1979 Viking build

[Jmr1974]

Lakefever, couple ?’s so on my restore I used epoxy resin for the interior of the boat, I haven’t done any epoxy on the exterior yet. If I want to gel coat the running surface I can’t use epoxy for any patching ( gel won’t stick to it) so what kind of resin do I need to do the patch work? I can also just paint it because paint will work with epoxy and I have all the material at hand ( epoxy)and I’m use to working with it. I just figured gel would be more durable for trailering the boat and beaching on sandbars and such. Boat will never be in the water for more than a few hours a couple times a month during our Wisconsin short summers. I know with paint you don’t want to leave the boat in the water for days on end, which I will not do.

[tnelsmn]

Jmr, you can use either polyester or vinylester resin to do the exterior patch work to have it be compatible with gel coat. Vinylester is the better of the two products and I believe what Lake here used for his entire build.

Lake I sure understand the gel kicking. The clear mixed with flake kicked my butt, with no color or additives it lets it go that much faster. Had an entire batch start to cure in the gun when I was spraying flake. I ended up using two guns and two helpers. I would continue to spray while one helper cleaned the other gun, and the other helper was preparing the next batch of gel. Was a ton of work and a big struggle on a hot humid day.

Tony.

[Jmr1974]

Jmr, you can use either polyester or vinylester resin to do the exterior patch work to have it be compatible with gel coat. Vinylester is the better of the two products and I believe what Lake here used for his entire build.

Lake I sure understand the gel kicking. The clear mixed with flake kicked my butt, with no color or additives it lets it go that much faster. Had an entire batch start to cure in the gun when I was spraying flake. I ended up using two guns and two helpers. I would continue to spray while one helper cleaned the other gun, and the other helper was preparing the next batch of gel. Was a ton of work and a big struggle on a hot humid day.

Tony.

Ok, maybe a stupid ? But can I let the vinylester or polyester harden and then sand/shape it before gel coating? I probably only have a half dozen areas on the bottom from 6”-12” long and narrow to get back into shape so I shouldn’t need to buy to much…

[LakeFever]

Jmr your correct your not supposed to use gel over epoxy but im almost certain that you can use duratec vinylester primer over epoxy and gel over that. If you have epoxy and are familiar then this is the way to go plus i would also use epoxy faring putty its a lot smoother and less porous than poly faring putty. Once laid epoxy and hull is sanded and fared out spray the duratec, block it out and gel coat away. Sounds like a great method to me and yes for the same reasons i wanted gel its a lot tougher than paint. My deck is getting paint but the hull was always planned for gel


Tony is correct I used vinylester resin for my entire build aside from poly to prime the core. Man the kicking gel thing is crazy i would have dropped to 1% mekp but didnt want to risk it on my first go so 1.5 was as brave as i got and it cured perfect. Wish i could plow through the rest of this thing but work is in front of me now for at least a week i wont have spare time for the boat. Inching closer does feel good. Getting this hull repair and gel work done was the biggest challenge so the goal post is looking very near

[Jmr1974]

Jmr your correct your not supposed to use gel over epoxy but im almost certain that you can use duratec vinylester primer over epoxy and gel over that. If you have epoxy and are familiar then this is the way to go plus i would also use epoxy faring putty its a lot smoother and less porous than poly faring putty. Once laid epoxy and hull is sanded and fared out spray the duratec, block it out and gel coat away. Sounds like a great method to me and yes for the same reasons i wanted gel its a lot tougher than paint. My deck is getting paint but the hull was always planned for gel


Tony is correct I used vinylester resin for my entire build aside from poly to prime the core. Man the kicking gel thing is crazy i would gave dropped to 1% mekp but didnt want to risk it on my first go so 1.5 was as brave as i got and it cured perfect. Wish i could plow through the rest of this thing but work is in front of me now for at least a week i wont have spare time for the boat. Inching closer does feel good. Getting this hull repair and gel work done was the biggest challenge so the goal post is looking very near

Lake, I like your idea. I already have the fairing compound you mention and epoxy. Where can I get the duratec?

[LakeFever]

Express composites sells it. There is quite a few variations to their vinylester primer line and you have to get it prepped its not a shelf stable item so id call and ask which version they recommend and order the primer when your ready. It takes about a week iirc to get the primer prepped for pick up.

hawkeye industries makes it and the man you want to speak with is Jody 1-800-977-0060 he can advise the absolute best approach and maybe offer some improved solutions to what i suggested hes a materials/chemical expert

[Jmr1974]

Express composites sells it. There is quite a few variations to their vinylester primer line and you have to get it prepped its not a shelf stable item so id call and ask which version they recommend and order the primer when your ready. It takes about a week iirc to get the primer prepped for pick up.

hawkeye industries makes it and the man you want to speak with is Jody 1-800-977-0060 he can advise the absolute best approach and maybe offer some improved solutions to what i suggested hes a materials/chemical expert

Perfect, thank you.

[Jmr1974]

Lake, just got off the phone with Jody, guy was extremely helpful and lead me in the right direction. Duratec will work for me. Thanks again.

[LakeFever]

I couldnt agree more, Jody is the man when it comes to the chemistry of resins. Looking forward to seeing your build come together

[XstreamVking]

A 2.5 tip on a drop gun is gonna dump thinned gell so fast you have about 1 min spray time per cup A big tip is crucial and thinning % is best done with a #2 zahn cup as a guide to your master mix ratio.

[LakeFever]

I have one of those cups here from the painting days. I used it with old lacquers and enamels but switched to depth sticks matched to systems and that sped up my workflow and i never went back to the drip method. The largest spray nozzle for the accuspray is a 2.0 which is a bit small but in the end im very pleased with the spray level and finish. If a 2.5 was available i dont think i would have had any kicking issues. Theres always something to improve lol

[XstreamVking]

Take a drill bit and hog that tip out.

[LakeFever]

I thought about trying that but they are plastic and i dont know how true/round the hole would be after drilling. I do have some leftover waxed gel I was using for curing the hull glass for sanding that i could try maybe? When i get this cut and buffed and flip it i might give the drill a go

[Jmr1974]

I couldnt agree more, Jody is the man when it comes to the chemistry of resins. Looking forward to seeing your build come together

Lake, there’s fairing primer duratec and just duratec primer. I forgot to ask Jody which one I needed, I would think it’s just the primer. Do you know? It’s to late in the day to talk to anyone at express composites. I kinda want to get this stuff ordered sooner than later so I have it for the upcoming holiday weekend. If my plan goes the way I’d like I should be able to spray it by then. Also they have it in black,white or gray what color should I use if I’m using white gel?

[Jmr1974]

Here’s the stuff.