'78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

[Trooper82]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Well I got a late startt this morning...guess I was still tired from the trip?

Sanded on the strakes till it got too hot...decided to put the tarp up to give me a little shade...only the shade didn't hit where I was sanding..sooo....

cut out the csm/1708 to fill that oblong spot....only taking it to be flush with the surface that surrounds it...once I get these all filled in...will be putting layers of CSM/1708 over the whole area...then the real sanding can commence....

filled in the divots and did a little sanding to see that I had things built up high enough...

I still have some daylight but gonna call it a day....still tired and don't want to over do it so I have something to give tomorrow

Hope everyone is enjoying their weekend...be it boating/fishing/family/repairs....

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Well it certainly looks like you've recovered from your trip & didn't forget your mad fiberglassing skills while you were gone

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Lookin good troop!

 

[Trooper82]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Well it certainly looks like you've recovered from your trip & didn't forget your mad fiberglassing skills while you were gone

Lookin good troop!

Thanks JB and PMC

 

[Trooper82]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

so far has been a nice Sunday morning in Louisiana....


Did a little grinding on this area...wanted the bottom to be same height all across it...

made my template with a piece of plastic...figured it would take 4 layers CSM/1708....cut out the pieces....

then mixed up some resin and laid it down....not too shabby...

I'm at the bottom of another 5 gal bucket of resin....got enough to mix some hairy PB to fill in the remaining strake gouges...will get those filled in before noon...then if it doesn't rain..will commence to sanding again...but....if things go the way I expect....I should be finished with the minor parts of the bottom...then I can focus on the keel sanding...thinking I will rent a large air compressor for that...mine just doesn't handle the air file...then....maybe I can paint or gelcoat!....

Let's take a vote...Paint or gelcoat?

 

[ben2go]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Good work.It won't be long now till prime and paint is being laid down.

 

[GT1000000]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

I am going to vote the wishy-washy way...

I think Gel-Coat is a superior product when it comes to the use and abuse that boats generally have to endure, so the added work to achieve a satisfactory finish is justified...

A simple solid color paint job is still going to require a fair amount of prep, but the amount of work to get a satisfactory finish is usually a lot less than gel-coat, and even the occasional damage can generally be touched up with a minimum amount of fuss...

Although, the same is true about gel-coat...according to all that I have read here, touch-ups are also fairly straight forward and they should be required less often due to tougher surface...

So, my vote goes to whatever you decide will be best for you will be the best choice...:facepalm:

 

[Trooper82]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Another weekend closer to the one year mark...I can see that my sanding is starting to make a difference now...early on I thought it would never end....but I am getting closer to the end of the tunnel...still have one more round of strake filling to do...then I will devote my time to the keel...not sure I have enough resin to lay that big patch across the stern area like I wanted to...will have to wait till I get another bucket of resin I guess...I also still need to put 1708 over that first bottom patch I did....sanded it down today so 1708 will come out fairly flush when I do lay it...


Hope you all enjoyed the weekend!

Till next time...

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Closer to that light at the end of the tunnel sounds GREAT! Congrats!

 

[Jon Sob]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

You're getting closer to the point when the repairing is done and the putting everything back on starts. I know for me that was a good feeling to start putting everything back together instead of fixing everything. You are doing a great job ..... keep it up and you'll be there before you know it.

 

[Decker83]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

I vote for the gel coat. It's alot more work but in the end you will find it holds up better.
Hope your shoulder is doing better. The sanding goes on and on and on and on. (LOL)
Your work looks great as always.
By the way your pic with PMC looked great. Like the Pink Floyd.

 

[Pmccraney]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

FWIW, I voted for Paint, although in all fairness I have never applied paint or gel coat to a fiberglass hull. My vote is therefore riddled with ignorance of what's involved in terms of a real-world experience in the actual application. My vote was simply based on what I have seen and read on this forum. I have seen a lot of paint finishes that turned out great, and seemed like less work to the owner (in terms of sanding out the orange peel, etc...). Decker and Oops are the only 2 that I have seen that were brave enough to try the gelly coat...

