1997 GTX built

[justinsrad98]

Yep what he said and I will add one more thing, do yourself a favor and get some Duratec clear, it mixes in 50/50 with the gelcoat on the final coat, it smoothes out the gelcoat, provides some gloss and cuts sanding time into at least half, I wouldn't dream of gelcoating the bottom of a ski without it.

I dont have anymore gelcoate!!!!! I bought a quart and sprayed it in one shot.

 

[glsmohio]

I dont have anymore gelcoate!!!!! I bought a quart and sprayed it in one shot.

that right there is also why you have so much orange peel. did you use a cup gun? also how long did it take you to spray the quart? is the surface tacky at all?

 

[justinsrad98]

that right there is also why you have so much orange peel. did you use a cup gun? also how long did it take you to spray the quart? is the surface tacky at all?

surface is not tacky. it's not cure and look good. it's not shiny anymore, more black mat. I've use a gun with a 2.3 needle.

 

[glsmohio]

well looks like i would start to wet sand and buff...i started with 400 then went to 600 then 800 then 1000 then 1500 but im crazy lol

 

[justinsrad98]

well looks like i would start to wet sand and buff...i started with 400 then went to 600 then 800 then 1000 then 1500 but im crazy lol

What kind of sander do you recommand?

 

[glsmohio]

surface is not tacky. it's not cure and look good. it's not shiny anymore, more black mat. I've use a gun with a 2.3 needle.

the surface is not gloss any more because of the wax by the way. not sure if you understand how gel works so ill give you a little run down and who knows it might help other people.

You can spray or roll gel coat.

if it was me i wouldn't dilute the gel at all. if your gel has wax in it what happens is after you spray the gel as it starts to dry the wax will come to the surface and make a layer so the air doesnt touch the gel. this is the only way that it will dry tack free. sometimes if the wax is not mixed good or the hardener is old it will be tacky in some places but not others. Even when i use wax gel coat i use PVA over the top. You can get a gal for $35 shipped to your door and thats a ton. You might use 1/2 a cup on your ski. it does the same as wax, makes a layer over the gel so the air doesnt touch it to make it get hard.

if you roll gel coat i would start with non wax gel. roll a coat then let it dry then roll another then on your last coat i would add wax and use pva over the top.

lets face it though everyone has there own 2 cents and know it all lol this is just what i have learned over the years and many projects.

 

[glsmohio]

i used a 1/4 sheet sander ...also you should wet sand. when i sand by hand i use a block

 

[snikwad003]

What kind of sander do you recommand?

The ones attached to your arms, sorry I had to. All these gelcote projects going on I'm tryin to figure out the best way to change the bottom of my boat to black and filling in some chips

 

[justinsrad98]

Here is the gelcoate this morning when dry.

 

[justinsrad98]

Two more:

View attachment 38864


View attachment 38865

 

[justinsrad98]

the surface is not gloss any more because of the wax by the way. not sure if you understand how gel works so ill give you a little run down and who knows it might help other people.

You can spray or roll gel coat.

if it was me i wouldn't dilute the gel at all. if your gel has wax in it what happens is after you spray the gel as it starts to dry the wax will come to the surface and make a layer so the air doesnt touch the gel. this is the only way that it will dry tack free. sometimes if the wax is not mixed good or the hardener is old it will be tacky in some places but not others. Even when i use wax gel coat i use PVA over the top. You can get a gal for $35 shipped to your door and thats a ton. You might use 1/2 a cup on your ski. it does the same as wax, makes a layer over the gel so the air doesnt touch it to make it get hard.

if you roll gel coat i would start with non wax gel. roll a coat then let it dry then roll another then on your last coat i would add wax and use pva over the top.

lets face it though everyone has there own 2 cents and know it all lol this is just what i have learned over the years and many projects.

I really dont know what is PVA!!!!

 

[glsmohio]

this is what it is.

 

[soccerdad]

PVA =Poly Vinyl Alcohol. It is a water soluable polymer. In composites (including fiberglass) it is typically used as a tool release agent. You spray a tool down with it and it keeps the gelcote from sticking to the tool. You then pop out the part and wash the stuff off. I have never used it as a cure helper, but it makes sense. All you need to do is isolate the polyester resin in the gelcote from air. If you dont, the resin will not harden on the surface. So wax that floats up to the top, or a spray coat like PVA, or even wax paper will let it fully surface harden. PVA does not like wax that well (think water beading on a waxed car). So it would work best if you only used it on non-waxed gelcote. But you could use it on a waxed surface if you spray it very lightly in several coats to fight off the beading. That is what is done when they spray down waxed molds with PVA.

 

[justinsrad98]

Since I hate sanding, I will buy a 4 inch dual action sander. I already have a 6 inch but it look like a little to sand in the corner.

 

[justinsrad98]

Nice project!. Man the back was thrashed. Nice RAVE too. So I have to ask. Do you ride it up to the base of the falls? The maid of the mist two stroke style?

Nice choice of colors BTW. :thumbsup: Make sure you document doing it with pictures. Lots of people would like to see the color change process I am sure.

I went a once close to the Whirlpool but at one point it's pretty scary and since I have two kids, my wife voice was telling me to come back home safely! When you cross some power lines, the coast guard can help you because it's so unsafe. The rapids below the falls are prohibed (class 5 rapids) and if you are caught it's a 10K penalty offence!

Here a pics that I took when I had my GTX 4Tec:

 

[justinsrad98]

Thickness of the gelcote is not enought to sand to much. I guess I will have to live with it since I dont have anymore gelcote....

 

[justinsrad98]

 

[justinsrad98]

any suggestion for the silicone/glue for the shoes and plate in the

 

[glsmohio]

Did u buff that,

 

[justinsrad98]

Did u buff that,

Just a couple minutes with light wax. I m scare I will go trought and see the green again...

 

[garrettb]

If it were mine, I'd buy a gallon of unwaxed gel, and make sure it's thick enough. I'll admit I get really anal about cosmetic stuff, but if what you have doesn't bother you, just leave it. You can add Duratec, but I am cheap and PVA works for me. Less work will be involved if you use an additive like Duratec, though.

 

[justinsrad98]

When installing the piston pin with the new style needle bearing, we dont need to install the thrust washer?

 

[mikidymac]

Correct thrust washers are only for the loose OEM needle bearings

 

[justinsrad98]

Engine is ready for paint. Do you use a primer before? What kind of paint do you guys recommend?

 

[digital sol]

Personally I prefer to use the G2 engine paint kit. Its a little more $ than spray paint but you have to do little to no prep work besides clean it of grease/oil, it is fuel resistant and its last me a very, very long time on calipers etc. I still have a set of calipers I did back in 2005 that look good as new. You can brush it or spray it on w/prevail sprayer. Custom colors are an option as well but the price jumps quite a bit.

If your going to spray paint it you will most likely want to use a metal etching primer then your choice of base+clear.