever seen a true '74 in any color but white- check the '74 brochure. Im sure it was done as a cost savings measure- wasnt CC in financial trouble at that point? The only colors on those boats were in the painted stripe and interior vinyl/carpet. Id bet if you could track down your boat and run the HIN, you'd discover it was a '72-73. Its not uncommon for boats to be advertised as the incorrect year- sometimes sellers have faulty memories, and they can be aided by state/DNR agencies who title/register boats improperly.

Im sure youre aware, but the "Skier" lettering and windshield were added later on that boat... only the '74-75 Skiers got the small model name in the stripe. The black windshield with the vents came from a Ski Tique.
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