Spraying Gelcoat on a Boat - How to spray gelcoat with a cheap spray gun-

In our other "how to spray gelcoat" video I really didn't focus a lot on the equipment or on the spraying process. I heard all of you! This video focuses ONLY on the spray gun, and the application of the gelcoat. I teach you what to look for when spraying, how to adjust the spray, and how to apply it to the surface you're coating. This spray gun was bought on amazon, and only cost me about 35$ (at the time). Ive been spraying gelcoat with this gun for about 2 years now. It hasn't failed me yet. If you'd like to see the other video it is in a playlist. The link for the spray gun is below if you'd like to try it. My #totalboat discount code is also at the end of this description.
If you are thinking about spraying an entire boat with this spray gun be prepared for a LOT of sanding. I hate sanding boats. Gel coating a boat is HARD work. This gelcoat application method is the most cost effective for the DIY'er
I highly recommend you use two coats of Gelcoat without wax and one final coat of the gel with wax. This will give you a good foundation for sanding. Which is a video I am prepping now. If you plan on doing a lot of projects I still recommend you buy the 300$ gelcoat specific spray gun.
You MUST have all your ducks in a row, have your dump cup, acetone, and cleaning brushes ready. You only have about 6 minutes to spray all the Gel and get the cup gun cleaned before it starts to cure
Trust me when I say the most frequently asked question I get is " How to gelcoat a boat"
I think its worth mentioning how awesome (I think) the 80's vibe is in this video. I really took a lot of time making this and I hope you really enjoy it. It was a ton of fun to make.
Folks if you subscribe to this channel you are helping me SOOO much. The more subscribers, the better content I can make!! Come on aboard now!!
Spray gun link
www.amazon.com...
Pit Viper sun glasses
www.pitviper.c...
#pitviper #321contact
Totalboat discount TBholdfast
Patreon link
www.patreon.co...
321 contact intro is property of PBS and I am using it with the fair use act
Other clips include
Christmas vacation
My cousin Vinny
and reading rainbow music.

[@fuzzysmtb3039]

Great and informative video, thanks. The nozzle on the gun is in fact not a nozzle, it is an air cap. The nozzle is screwed onto the gun before the air cap is installed last. This could be very confusing to someone that is not familiar with spray guns. Just wanted to clarify.

[@HoldFastMarine]

I really appreciate that info! Would you mind if I pinned this comment to the top so others can see it?

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

Did you know, the MEKP dispenser you have, just like all of them, can be moved up or down to allow for metering and finer adjustments. say you want to do 5CC or 5 ML of MEKP, you can pull the top cup up until you are close to 5CC then make micro adjustments, then when you squeeze, you will only get 5CC of hardener and then the rest will get sucked back into the bottle. I have been doing this for 15 years and I cant tell you how many people in this industry don't know the dispenser works that way. Also, why use xylene to clean? Xylene leaves a residue, and acetone is cheaper anyways. I get 55 gallon drums of acetone for around $9 bucks a gallon. it was up like 250% a few months ago but thank god I didn't need to order any during that time. Also, if you do this a lot, you should look into the 3M accuspray Pro gun. The one with the turn to lock tip. I spray gelcoat at least 3 times a week from mine, and I use a 2.0MM tip for the laminating coats, then once I am ready to spray my topcoat, I use the 1.8mm tip because the gelcoat is much thinner with 50/50 duratech high gloss additive. I have never used a better gun (other than an external mix gun that catalyzes the gelcoat as it comes out of the gun, but that was when I worked for a boat builder, those guns are like $10k) and the best part is it takes SECONDS to clean. and, if I mess up and the gelcoat kicks in my gun, I don't have any parts of the gun that are ruined, I just need to clean it off of my needle, and I can move on with life. It's versatile as well, I can use it with a 1.2 tip for spraying awlcraft and then spray gelcoat in the same gun, lays down gelcoat and awlgrip/awlcraft like a mirror, downside is the tips are pricy, but, you can clean them after each use and I use them about 10 to 15 times then throw them out and its a very versatile gun. Anyhow, good video, might just add the ability to use either Duratech or PVA rather than waxed gelcoat, as 1 waxed gelcoat is more for the DIY as it costs more just to have wax added, which you can do for a fraction of the cost they charge to do it for you, and 2 you will have WAY less sanding if you use a patch aid like duratech or Spectrum Fast Patch and it will look so much better as there is UV and Gloss properties added into the patch aids. Anyhow, good video man loving the 80's intro and ending, reading rainbow song brought back memories.

