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  1. #1
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    Spraying gel with duratec advice

    Adding duratec high gloss to the gel and wondering if I should use waxed gel or unwaxed gel for this? I watched a clip from fiberglast that suggests waxed for below the water line but do I want this on all coats or just the last?
    Hydrostream dreamin

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    LakeFever, I shoot duratec clear additive all the time, you mix it at 50/50 with gelcoat. It has to be mixed at 2% [20cc] hardner, it thins the gelcoat where you can spray it with a hvlp paint gun, it lays flat and dries to a flat/egg shell finish and cures itself, no wax added, you can keep spraying without fear of 1 coat eating the other, let it dry and recoat . After we spray we start wet sanding with 400 and go through the process till buffed, finish shine is as good, i think better than plain gelcoat[ no perosity]. I've seen post where people use gel/wax/acetone or styrene to spray and then fight the pebble grain finish, start with 80gt, so on, respray, etc. Once you use it you'll never spray gel with wax again, sprays like paint, dries smooth/flat, recoat without fear of eating each other, 400 grit to start and it doesn't clog the paper because there's no wax, yet 100% cured, you'll never look back, John

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    Solid info thanks!

    I bought the 3m hgp system just to spray the gel. The one with the pressurized pot. I was planning to use a 2.0 nozzle but maybe I should drop that to a 1.8 after your advice. I’m also thinking I’ll shoot a test panel first to make sure I have this down before hitting the hull with it.
    Hydrostream dreamin

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    Keep in mind that the gel color mixed with 50 % clear will be very translucent and will require many more mills of coating thickness. Stick with the 2.0 tip for gel. I would get a quart of dura tec and do the transom as a test panel 1st.

    83 V-King, 96 Mariner, 200 hp ff block 2.5 w/a 28p choppa
    We gotta clean this liberal mess up, VOTE TRUMP TO MAGA!
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    I’ll be using grey primer and the gel is black so I will be able to see coverage pretty well. When it comes to coatings I’m a more is better than less type
    Hydrostream dreamin

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    Here's a tease...Still looks the same, no fade or nothing. Just gel thinned with styrene and waxed last coat.

    Polished hull

    83 V-King, 96 Mariner, 200 hp ff block 2.5 w/a 28p choppa
    We gotta clean this liberal mess up, VOTE TRUMP TO MAGA!
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  10. #7
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    Quote Originally Posted by LakeFever View Post
    Adding duratec high gloss to the gel and wondering if I should use waxed gel or unwaxed gel for this? I watched a clip from fiberglast that suggests waxed for below the water line but do I want this on all coats or just the last?
    I spend some time on boatdesign.net a bunch of guys shoot awlgrip,gel and duratec over there. They say no wax is needed when 50 duratec high gloss / 50 gel coat as the duratec doesnt leave it stick...which is the same with duratec sanding primer... no wax needed...
    That duratec 50/50 stuff is expensive and I've had good luck with colored gel @~1.5% mekp (don't want heavy mekp in each of those coats because if it hardens too fast that is what alligators between coats)...and thinned out about 20% by weight not volume with acetone
    They say not to use acetone but it's cheap
    I don't use wax...I spray Poly Vinyl Alcohol (cheap) over the gelcoat to allow it to harden tack free

    Another thing I've heard is that even if you mix the guratec 50/50, you will still have orange peel, so the shine will come when sanding/polishing

    I dont have much experience spraying as I just started doing it earlier this year on various boat related things, hulls, molds, ect HOWEVER I am impressed by how good my work has turned out, I thought spraying was going to be hard but once you get into it and get the process down it's pretty easy, you'll feel the adrenaline when you are mixing those 10 cups of gel on the shot clock LOL Have the paper towels handy when you trip over the air hose...

    So youll have no issues spraying, get ready for sanding, since sanding the orange peel and polishing (by machine) is what will get it glossy

    I use an ChinesE-bay 2.5mm gun for the gelcoat, even thinned at 20% acetone it is a little goopy, def a little thicker than any duratec ive used
    and a Chinese-Freight 1.8mm? I believe for the PVA because it's like shooting water

    Duratec is not supposed to be used below the waterline, I have a feeling on a trailered boat i wont matter too much. Im thinking if I have GEL over all the epoxy repairs and duratec primers that will see it up pretty well for uv protection and water intrusion...

    I am thinking you could use it on the last coat only after the first several coats harden because then it would be different than 50/50??


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    Quote Originally Posted by averep View Post
    LakeFever, I shoot duratec clear additive all the time, you mix it at 50/50 with gelcoat. It has to be mixed at 2% [20cc] hardner, it thins the gelcoat where you can spray it with a hvlp paint gun, it lays flat and dries to a flat/egg shell finish and cures itself, no wax added, you can keep spraying without fear of 1 coat eating the other, let it dry and recoat . After we spray we start wet sanding with 400 and go through the process till buffed, finish shine is as good, i think better than plain gelcoat[ no perosity]. I've seen post where people use gel/wax/acetone or styrene to spray and then fight the pebble grain finish, start with 80gt, so on, respray, etc. Once you use it you'll never spray gel with wax again, sprays like paint, dries smooth/flat, recoat without fear of eating each other, 400 grit to start and it doesn't clog the paper because there's no wax, yet 100% cured, you'll never look back, John
    After reading that it makes me want to try the 50/50 next year to see how it works out...


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    Great info guys thanks. Plenty to think about. Fortunately I have a few quarts of gel leftover from the interior so I’m going to test this out a few ways. First I’m going to spray straight gel and see how that lays out. Then I’ll try it thinned with styrene and if neither of those works out I’ll try the duratec. I can’t see how duratec thinned gel coat will be worse than paint below the water line because it’s still polyester. That said if I can get it done without it I will

    ill update with some pics of my test panels
    Hydrostream dreamin

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  15. #10
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    Quote Originally Posted by LakeFever View Post
    Great info guys thanks. Plenty to think about. Fortunately I have a few quarts of gel leftover from the interior so I’m going to test this out a few ways. First I’m going to spray straight gel and see how that lays out. Then I’ll try it thinned with styrene and if neither of those works out I’ll try the duratec. I can’t see how duratec thinned gel coat will be worse than paint below the water line because it’s still polyester. That said if I can get it done without it I will

    ill update with some pics of my test panels
    You wont be able to shoot gel un thinned with anything, easy test...suck peanut butter through a straw....

    You'll have a really blotchy and rough laydown from the air hitting the surface, without any gel...


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    I LOVE Duratec

    Attached Thumbnails Attached Thumbnails copy of dsc00021 (2).jpg   dsc00029.jpg   dsc00030.jpg  
    We have invented the world; WE see

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    Top of the cap I’m shooting with base/clear urethane. It’s only the hull I’m hitting with gel and if the duratec ain’t good below the water I’m going to thin with styrene and let er rip. I will do some test panels first though. It’ll be a bit before I get to this
    Hydrostream dreamin

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