Printable View
I am new to the board and would like to restore my 92 skeeter gel coat. While doing research on gel coat came across this site and was wondering if anyone has used this product to restore gel coat. Here is link http://www.admiraltymarinecoatings.com.
Hi Sportakus:
It has been used on many products that are finished with a gelcoat. It is cured with a high powered UV light in seconds, this high gloss clear coating will not oxidize and is very tough.
A UV blocking coating can also be applied to stop and further fade of the original color.
I will be happy to answer any questions.
Regards,
Graham
Would you use it on your boat's gel coat as a re-gel? What's the life expectancy of this product? Thanks, any information would be appreciated. My boat's gelcoat is in bad condition and estimate for re-gel is more than boat is worth. Thanks
Yes, that is why it was developed.
If you wet your existing gelcoat it should provide an idea of how it will look with the the clear gelcoat applied.
The process is a light buff of the existing gelcoat with 320 - 600 grit sand paper followed by a wipe down with IPA (>90% pure) to remove any wax coating.
Admiralty's clear gelcoat can be wiped, brushed or sprayed.
http://www.admiraltymarinecoat...rcoat.
The life expectancy is 7 - 10 years, it will not oxidize and no waxing is necessary. After this time another coat may be applied in the same way with the same results. It is very tough...
http://www.admiraltymarinecoat....html
The gelcoat will allow no ingress of water into the underlying fiberglass structure.
A high powered UV light is required to cure this coating... it may be feasible for several people to invest/use the UV light to reduce the upfront cost. This equipment and coating system is for professional use and some learning curve is to be expected.
http://www.admiraltymarinecoat....html
Regards, Graham
Sounds like its similar to a topside paint like alwgrip or brightside in a clear coat. What are your thoughts on this admiral stuff vs a topside paint vs a real re-gel of boat?. I have alot of deep cosmetic scratches in boat. 2 or 3 feet long and 1/2" deep in metal flake and I am having trouble deciding how to get best bang for buck. Previous owner of boat didn't take care of it. Thanks
It is a Gelcoat that is used regular boat molds and is tougher than typical urethane finishes.
The deep scratches can be repaired with this fairing compound...
http://www.admiraltymarinecoat....html
Regards, Graham
Graham,
If you apply this product (gelcoat) as per the instructions I understand that this is a 7-10 year application. Now is there a possibility that during this time that this product could flake and be a peeling nightmare?
We have seen... over many years, no evidence of that occurring. The Gel Overcoat is designed to adhere to gelcoat by mechanical and/or chemical means.
A simple check after a "test coat" application and curing (on an unseen surface) is to scribe a matrix in the coating (down to the substrate interface) with a new razor blade. Ten scribes in one direction about .010" apart and 10 scribes at 90º to make a crosshatch pattern.
Take a very good quality clear "shipping" tape and apply it to this area as firmly as possible and then quickly rip it off the surface. The only residue on the sticky side of the clear tape should be slight scribe mark particles. All the squares should remain in place on the coated surface... do this three times with fresh tape.
If all the squares remain where they are supposed to be then you have good adhesion that will not fail.
If the test shows failure then not enough surface roughness was achieved in the sanding process or it is an incompatible material... such as epoxy.
Regards,
Graham
Oooops... the crosshatch dimensions were incorrect.
The scribe line spacing should be 1/10th of an inch... not 0.010"
Regards, Graham
Graham,
You seem pretty knowledgeable about this stuff. Have you worked with it before? Also, you spoke about incompatible material. Is there a list of incompatible materials that this stuff wouldn't bond with? At this point I not convinced it's something that would last any longer than a good paint job but I could be wrong. What about it's ability to flex with the boat over time.
Thanks
Sportukus
I am the CEO of Admiralty Coatings, Inc. so I have worked with it rather extensively.
It adheres to gelcoats that are polyester or vinyl ester based... it does not bond well with epoxy but we do have coatings for epoxy substrates.
I don't know exactly what you mean by a good paint job (linear polyurethane?) but I do know that it will not crack or fracture when cycled between a freezer (8ºF) and oven (165ºF) hundreds of times on an expanding and contracting medium such as wood... while during this transition being exposed to high levels of UV energy.
Regards,
Graham
I have a boat that has blue metal flakes,it has some scratches in it.Will the clear gel overcoat product hide the scratches? Also if I wanted to cover up the metal flakes,will your solid color gelcoat work?
If the scratches are deep it would be best to use our Fairing Compound first... some color or flakes may be added... but test on scrap samples first.
The Gel Overcoat is water clear which will bounce up the color of the original coating but will allow existing scratches to be observed.
If you use our Base Gelcoat to which you may add pigment it will cover the metal flake but more than one coat would be required.
Best regards, Graham
I dont have any deep scratches,and can you im me on what and how much I would need in order to do a 20ft sprint bass boat dual console.
Graham, do yo have to have a uv lamp to cure the Gel Overcoat?
Yes, the UV light is critical, it is the only way to guarantee the coating will be fully cured.
You could try for a cure using just SUNLIGHT but the performance of the coating could not be guaranteed. There are too many variables... you could try a test piece in the sun and see what results you get.
The smallest quantity we sell is a gallon... however, we could not take it back after it is opened if it fails the sun evaluation. http://www.bassboatcentral.com/smileys/ohwell.gif
Graham,
What's the deal with the UV lamp? How much does a UV lamp cost or can you rent one from some place cheap. If I remember from your website they are real expensive and it is kind of a deal breaker for me. Might as well just take it to a glass shop. Any thoughts? Also, have you ever done a bass boat, or any small boats that needed a re-gel. I would like to see some before and after pictures of an older boat restored with a new shiny coat. Am I asking to much? Seems like it could be a great product but need more convincing.
Thanks
Sportakus
Use the traditional Gel coats/prep/procedures and stay away from exotic coatings and paint. Gel is easy to repair/last more than 7-10 years and you dont need a UV light. I have been doing this for years and have seen new systems come and go...
To Sportakus...
UV lamps have only recently been made available for on-site work... they have been in factories for decades, carefully installed and monitored for precise output of UV energy. The price has always been high due to the magnetic ballast power supply... they can weigh 40lb or more.
We supply primarily to shipyards and service companies not to individuals who are trying to do a one-off job... the initial costs are just too expensive. If a group of like minded individuals can club together and buy a light system it can make sense.
No rentals for high powered units (1500 - 2000 watts) are available as far as I know. There are also safety concerns as the UV energy is dangerous if wielded about... proper shielding of eyes and skin is required.
We have examples of larger vessels having the gelcoat done... I will send some pix if interested.
Regards, Graham
Dear OMCforever:
You may use anything you wish... I was simply informing members about a different way of doing things that provides direct benefits in the Gelcoat refurbishing area.
UV Cured Gelcoat is not going away... it will certainly displace some of the old tried and true methods. It will NOT oxidize and if it has the "weather package" in the formulation the color will NOT fade.
If anyone wants a sample of gelcoat over fiberglass to test... I will be happy to provide it with details of the process employed.
Regards, Graham
Modified by Graham at 5:43 PM 10/25/2009