[@HoldFastMarine]

I did know that about the dispenser! I used xylene because I was out it acetone. And I don’t think the home owner is going to buy 55 gallon drums of acetone 😂. I have many spray guns for many different applications. I have dedicated gelcoat guns, paint, nonskid, let’s just say a lot of them. This video was for the homeowner who just wants to do a project, without spending thousands of dollars I’m in gear.

[@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377]

@@HoldFastMarine oh. I see. I gotcha. I didn't know you were not using those items. I got you now. I completely misunderstood. Makes So much more sense. Great video. I just found out about the dispenser thing like 2 years ago, was a freaking game changer, very helpful for people who do not measure out of them much for sure. I find, after you do it a lot, the cup on top leaks. But, I was in no way trying to nit pick your video, I was just offering helpful pointers. I was unaware, this is just a video you used for teaching not everyday practice. My apologies.

[@HoldFastMarine]

@@hullhealersboatworksrestor4377 well my page is for the diy’er lol. Don’t apologize for anything. Good info, good tips.

[@jammasterjay]

I’ve sprayed cars with the 3M guns, and you’re 100% correct…the cleaning is stupid fast!

[@norml.hugh-mann]

You can also put pennies in it

[@JeremyMiranda]

watching these to brainstorm through making a DIY Fiberglass pool. Great channel. Appreciate the video quality too!

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thank you for the kind words!! If you have any questions please feel free to reach out to me. My email is in the about section of this page.

[@thatrandomchannel8589]

80s intros were just as good as the shows back then awesome.

[@MichaelConquest]

Great video! I've got a few guns like this i picked up for free. Most need a good cleaning before i could even attempt to use these on my boat projects.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thank you for watching!! Clean them up and give it a try!!

[@thatrandomchannel8589]

Why my white gel coat looks blue after I sand down my patch work?

[@dee_jay78]

You gotta be a 70s baby to understand allbthe references. 😂great vid. Thank you

[@ryanpoland460]

I love your videos, lots of great info. I’m getting ready to tackle applying fresh gel coat to a 1975 Boston Whaler. You said using this method will require a lot of sanding, would rolling and tipping be the better call?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thin your gelcoat if you’re going to roll and tip.

[@BlakeBarrell]

Thanks

[@HoldFastMarine]

Welcome

[@KG-we8tr]

Can I spray say 5 coats without wax then the final coat with wax and they will all harden? I’m restoring a 1957 Lone Star Meteor that’s in real bad shape.

[@HoldFastMarine]

They should if you apply all the coats properly

[@brainfleming8756]

Why would you not specify the CFM requirements of the compressor?

[@HoldFastMarine]

I didn’t know I had to.

[@poepflater]

I would try a chipcoat gun

[@joeshumo9457]

Don’t sweat it. I had oven cleaner on my hand once and took a leak. Scared me to death. Looked like a molting snake for a while. Not nearly as difficult though as explaining it to the wife.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Lol

[@ericmoore9493]

So I cant find any where what the time in between coats 20 min, seems to be all I can find. Or when it is tacky to the touch but does not come off on your finger. So does that apply for the final coat of gelcoat with wax?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Once it’s not very tacky you can do another coat pretty easy.

[@keithlennon6105]

Great video. Thanks for the information… can/should you thin the gel coat with styrene or something else? Does it have to cure fully before applying your second coat.. ? Thanks

[@HoldFastMarine]

You can, but don’t have to. You’ll want to wait about 2 hours before applying a second coat.

[@scottsmith2869]

I recognize the intro right away! That was a great show back in the 80’s when those folks like me only had 4 Channels on TV! It came on channel 13 PBS. And I had my own black and white TV! Kids today would never understand that??? I’m very interested in spraying and repairing gelcoat. I just need to get some and try it. I do a little spraying from time to time. I wet sand and buff gelcoat on boats already. It’s the color matching that scares me the most! Thanks for the video.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Pretty cool right 🤣. Get a quart from totalboat and try it. Use my code in the description it’ll save you 15%. TotalBoat even sells a pigment if you didn’t know already. Maybe I’ll do a color match video.

