Thread: Gel coat

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  1. #1
    Member texasbass1's Avatar
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    Gel coat

    Has anyone had their boat re-gelcoated as part of their restoration? There is a repair shop here that says he can do it and I'm thinking of having my done but I'm looking for opinions.

    Thanks in advance
    Pat Leach

    USAF MSgt Retired

    1992 Procraft 180 Pro
    2016 Mercury 150 Four Stroke
    2018 Minn Kota Ulterra
    Helix 7 SI/GPS
    Helix 7 Sonar/GPS


  2. Member crank68's Avatar
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    #2
    Is it flake or colored gel? How bad is it currently? Just the top cap or the entire boat? It can be done of course but expensive.
    BULLET 20 XRD/250 Merc Sport XS
    www.ncboatguy.com

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    #3
    Just my 2 cents make sure you are getting gel and not paint most shops want to use paint for a quick easy buck. gel is labor intensive and usually not cheep.

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    #4
    I had my restore painted by a buddy who owns a body shop, he also does a lot of boat work, he said shooting the whole thing with new gel was just going to cost too much, I had a budget of $2K. It definitely wasn't a quick buck, he had about 20 hours into it. He showed me pics of a few boats he's done and even had one in his yard that he did 5 years ago that still looked great. He charged me $1800 but that included fixing some of the glass work I did on the top and fairing the whole thing. He said that the prep is the most important part. He primed and sealed the whole boat before paint. He did the hull with single stage and the top with basecoat/clear. He did at least two coats of paint if not 3 and then 2 coats of clear on the top. He taped off the BC bolt and then cleared over that as well.

    I'm really happy with the way it turned out.

  5. Member texasbass1's Avatar
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    #5
    WOW, its been a while since I've been on here but for an update. I'm having a local repair shop do a complete color change on my boat and I'm having the seats reupholstered to match. The finish wasn't real bad but it was down to the flake with some oxidization so I decided to go all in. I really like the boat with no plans on selling her so I'll post some pics once I get her back.
    Pat Leach

    USAF MSgt Retired

    1992 Procraft 180 Pro
    2016 Mercury 150 Four Stroke
    2018 Minn Kota Ulterra
    Helix 7 SI/GPS
    Helix 7 Sonar/GPS


  6. Member texasbass1's Avatar
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    #6
    OK well this has been quite an adventure and while its not quite done yet here are some pictures of my soon to be restored Procraft. New gel, new color scheme and new carpet.

    Procraft 1.jpg the original look. 20200207_154744.jpgThe almost finished project.

    I'm having issues getting the other photos to load right side up. I'll post more soon. Any suggestions on how to fix that problem will be appreciated.
    Last edited by texasbass1; 02-14-2020 at 01:10 PM.
    Pat Leach

    USAF MSgt Retired

    1992 Procraft 180 Pro
    2016 Mercury 150 Four Stroke
    2018 Minn Kota Ulterra
    Helix 7 SI/GPS
    Helix 7 Sonar/GPS


  7. Member fastfiat's Avatar
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    #7
    Looks sharp Pat. I had a 95 180 pro for a bit. Really good boat.

  8. Member Radeleur's Avatar
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    #8
    Looks good. I am considering doing that myself.

    Flake is a PITA...gets everywhere and on everything...plus adds a bunch of steps. Solid color and done. Flake = Solid base (2-3 thin coats), Flake/Clear (2-3 thin coats), then Clear on top (2-3 coats). Sure its looks nice, but honestly, I like a plan white/black color scheme. Plus white gel is approximately $50 bucks a gallon cheaper.
    1988 Basscat Pantera 2 / 1988 Mariner 200 #0B348072 / 1986 Mercury Blackmax 200 #0B116913
    US Navy veteran

  9. Member texasbass1's Avatar
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    #9
    Yeah, a sparkly boat looks good but the older they get the harder they are to keep looking good. I figured that this would be better than going into debt for a newer boat. Thanks for the complements
    Pat Leach

    USAF MSgt Retired

    1992 Procraft 180 Pro
    2016 Mercury 150 Four Stroke
    2018 Minn Kota Ulterra
    Helix 7 SI/GPS
    Helix 7 Sonar/GPS


  10. Member texasbass1's Avatar
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    #10
    She is finally home and complete. I love the new look.

    Procraft finished.jpg

    Still posting upside down but her she is
    Pat Leach

    USAF MSgt Retired

    1992 Procraft 180 Pro
    2016 Mercury 150 Four Stroke
    2018 Minn Kota Ulterra
    Helix 7 SI/GPS
    Helix 7 Sonar/GPS


  11. Member
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    #11
    I like the detail with your numbers, not just the black & white stuff. I have a plotter and cut all my customers numbers custom.

    Your boat looks great. As for my view, when I hit the zoom button your picture turned right side up. Nice trick.

  12. Member texasbass1's Avatar
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    #12
    Thanks for the complements and the zoom trick worked too
    Pat Leach

    USAF MSgt Retired

    1992 Procraft 180 Pro
    2016 Mercury 150 Four Stroke
    2018 Minn Kota Ulterra
    Helix 7 SI/GPS
    Helix 7 Sonar/GPS


  13. Member crank68's Avatar
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    #13
    Entirely different lookin rig !! Very nice !! Looks like a real good gel job. From the pics looks nice and flat from a mold not a respray.
    BULLET 20 XRD/250 Merc Sport XS
    www.ncboatguy.com