Evercoat One Step Finish Premium Gelcoat?

[thormx11]

Has anybody used this stuff? I have a 24' Century I am going to repaint the hull on over the winter. I was planning on just going with an automotive paint (which is on the hull currently) because gelcoat seems a lot harder/more work to do. Can this stuff be rolled/sprayed on without having to do much sanding/buffing to get a good finish?

The boat was rolled down the interstate, had the fiberglass repaired in a few spots, then painted with an automotive paint. It is my understanding that with using the Evercoat I will have to sand it back down to the original gelcoat/fiberglass before applying the gelcoat?

 

[chevymaher]

Sand it and spray it with a primer gun nozzle. Like anything else the amount of work your willing to do will reflect in the final finish.

My brother and I are car painters. Neither of us had any problem getting a good finish with gel coat.

Car paint will rip right off of there with 80 grit and a vibrating board sander.

 

[harringtondav]

Sprayed gel coat doesn't self level like auto paint. It has a light orange peel finish that requires multiple steps of sanding before you reach gloss. Surfacing wax and special patch thinners are needed for the last coat. Pot life is fairly short and HVLP gun cleaning must be extremely thorough, like tearing the front of the gun apart. But the results are worth the trouble.

I spray painted my pal's son's boat with boat paint over gel coat and got a good gloss as applied. But you must purchase the recommended thinner. If you roll, plan on a lot of sanding. The pre paint surface must be sanded for tack, and surgically clean with Xylene, or you will get fish eyes.

 

[thormx11]

I was hoping the "One step finish premium' meant after your sprayed it it would be fairly smooth with not much sanding needed, or any additives needed to get it to fully cure. Maybe I was wrong :/

 

[zool]

I was hoping the "One step finish premium' meant after your sprayed it it would be fairly smooth with not much sanding needed, or any additives needed to get it to fully cure. Maybe I was wrong :/

Nah, no such animal on as sprayed gel, the "one step" just means you dont need an air inhibitor to cure....its basically a repair gel.

 

[thormx11]

thats kind of how I understood it when reading the can. but they sell it in quarts(and gallons i believe) which is a lot of scratches or repairs to cover.

 

[zool]

It contains wax, which is why it doesnt require pva or such, so multiple layers is problematic, and you cant control the cure time....

 

[thormx11]

Would multiple layers be needed? Could you just lay a thick layer and wait for it to cure?

 

[zool]

It would depend on the color and the substrate color, IE white over white would probably be ok, the problem is keeping a wet edge on a large surface....it cures in minutes so u may end up doing more sanding than the regular premium laminating gel and pva.

It comes in pints and quarts.

 

[thormx11]

If I go the route of using this stuff, either rolling or spraying, it will have to be sanded between coats because of the wax in it correct? Do you just have to sand it enough to scuff it back up for the new coat to stick? The boat is currently an off-white color. I would like to go with a bit brighter white, like you would see on a new boat.

 

[zool]

The wax is gonna rise to the surface and cure the gel, so you will have to clean and sand/scuff each coat, where unwaxed gel is not sanded between coats, just the final waxed coat. With the method and product youre suggesting, you will only get a mechanical bond between coats, where unwaxed gel will chemically bond between coats, so it will be stronger.

So you will achieve an inferior job, while doing more work.


Keep in mind, you will need between 30 to 35 mils of thickness, to allow it to be sanded down to 20-25 mils for leveling and future compounding.

You will most likely shoot 10 mils per layer, so 3-4 coats will do. You dont want 1 or 2 thick coats, because it will craze after shrinkage.

220 grit should be fine.

 

[zool]

Also, when u thin the gel for spraying, dont use acetone or other general solvents, Use duratec or patch booster.

 

[Scott Danforth]

you can get the Gel and add Duragloss (Duratec hi-gloss) to spray in one shot and it comes out like paint

 

[zool]

you can get the Gel and add Duragloss (Duratec hi-gloss) to spray in one shot and it comes out like paint

Ive never tried the 50/50 mix Scott, but the topic was debated a while back here by some members, issues brought up were coverage, durability, runs and sags, ect.

In the end, the OP went the traditional gel/styrene route and was happy. I may try it one day for a repair, but for a full spray, and with todays paint mixes, I always end up painting over.

https://forums.iboats.com/forum/boat...gloss-additive

 

[Scott Danforth]

I will be spraying a mix, however the ratio will be tried prior on small parts and adjusted accordingly. First spray will be the transom and interior. so I will be able to report back. just need to finish sanding.....and fairing......and sanding.

 

[Woodonglass]

We used to have a couple of Guys on the forum that really knew their stuff on Gelcoat. OOPS, Yacht Dr., and ondarvr. I learned a LOT from those guys, Some good some not so much. After all the debates etc...They all pretty much agreed that if you were going to spray gelcoat then you should use a Pot Gun and spray multiple layers (3-4) with NO Additives. Use straight with no thinner. If gun won't shoot it...use a bigger tip. 2.0-3.0mm tips are most common. IF you really want to thin it then M.E.K. Not M.E.K.P should be used. No more than 15%. I've used Acetone in the past but...after listening to the experts I would NOT recommend it any longer. They always used Unwaxed gel and recommended using sprayed on PVA (PolyVinylAlcohol) as the final coat to cure the Gel. Gel is Poly based and ALL poly based products are Air Inhibited Cured and the PVA or the Wax seals the gel and keeps Air from the surface thus allowing the Chemical Cure. Bottom line Gelcoat is Best applied in the MFG process in a mold. But it can be done by the DIY'r. Results will vary depending on the method, materials used, and the skill of the person applying it.