[@jim-jf5rn]

I know this video is two years old, but I hope you see this comment. I bought a bayliner speedboat last year, and the previous owner had spray painted regular paint on to the hull. I would like to remove the crappy paint job and bring it back down to the base gel coat. Is there any way I can remove the paint without totally destroying the underlying gel coat?

[@HoldFastMarine]

I respond to all comments!! Depending on the paint you can use a chemical stripper to remove it. Obviously do a test area before slathering it on. It’s a messy absolutely horrible job. Paint stripper shouldn’t remove gelcoat and I’ve never seen it happen.

[@choimdachoim9491]

@@HoldFastMarine In the Coast Guard in the early 1970's I was tasked with removing stripes and decals from the Boating Safety Detachment's boats and tried thick paint-remover. I brushed a light coat on, let it set for a couple minutes and the decals were easier to remove. So, I figured I'll lay on a thick coat, let it set for 10 or so minutes to make removal even easier, go get the Chief Bos'un and proudly show him my neat trick. He and the Commanding Officer came out of the office to see my proud demonstration and as I began scraping off the decals the gel-coat came off with them. Kind of embarrassing. But the upside was the CO decided his Detachment needed a full-time, full-scope boat-repair facility which was granted immediately by the High Command. The moral is: test carefully.

[@bradabell444]

Hello, I have a question, are you able to thin gel coat without wax, and if so what is the best product to use. Also is it exceptable to mist a coat of pva over top of the final coat? Any input would be greatly appreciated, thank you.

[@HoldFastMarine]

You can thin any gelcoat. I use mek, not mekp. If your using gelcoat with wax; which you should as your final coat you don’t need the pva. But if your just using without wax you will have to use pva

[@cmpenney]

How do you know that you have the viscosity of the gelcoat right? I'm trying to spray a neutral gelcoat (adding pigment) and it is very thick compared to the white gelcoat I've used in the past. I've tried thinning with straight MEK but still can't seem to get things dialed in. BTW: I'm using the exact same gun you are using in the video.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Well there isn’t a really clear answer to your question. If I reduce with MEK I only reduce 10-15%. Dilute it after you add in the MEKP. If your having trouble spraying up the PSI, and you want to make sure you have no trigger set.

[@thatrandomchannel8589]

Why my white gel coat looks blue after I sand down my patch work?

[@HoldFastMarine]

No idea. I’ve never had that happen.

[@bernardedward3277]

dont have a very big compressor would a 6 gallon compresor work?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Probably not for a lot of spraying.

[@swimrski]

How many pennies am I holding in my right hand, and what is the total value of the coins left in my pocket?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Lay off the meth brother! It’s not good for you.

[@briancousins1590]

Great video! Do have a question on gel coat. How do you get a shinny finish after doing the finish coat with wax?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Watch my how to sand and buff gelcoat video.

[@terrimason7501]

Just looking at painting with spray gun for first time.. this is a great video to help! Love your charismatic personality but listen, you’ll still be “cool” even while using safety gear (goggles, respirator) plus.. your body will thank you! 😁👍 Thx again! Terri M

[@HoldFastMarine]

My body hates me. The alcohol has already done most of the damage 😂. Thanks for watching!

[@michaelmanaje7281]

Do you have a video on finishing to a smooth polished finish? sand 600 then 1000 and buff?

[@HoldFastMarine]

No I do not.

[@MrOlinswims]

Best boat video I've seen in ages

[@HoldFastMarine]

Much appreciated!! Thank you!

[@jhaberly]

Both of your videos were very helpful. I'm thinking of spraying a boot stripe on a 43 ft sailboat. I've never worked with gelcoat other than in very small repair areas. How long did you wait between coats? Thanks!

[@jhaberly]

Also... How are you clearing/cleaning the gun when you're done spraying? Before something bad happens. :) Thanks!

[@HoldFastMarine]

I usually wait 3 hours before the second coat. And I clean my spray guns with acetone. You have to dismantle the entire cup gun put the parts in a cup of acetone to soak while you clean the gun.

