Hi Peter I am restoring a 1970 XK 19 myself. I would like to talk to you about your project. Maybe we can compare notes. I am in the process of getting the hull rejelcoated now. I hope to have it ready for next summer. My cell is 404 556 5906. Look foward to hearing from you.
Tim Burruss
Active 
UnansweredRe Gelcoating
Moderators: Don Ayers, Al Benton, Don Vogt
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vince xk19
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:05 am
- Contact:
Hey Tim,
I am also in the process of a complete restoration of a 1970 XK19. You mentioned in this post that you are having your boat re-gelcoated. I have been very interested in having mine done but I cannot find anyone that will do it and they try to talk me into painting it. I know paint can look excellent but I would like to explore gelcoat. Is it a lot more expensive? What is the process is it similar to painting? Any information would be appreciated.
If you would like to converse about our restorations feel free to give me a call 508-930-8592.
Thanks,
Vince
I am also in the process of a complete restoration of a 1970 XK19. You mentioned in this post that you are having your boat re-gelcoated. I have been very interested in having mine done but I cannot find anyone that will do it and they try to talk me into painting it. I know paint can look excellent but I would like to explore gelcoat. Is it a lot more expensive? What is the process is it similar to painting? Any information would be appreciated.
If you would like to converse about our restorations feel free to give me a call 508-930-8592.
Thanks,
Vince
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Bill Basler
- Posts: 1996
- Joined: Thu Oct 20, 2005 4:48 pm
- Location: Cedar Rapids, IA
Vince, I am in the process of having a 1964 Chris-Craft Corsair XL175 Sunlounger re gelcoated.
Yes, it is quite a bit more expensive than paint. In my opinion, I would steer clear of anyone who tries to sell you on the virtues of paint. If any of your contacts start talking about using automotive finishes, run. If you are going to have your boat sitting on the trailer most of the time, and will not be letting it live in the water for extended periods, you *may* be able to get by, but I would not advise it. The auto urethanes are just not designed for wet applications. If you think, "then why is Imron good enough for Formula, Donzi, Fountain and other manufacturers," the difference is that they are generally spraying graphics to the deck and hull sides, and clear-coating just down to the chine. Most do not paint bottoms.
Awlgrip is about the only way to go if you are bound and determined to do paint. If you go this route...make sure you find a very competent finishing house. Awlgrip is nasty stuff on a VOC scale, so a lot of conventional body shops and auto paint firms do not even have the clearance to use the product. Awlgrip is also pretty tricky to spray...and really finicky about virtually everything—dust control, humidity, temperature to name a few.
Finding a competent shop to regel your boat can lead to an exhaustive search. Find someone with experience. I definitely like the guys that have been doing this for 20-30 years.
With gelcoat, the preparation of your hull is absolutely critical. If you look closely at your hull you probably have some spider cracks here and there, and possibly everywhere. Gelocat is less flexible than the underlying resins. The old gelcoats actually contained lead so they were rock hard as compared to newer compounds. Chris-Craft had a specific thickness that they specified when your hull was first laid up. When they sprayed gel inside a mold, they actually measured the gel thickness with a feeler gauge. If your gel is coat too thick, the problem with cracking is worse.
The best method is to remove the old gelcoat. Once the gel is removed, you can accurately assess what is going on with the underlying laminates. Some of the spider web cracking may be due to failure of the underlying laminate. It's best to take care of that while your boat is naked.
When you boat is regelled, keep in mind the gel is applied by a sprayed process. By nature, gel does not flow out like automotive paint. A good gel man can get a pretty darn nice layer. But some orange peel is kind of a by-product of the process. The only way you will get your boat just like it popped out of the mold is to wet-sand (or color-sand) with a block, with varying degrees of grit, smoothing everything down in the process.
Then, you need to spend a good amount of time buffing, buffing, buffing. This is my the process is more expensive. The EPA, VOC issues are part of it. The actual raw ingredients are also expensive, and the time it takes to do it right is considerable.
I hope this helps.