 

[Trooper82]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Thanks Decker/PMC...anyone else I missed...

I did some research last night...thinking i can do this gelcoat thing...in all honesty I had been wanting to do the gelcoat all along..but feared that I would have trouble with ht estuff cooking in the pot...well last night found that they make a dump gun...and only have the tip to clean really from what I saw...I think I can do it!

Thank you to all who particpated in my poll...the check is in the mail



Now just to make a decision on the color/s

Time to go sand a little.....

 

[GT1000000]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

I'll be looking forward to seeing both you and Decker doing gel-coat...

Like I said, I personally believe it to be a superior product for the hull of a boat, over paint...

As far as color...well there again a very personal choice, but I would opt for the fairly easy to touch up/repair color, one that doesn't tend to fade or discolor as much over time...White, plain, classic and simple...then again you could go nuts and do a really custom, multi-layered job like this...

Happy Monday...

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Well, that certainly didn't take very long to decide the longer, more sanding, albeit longer lasting, gelcoat.

Tru-flames GT? Hmmmm..... Interesting............ Absolutely well done.....

But:
A boat on fire emblazoned w/ a Viking's image ??

Cause that ^^^ sounds like a Viking's funeral pyre

Not exactly my idea of a good time, but hey, to each his own......

Have a great week Trooper!

 

[Trooper82]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Wow! Would sure like to know how they did that...GT, I too am thinking easy to maintain...and apply....

Got a little sanding done, then the rain started...

 

[GT1000000]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Wow! Would sure like to know how they did that...GT

I could probably describe how to do it in about 7,858,249,190 words, or just come up there and do it in about a month...of 20 hour days...

 

[jbcurt00]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

Yeah, I saw that episode on the PowerBlock @SpikeTV, anybody can do the real flame look these days, right there at home, in your driveway/garage/boathouse (temp or otherwise)

Not me, 'course, but most of you talented fellas

Probably

Maybe

Right?

:redface:

Sounds like you've definitely decided on the Gelcoat route.

Since you build thickness & sand the gel to perfectly smooth, does the final sanding of the hull need to be thru 600/800 grit? And do you need to get all the final pinholes & etc filled? I don't know much about paint, even less about gelcoat. The FF will need LOTS of cap & hull work, at some point, eventually.:facepalm:

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

As you all know, I am NOT a Gelcoat guy. If you remember OOPS did NOT shoot the Gelcoat on his boat. His Friend shot it. He did the mixing. It took 3 hours of NON STOP Mixing and shooting to do his boat. You really have to stay on top of it and keep the Gun clean or you can/will lose the gun and hoses with setup gelcoat. He had issues. HF does sell a Pot Gun but it only has a 1.8mm tip and a 2.0 to 2.5 tip is much better from what I understand. After the Spraying is done the work begins. Gelcoat Costs are High. Durability IS much better than paint in most cases. Pro's and Con's to both. If you have a 60 gallon or bigger compressor, don't mind buying the right equipment to do the job for both application and sanding then I guess Gelcoat is OK. For me it was not an option. I did not vote, I am just giving information as I know it. But everybody knows I'm just an...

 

[CaptainKickback]

Re: '78 Ebko Lebaron - Therapy

I'm a little late to the poll, but just thought I'd relate my thought process when I decided on gel coat for my project.

1) Gel coat is more durable. I can do the work now, but i n a few years when the boat needs to be repainted, I may not be able to.

2) Gel coat is more forgiving (this is the biggest reason for me). How many stories have I heard about people spraying paint, only to come back and see dust and bugs, and other marks in the paint. Can't fix them (especially with 2 part paints). Have to start over. Not a problem with gel coat.

3) Spot repairs. Doable with gel coat. Not doable with most paints.

4) Cost - The gel coat I will need will cost less than many of the 2 part paints when considering all the primer that has to be used.

5) Did a test with Brightside. It sucked. Couldn't get it on smooth and had almost zero durability. Reading reviews of it, there were many posts about it wearing off quickly in high traffic (foot) areas and warnings not to put it where dock lines would rub it off in 2 outings.

Hope this helps support your decision.

Sea ya...