[@jhaberly]

Have watched a couple of your other videos. Very helpful. Thanks for the MEK mixing video! I have one other question. If spraying a 43 ft boot stripe, would you reload the gun with small batches and keep spraying without cleaning the gun in between batches? I've used a paintbrush all day long while mixing West epoxy without it hardening due to continually dipping it in fresh mixed epoxy. Does the same thing work here? I'm using total boat. How much would you suggest mixing at once? I bought the same gun used in your video. Thank you so much!

[@HoldFastMarine]

@@jhaberly absolutely NOT. Epoxy and poly are two complete different things. You must clean the spray gun each time. You only have about 10 minutes or less until the gelcoat starts curing inside the atomizer and tube. If you don’t clean it you’ve just bought another spray gun. Once you mix the mekp in the gelcoat the clock starts ticking.

[@jhaberly]

Thanks Will for all this good information. I've now sprayed the boot stripe on a 43' sailboat using the gun you recommended as well as Totalboat (Black) gelcoat. Everything went very well. This was super helpful. I kind of like the resulting mat black finish. I wonder if it needs to be polished and waxed to protect the gelcoat or if leaving it would be ok? Anyhow... Thank you again! Cheers!

[@demoking1422]

Great info and hope your eye recovered fully and quickly

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thank you. Yeah it was fine 20 seconds after it happened.

[@Sailing.Victoria18-h9q]

What about the compressor specs? How's your eye??

[@HoldFastMarine]

Eyes good, thank you. At the time I filmed this video the compressor I was using was garbage. Which is why I didn’t talk about it. I have a new dewalt 150 gallon now.

[@lestercryptokeesxrp4798]

I love the intro brother good job

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thanks!

[@sailingenki2038]

Great video! I've just bought all the gear to do this, even think I've got the same sprayer. Thanks

[@HoldFastMarine]

Your welcome and thank you for watching! I hope you subscribed!

[@toddatkinson3753]

Didn’t enjoy the intro, video was great!

[@HoldFastMarine]

Clearly you hate America 🤣🤣

[@leomartinez2367]

Not sure. I liked the intro, but everything else has a thumb up

[@HoldFastMarine]

I’m sorry you can’t make your mind up. Watch it again and let me know.

[@larrycassidy1702]

Good info. Thanks for the video. I'm getting ready to spray, and I would've made a big mistake. Thanks for straightening me out on that filter.

[@HoldFastMarine]

You’re welcome Larry! Good luck!

[@larrycassidy1702]

@@HoldFastMarine I sprayed the gelcoat with no styrene thinner and it turned out great. Thank you

[@cm5838]

I’ve redone a few boats, engines, upholstery, carpet, electrical, but never done more than buffing for gel coating. I’m looking at picking up an old boat in bad shape, I’ll be redoing the stringers and transom as well as floor, full upholstery replacement, new Bimini ( sure cuts cost when you can do all the sewing yourself) , a complete rebuild of the outboard, but I want to do the whole boat in a deep blue with large metal flake like a 70’s or 80’s bass boat, can you tint gel coat or do you have to get it pretinted? And can that gun spray metal flake?

[@JoseGonzalez-kt3hx]

Very odd 🤣🤣 you must be from up northeast 100 %

[@HoldFastMarine]

Yup

[@norml.hugh-mann]

Xylene may look much like water, visene, or saline; jts nkt recommended for use as optical lubrication

[@owenjenkins9658]

Forgot how thick should the gelcoat be . I'm refinishing a shower pan . Has some small cracks in the gelcoat .

[@GrantEvans-kj2zd]

Did you think the gelcoat?

[@HoldFastMarine]

I did not.

[@Bri-wi8kq]

Man, you kill me! I had to watch it twice cause we were laughing so much I missed yer pearls of wisdom! Every time ta said retro we skulled a shot Tequila... Cheers Bri, TopHat 25'

[@pmd7771969]

Don't use a sweaping arc. Incorrect

[@HoldFastMarine]

What videos do you have of spraying gelcoat?