Yes, it is quite a bit more expensive than paint. In my opinion, I would steer clear of anyone who tries to sell you on the virtues of paint. If any of your contacts start talking about using automotive finishes, run. If you are going to have your boat sitting on the trailer most of the time, and will not be letting it live in the water for extended periods, you *may* be able to get by, but I would not advise it. The auto urethanes are just not designed for wet applications. If you think, "then why is Imron good enough for Formula, Donzi, Fountain and other manufacturers," the difference is that they are generally spraying graphics to the deck and hull sides, and clear-coating just down to the chine. Most do not paint bottoms.
Awlgrip is about the only way to go if you are bound and determined to do paint. If you go this route...make sure you find a very competent finishing house. Awlgrip is nasty stuff on a VOC scale, so a lot of conventional body shops and auto paint firms do not even have the clearance to use the product. Awlgrip is also pretty tricky to spray...and really finicky about virtually everything—dust control, humidity, temperature to name a few.
Finding a competent shop to regel your boat can lead to an exhaustive search. Find someone with experience. I definitely like the guys that have been doing this for 20-30 years.
With gelcoat, the preparation of your hull is absolutely critical. If you look closely at your hull you probably have some spider cracks here and there, and possibly everywhere. Gelocat is less flexible than the underlying resins. The old gelcoats actually contained lead so they were rock hard as compared to newer compounds. Chris-Craft had a specific thickness that they specified when your hull was first laid up. When they sprayed gel inside a mold, they actually measured the gel thickness with a feeler gauge. If your gel is coat too thick, the problem with cracking is worse.
The best method is to remove the old gelcoat. Once the gel is removed, you can accurately assess what is going on with the underlying laminates. Some of the spider web cracking may be due to failure of the underlying laminate. It's best to take care of that while your boat is naked.
When you boat is regelled, keep in mind the gel is applied by a sprayed process. By nature, gel does not flow out like automotive paint. A good gel man can get a pretty darn nice layer. But some orange peel is kind of a by-product of the process. The only way you will get your boat just like it popped out of the mold is to wet-sand (or color-sand) with a block, with varying degrees of grit, smoothing everything down in the process.
Then, you need to spend a good amount of time buffing, buffing, buffing. This is my the process is more expensive. The EPA, VOC issues are part of it. The actual raw ingredients are also expensive, and the time it takes to do it right is considerable.
I hope this helps.
Bill Basler
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vince xk19
- Posts: 25
- Joined: Sun Aug 12, 2007 12:05 am
- Contact:
Bill,
Thank you for the detailed reply. It was very informative and should be very helpful for all that are curious about the process of re-gelcoating. Due to what I have learned here I will be seeking out a quality gelcoat tech to do my boat.
This is truly a first class, top quality website. I am glad to be part of the community. Keep up the great work.
Thanks again,
Vince
[email protected]
Thank you for the detailed reply. It was very informative and should be very helpful for all that are curious about the process of re-gelcoating. Due to what I have learned here I will be seeking out a quality gelcoat tech to do my boat.
This is truly a first class, top quality website. I am glad to be part of the community. Keep up the great work.
Thanks again,
Vince
[email protected]
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Peter XK19
- Posts: 90
- Joined: Sat Aug 26, 2006 4:18 pm
- Location: Stockholm, Sweden
- Contact:
regeling the XK-19
I just feel the need to point out that for the XK-19 owner who wants to regelcoat to the exact original the white stripes should be white gelcoat ,not paint or graphic stickers. Alot more work for the regel people!
Peter
Peter
gelcoating
Hi guys I am sorry for not getting back sooner. I totally agree with what was said from all of you. I I was thinking of painting but after I saw some of the gelcoat work my shop turned out there was no question I wanted gelcoat.. Just for what it is worth the paint I was going to use was made by Sterling urethane by Detco. This paint is made in california. I have used it before and there is nothing close to it. Anyway my guy at the shop said he will gelcoat my strips in and there will be no way to tell where the strips meet the color. Just to let you know he gave me a great deal because he wanted to do the XK19 because he wants to use it on his website. He charged me $10,000 for the whole job including putting on a new rub rail. This is the third XK I have owned and this one was bought by my uncle brand new in 1970. I learned to sky behind it. It is totally orignal and I am putting it back just like it came in 1970. I will talk XK's anytime so if you have a questions please call me anytime. And by the way this is a great tool to have. It has been very helpful in locating some of the parts I have had trouble finding.
Tim Burruss 404 556 5906 cell
Tim Burruss 404 556 5906 cell
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