how much gel coat to re gel coat my boat

i have a 1981 19 ft chapparral bow rider that is in great shape but the original gel coat is chalky and looks bad because it dont shine.. so i am planning to re gel coat it.. outside only above and below water line may re do the interior as well but that consist of the cap and dash panels inside splash well and just what little other glass is in side the boat. i think gel coat will hold up better than paint and considering i have to buy bottom paint and top paint ge coat is cheaper.. and why is top side paint different than bottom paint? but i think i have made my mind up to use gel coat anyway unless you have some good opposition as to why not gel coat... so my question is how much gel coat do you think it will take? a quart? two quarts? a gallon?

Re: how much gel coat to re gel coat my boat

Why not Buff it out ? No gel left on this thing ?

Depends on how you apply the gel. .. for this boat it should take about 1.5 - 2 gallons for the hullsides.

YD.

Re: how much gel coat to re gel coat my boat

Yacht Dr. said:

Why not Buff it out ? No gel left on this thing ?

Depends on how you apply the gel. .. for this boat it should take about 1.5 - 2 gallons for the hullsides.

YD.

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well there is plenty of coating left. from my past experience with gel coats (old dune buggy bodies) the buffing works only about a season before doing it all over again...and it doesnt give it the see myself in the reflection shine that i want.. but if u have a product worth its salt and a method that works by all means im iopen for suggestions...as new gel coat is expensive.

Re: how much gel coat to re gel coat my boat

81_chapparel194 said:

well there is plenty of coating left. from my past experience with gel coats (old dune buggy bodies) the buffing works only about a season before doing it all over again...and it doesnt give it the see myself in the reflection shine that i want.. but if u have a product worth its salt and a method that works by all means im iopen for suggestions...as new gel coat is expensive.

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Your Waxing .. thats the problem ..

True gel rubouts will last for years.

Buggies are flaked for the most part ..

Use a buffing pad and some 3m Imperial compound on a rotary buffer .. should last you for at least a few seasons.

YD.

Re: how much gel coat to re gel coat my boat

Results can vary when trying to give new life to old gel coat. On old faded gel coat you need to remove the faded and oxidized surface, many products and methods don’t remove the old surface, they just hide the problem with oils and other ingredients that make the surface look good for a short time.

It’s best to start with a small area and see what method(s) work the best. Start with the least aggressive method and if that doesn’t yield the desired finish then move to a more aggressive method and try again. Start with just buffing and move on to sanding if needed, in both cases there are fine and coarse grit options, start with fine and go coarser only if needed. Going coarse means you need to go back to fine grits one step at a time to achieve a nice long lasting glossy surface.


If you do plan to re-gel coat it, 1 gallon will cover about 80 sq ft at 20 mils, you will need to apply about 30 mils so you’ll have enough on there to sand it back down to a smooth surface. Re-gel coating can be a big costly and time consuming project, so do some research before deciding on what you may want to do.