[@dandonna1983]

Can you spray 2 coats of gel coat with wax

[@HoldFastMarine]

You’ll have to sand between coats

[@just-dl]

So…only one question…how’s the eye?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Absolutely fine!

[@cpaterson4691]

Your unmatchable

[@HoldFastMarine]

Not sure if you mean that as a compliment or if you’re being a tool. Either way thank you.

[@juantwo322]

Yeah, I’m a bit confused with the gun adjustments 🫣.. Don’t know to use a roller or spray gun..🫤 I’m just trying to repair spider crack here & there along with transom.. 😑

[@HoldFastMarine]

Don’t do either. Mix up some gel and go spot to spot. Color matching is a pain but it’ll look good.

[@ShorrockPaul]

You dont say (or at least i didnt get it) how long or how tacky do you leave first coat of non wax before you spray the next and how long you leave those before you spray the last wax coat. and if you had to spray two wax coats how long between ?

[@HoldFastMarine]

No less than 3 hours at 70 degrees. That’s kinda my rule. I won’t spray the final waxed coat for for about a day. If you had to spray two waxed coats you need to wait until the first coat is completely cured and sand it before applying the second coat.

[@ShorrockPaul]

@@HoldFastMarine great thanks for that, how long does it take (approx) to cure final coat before i can sand, or how do i determine it is ready for sanding. I dont want start too soon and mess whole thing up. Thanks for the videos

[@HoldFastMarine]

@@ShorrockPaul it all depends on how you mix it. Usually overnight or 20 hours. Try a small area to get a better idea

[@leehannah7377]

@@HoldFastMarine if you spray 2 waxed coats, what grit sand paper should I use after curing before going to the second coat.. my boat manufacturer sent me waxed gel coat for making a repair.. thanks

[@gregm.846]

Will........have you ever attempted to shoot bottom paint with a dump gun? I have searched everywhere about this and can't find a thing online.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Yeah, the reason you can’t find it is because nobody does it. It’s 100,000 times faster to just roll anti-fowling paint on. That paint is much much thicker than gelcoat.

[@jlyent]

Trying to gelcoat my boat. What compressor do i need to effectively spray gelcoat? I have a porter cable 6 gallon 150 PSi pancake compressor. Not sure if this will be adequate enough to do the job.

[@HoldFastMarine]

It is not. You’ll need a bigger compressor or a pressure pot.

[@jefflaliberte4587]

Good advise.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thanks for watching!!

[@lilcruz32able]

What do you sand it with?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Sand paper.

[@jago5300]

Educational appreciate it. Love learning things. But on the other side I want to thank you for your business. Since I work for a funeral home. Keep it up and I'll see you soon. I'm well known for giving the last person their last ride just like Uber.

[@HoldFastMarine]

You won’t see me anywhere anytime. Except on this platform. Plus side is those people are dead and don’t have to suffer you or your mouth anymore.

[@stevequate1797]

So I should not use gel coat with wax man more mo et I gotta spend money is tight real tight so tight I hv to order a quart of fairing putty every two weeks so this build is taking forever lol. So I use gel coat no wax for 3 layers and sand between each coat, then shoot gel coat with wax 4th coat? What do I sans down each coat with maybe 320 paper of orbital sander?

[@HoldFastMarine]

So I don’t really understand what your asking. You can’t sand gelcoat without wax, it’ll gum up the paper super fast. If money is tight I’d suggest holding off until you can afford to do it right. And as much as I LOVE TotalBoat stuff you can get a 5 gallon pail of fairing from Hamilton for about 150$ less than the same amount from TB.

[@rolandoroquefl2836]

Good information

[@johnj2496]

Im wanting to use that 3" thick packing cardboard for a core for a surfboard but want to spray polyurethane resin to soak into the "Honeycomb" paper grid to strengthen. These same steps would work for spraying poly and my application dont need to be pretty or as even But mix resin n mekP then thin it out with mek. Or should mosy cheap box store poly be thin enough And thanks for the awesome fiberglass tips

[@HoldFastMarine]

Sounds like a cool project. I wouldn’t thin any resin, epoxy or poly.

[@djmikelove1578]

First

[@HoldFastMarine]

Hope you liked it!!!

[@roblux5514]

So I’m spraying the back of my boat where the fuel tanks go and I’m wondering if you thinned the gel coat or if you just used the gel coat and hardener

[@HoldFastMarine]

I did not thin this batch in the video.

[@Vade1313]

@1:31 Reading rainbow lol noticed it right away. Cool editing on your video!

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thanks bro!

[@andrewcull9080]

So lame

[@HoldFastMarine]

You still watched it which made me money. So thanks.

[@CraigGrant-sh3in]

The surprise in the video is, you can still get Xylene . I use to use it when doing laminate to clean up the project . Nasty stuff but,it works real great.

[@HoldFastMarine]

I know. It’ll be banned someday.

[@shanky071]

Omg loved the introduction!!! Memories of 1981 just flashed through my mind!!!

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thank you!

[@billybuckshot6909]

I haven’t seen that 321 contact intro since elementary school…. And I’m 50! Good stuff!

[@HoldFastMarine]

It was my favorite show!! Thanks for watching I really appreciate it!!

[@redwood1957]

What size compressor were you using.thank you

[@HoldFastMarine]

A small crap one. Buy a 200+ gallon

[@rockynymia]

What kind of regulator did you use

[@HoldFastMarine]

The one that came with the spray gun. I have no clue the make, it’s cheap though. Watch the other spray video and I go over the gun in detail.

[@RalphBrady-vv7cm]

Your not supposed to get it in your eye only the thing you are painting is supposed to get hit next time remember that you will get a better finished product

[@HoldFastMarine]

😂

[@turbotony796]

LOVE YOUR INTRO TO THIS VIDEO!!!!!!! Brought back memories!!!!!!

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thank you turbo!!!

[@joshradford1989]

What do you clean the gun with after use and can you keep adding gel coat for large projects in between cleaning

[@HoldFastMarine]

Acetone. One cup and clean. Don’t keep adding gel.

[@manningcustom]

how well does it stick to fiberglass?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Gelcoat? It sticks very well. All boats are gelcoat over fiberglass.

[@cherr979]

How many coats of Gel coat do you spray to have enough thickness ,??

[@HoldFastMarine]

I generally do two coats of laminating gelcoat and one finish coat with wax. If the surface is smooth enough it’ll be minimal sanding with some 800 grit then buffing

[@EvansBrosRacing]

What type of Goggles do you wear when spraying gelcoat ? I was hoping I could find some that wont get ruined when I clean the overspray off .

[@HoldFastMarine]

I don’t wear goggles. Sometimes safety glasses but usually not. You could buy a full face respirator, those work pretty good.

[@johnj2496]

Aaaah The old Safety squints 😑 And good ole Hanes Tshirt coller pulled over nose mask for when the wind shifts n blows in your face

[@EvansBrosRacing]

@@HoldFastMarine I did buy some full face ones , I am gonna put some motorcycle lens tear offs on there to protect the plastic lens

[@paddlefaster]

I want to spray the mold for a kayak I'm building. Would any of the El Cheapo electric spray guns work for small-scale projects such as a kayak? Wagner, Harbor Freight Etc? I've had decent results rolling gelcoat but would like to go to the next level.

[@HoldFastMarine]

A Wagner power painter will not work. Nor will any thing from harbor freight. The nozzle size is too small

[@paddlefaster]

@@HoldFastMarine thank you for the reply.

[@natetate2795]

What’s your recommendations on respecting a whole boat? What grit to sand to and how much product needed

[@HoldFastMarine]

Please watch the other spray video and those questions are answered.

[@babymanahan888]

hi can you apply gelcoat on a urethane painted surface? thanks

[@HoldFastMarine]

Negative.

[@slagletoby]

Haven’t seen that 3-2-1 Contact since the 70’s. Thanks for the great vid!

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thanks!! It was fun to make!!

[@tfortexas5098]

Is this gel-coal good to use on an RV? Will it stick to aluminum?

[@HoldFastMarine]

You can. The prep work is pretty intense to get it to stick to aluminum. Paint would be my choice for an RV.

[@owenjenkins9658]

WAX ! What is wax ? Can`t be like candle wax !

[@jetro502]

Paraffin?

[@ruslanmustaev8170]

Thanks so much for this video. I have a very important question :) how do you clean your spray gun? Obviously you don't buy them for every new project :)

[@HoldFastMarine]

I clean it as fast as I can with acetone to keep the gelcoat from curing in the nozzle. You have to take the whole thing apart.

[@swimrski]

@@HoldFastMarine Hence the moment early on when you showed everything ready for clean up before you started to spray

[@brucemckinnley5272]

Do you spray the Gel coat as is with catalyst, or do you thin it out ?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Depends on what I’m spraying.

[@allaboutdiy3858]

I think you have to use thinners?

[@HoldFastMarine]

You don’t have to. I’ve been doing this for 20 years. It’s a good idea to thin gel but not necessary

[@jessicaeshraghi2235]

Dude. Nice intro

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thanks homie.

[@erolagaoglu1614]

Nice Retro Intro.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thanks homie.

[@Jorge_Reckless]

i thought you had to do 1 thick layer of gelcoat and thats it, I was told that a few layers can crack the gel coat. can you elaborate your opinions on this? (new painter by the way)

[@HoldFastMarine]

No idea who told you that. You can do one coat, two or ten. It’s always preferred to do one coat thick for time. But I’m a pro and can easily do it. The diy’er not so much.

[@Jorge_Reckless]

@@HoldFastMarine gotcha. how long should i wait in between coats ? and how many coats should i apply in your opinion?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Always follow manufacturers recommendations for times. And I don’t know your project and haven’t seen it nor do I know your skill level so it’s very hard to say how many coats you’ll need

[@specialsauce305]

For how many PSI is the water and oil separator? Thanks.

[@HoldFastMarine]

120 I believe.

[@specialsauce305]

@@HoldFastMarine they no longer have the 2.5mm nozzle. 2mm is the largest nozzle available.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Ok. Sorry.

[@rocketsurgeon1746]

Great work! Thanks

[@HoldFastMarine]

Your welcome! And thanks for the nice comment and for watching!

[@MrFloosher]

Will the gel coat actually dry without the wax? I thought that without wax it would remain tacky. I didn't know that you could build up gelcoat and sand before applying a coat with wax to seal. Very interested in learning more about this. More video's please!

[@HoldFastMarine]

It will dry but will not cure. I didn’t say anywhere in the video that you could sand gelcoat without wax. You want to do layers of gelcoat without wax then a finishing coat of gel and wax to cure everything before you sand. You can also use PVA but I don’t recommend that because it’s a horrid mess to clean. Other than a gelcoat video (because I’ve done 6 of them) what would you like to see?

[@Liquifly]

Add Duratech. Will cure without wax or coating with PVA. Polyester resins cure via condensation reaction. Air inhibits cure, leaving the surface tacky.

[@howImadethis-]

Thanks

[@HoldFastMarine]

Welcome

[@Uh86-0]

i love it

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thanks

[@av8rgrip]

I’m about to re-gelcoat a hobie cat. First time spraying gel coat, but have done paint. How much overspray can I expect? I’ve had paint atomize and float in the air only to settle on everything I haven’t covered in my garage. Does gel coat atomize like paint? Do I need to cover everything? If If I put heavy paper on the floor can I reduce foreign debris enough to get a nice job? I don’t have a “clean room”.

[@HoldFastMarine]

It really depends on how much your spraying. Im assuming your doing the 16’ hobie? Gelcoat overspray is heavier than paint spray. So you can expect about half. I would buy the cheapest rolls of plastic you can find and cover as much as you can. The problem with spraying gelcoat vs paint is the gel takes a lot longer to cure, therefor anything in the air will stick to the gel. The good part is you’ll have to sand the gel and buff it so you’ll remove a lot of the junk that lands on it.

[@av8rgrip]

@@HoldFastMarine 18’hobie. So the gel will float in the air?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Yes. Just like paint

[@av8rgrip]

​@@HoldFastMarine Ok, Lessons learned spraying the first pontoon. Bigger job than I expected. 4 pints per coat taking about an hour each coat. Overspray was more and less of a problem than I thought. I used 2.5% styrene for the first 4 coats. 5% with wax and duratech for the final coat. The last coat was more airborne than the others. It also sprayed a lot faster as it was thinner. I had canvas tarps on the floor. This became a problem as the overspray made them sticky like fly paper. My feet and hose would pull them all over the place rendering them mostly useless. I am gonna try rolling out waxed paper for the next pontoon. Overspray comes up fairly easily with MEK substitute. I did have a little bit of a gun issue with some residual gel hardening in the gun. I was able to get it out though and totally disassembled after each pot. Overall, I am very happy with the first pontoon. I think it will sand out nicely.

[@av8rgrip]

@@HoldFastMarineI was hoping you might be able to draw attention to this problem I found with styrene that I have not seen mentioned nor can I find much about it in internet searches. I sprayed my boat in my garage. I took precautions to avoid the fumes. Masking, protective gear and left the garage doors partially open. Vapors managed to make it through the walls and into our house. We kept the windows open to get rid of the fumes. I did not expect that and neither did my wife who has worked in workplace safety. What was and is still surprising is that some of the food in a refrigerator and chest freezer in the garage have absorbed the styrene. My wife did find some info that it mostly affects the fat in foods and depends on the type of packaging. All that aside, I was very surprised that it was able to get into the sealed refrigerator and freezer.

[@justinpatterson3972]

Nice nostalgia, good info too.😀

[@HoldFastMarine]

I appreciate that bud!!

[@stuartkent383]

What can you get volume to area ratio down to? How thin without windows for mould application?

[@HoldFastMarine]

Sorry Stuart I don't quite understand what your asking me.

[@stuartkent383]

@@HoldFastMarine coverage per litre. Example: 500 ml per mt2. Can you get it down to 250ml per mt2? Or does that lead to wrinkling / complications.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Well with this cup gun I honestly couldn't say. Ive never done the math on it. I will say that you want to have your first coat cover enough to not see any bleed through of the sub straight (plywood, fiberglass, fairing compound). Gelcoat is a pretty forgiving substance. Which is why for the DIY'er I recommend doing at least two coats of gel without wax and one with wax, to cure the layers below and add a little more thickness. Its definitely overkill but you have a good amount to sand before you ruin the entire job. If you want a truly even almost gloss finish on you your project the best way to spray is with a gelcoat dump gun. Did any of this answer your question or did I confuse you more?

[@stuartkent383]

@@HoldFastMarine Im just trying to calculate the weight a kayak would be. I can estimate the composite schedule. Just thinking of the weight I can get the gelcoat down to. All good

[@HoldFastMarine]

@@stuartkent383 well I can answer that for ya!! you can thin gelcoat with a product called styrene. It will make it flow a lot like paint. There won't be much of a weight added to the canoe. Have you though of just painting the canoe?

[@joelrowland3372]

Two things- 1- I hope that your eye is OK. 2 - I know you were just being funny, but I would rather you not make videos for other people's "entertainment", than take care of your health and longevity. Everyone gets to make that choice for themselves, but isn't it the responsibility of the teacher to role-model the ideal? Styrene in your bloodstream, Xylene in your mucous membranes? Those of us who work with these materials will inevitably be exposed to this toxic (long term absolutely debilitating and deadly) chemicals, so the more people do to protect themselves from them the better they can get at doing this stuff. This is the first time that I've watched your channel. I'm not sure I'll watch any more, and I absolutely would not recommend it or share it with my students. Best of luck to you. Live Long and Prosper.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Live long and prosper to you Aswell!! Any time I spray gel or paint I am wearing a respirator. And I agree I should have put a disclaimer in the video letting people know to always wear one!! So thank you for that!! If you had hung around on the channel or watched some other videos you would have seen me wearing a respirator. In the old video I was wearing one. Sorry I cant keep you as a long time watcher!! I hope maybe some day you'll come back!! Thanks for watching this video!! Oh and the EYEball is just fine!! I have an eye wash station that I got to immediately!

[@JenkinsBoatWorks]

I'm yet to try this task but can imagine in my future at some point. subscribing brother. check out my channel if you get a minute. thanks, Chuck

[@HoldFastMarine]

I checked your channel out! Good stuff there!!! Thank you for subscribing, I will do the same!! Have a great day.

[@HookMeUp11]

🎉yes, good job good info and a dose of good internet.

[@HoldFastMarine]

Thank you. Hope you subscribed