Spraying Metal Flake Gelcoat Hydrostream Restoration

[@sennenyapp3721]

Wow ! That's incredible workmanship. I watched all the vids as I just bought a 1987 Valero that I thought I would recore.....not after watching. I think I'll buy something new just don't have the time or ability to do it right like you have shown. It would probably sit in my garage unfinished till the day I die and the kids would have to get rid of it...lol Thanks for posting. Hondatech on S&F

[@TNels]

You really don't have to go as far as I did to make it a useable boat. Transom, core, stringers, and floor is what it needs. You don't need to split the hull either. I went way over the top with this because it has a ton on sentimental value to me. This is my first attempt at fiberglass work. But I do have a knack for working with my hands.

[@dis82]

Great work. The boat looks amazing. I think I found the right videos to see if I could restore an old hydrostream, doesnt look easy. Look forward to the next video

[@TNels]

Thank you! It's a lot of work and very tedious, but it isn't very hard work. Mostly dirty. The next video will probably be getting it back on the trailer and setting up the bunks. I think a video of just wet sanding and buffing would be pretty boring. If you want to see more info on the rebuild process it is documented here: www.screamandfly.com/showthread.php?340316-1978-Viking-rebuild

[@christopherfegett3763]

Good luck getting your garage cleaned back up! Looks good though!

[@TNels]

Thank you! I take it you've done this before by that comment. I am very glad I hung so much poly to protect my stuff. The floor will be a challenge to get back once this is finished.

[@jamesoneill2343]

What did you use as a base coat/primer while repairing imperfections on the hull? I’m restoring an old James Bond Glastron boat. Appreciate the tips

[@TNels]

I used Duratech vinylester primer after repairing the bottom. I have a long detailed write up here if you're interested. www.screamandfly.com/showthread.php?340316-1978-Viking-rebuild

[@FullThrottleBHP]

The boat looks awesome! I was just wondering why you did a black base coat of the black gelcoat? Also what was left under the masked area? and do you have a rough idea how much you will end up using for the top side? Thank you!

[@TNels]

I shot the black for a background for the flake layer. With the black underneath you can really tell when you get enough flake down. I probably could've used a grey base color and used a bit less flake. Some say you should use a similar color base. But I think the black gives the flake a bit more depth. Everything under the masked off section is just plain white gelcoat. I wanted a bit less material on that area due to the work that went into blueprinting the hull. It was easier to sharpen the edges with just one coat. The deck was completed yesterday, each coat used about 6-7 quarts of gel.

[@FullThrottleBHP]

wow, okay very cool that makes a lot of sense. For the deck you mentioned you used about 6-7 coats for each coat, is That each coat of black / silver / clear?(so if one coat of each was done, it took about 18quarts of gel) how many coats was necessary to obtain proper thickness for each color? I was also curious what was the final grit that was used to sand before applying the gel? im assuming you had to wet set and buff after the gel was cured as well to get that smooth gloss finish? Sorry for all the questions, but I really appreciate the info and help will be much needed as I have been debating of using automotive paint or going with gel coat for the restoration of my hydrostream.

[@TNels]

@@FullThrottleBHP Yes, each coat of gel(black, clear/flake, clear) needed 6-7quarts each for the deck. As you can see when I start spraying flake the video is in real time, I tried for about 50% overlap with each pass. I had to spray each area three times to get the proper mil thickness(18-26). I did take a lot of measurements with a wet film gauge the first few times I sprayed, after that I had a good feel for how much I needed to lay down. Too thin and it won't cure properly. I'm probably a little heavy with the gel and over 30mil in some spots. Yes, lots of wet sanding and buffing. The hull was sanded with 36g before primer, primer was sanded to 80g before spraying gel. Auto paint will be an easier process but gel is so much more durable. Also, you can't get flake this big into auto paint. Check the link in the video description to Scream and Fly. I have a pretty in depth write up of how I've done all this. Thanks for the interest!!

[@thedragonfarm]

I have so many questions iv probably watched your series about 10 times over the years by far the best video of gelcoat process hands down. My questions are how long did you wait between coats any need to sand between coats? Did you spray directly over the existing gelcoat or does it have to have a primer between? Also really would like to see a video of the boat now done inside and out on the water

[@TNels]

Just have to wait for the coat to kick off and once it starts to cool off you can spray the next coat. A laser temp gun is very handy for that. I used Duratech vinyl ester primer first more as a filler coat. That was block sanded before spraying the gel. No sanding between coats of gel.

[@surferdude4420]

Got a quick question. I’m spraying pearl pigments mixed with clear gelcoat over base coats then clear gelcoat over it. Question is, have you found any way to fix a scratch or burn through of the pearl and base without spraying the whole hull again? I’ve been doing fiberglass, gelcoat and paint work for 17 years now and this one has me stumped. Thanks in advance and beautiful work!!! I love my 79 Vking 🤙🏁

[@TNels]

Sorry I can't help. I'm really not a paint expert, this was my first attempt at it. Good luck!

[@FrostieV]

How many hours do you have in this. Now I know why some of those fancy bass boats cost so much. That's a $5k paint job and that's probably under estimating. How would you do a boat that you can't turn upside down?

[@TNels]

There's about 120hrs into the gel coat process for the entire boat. About 875hrs into the entire project so far. Thanks for the compliment! I have about $1,000 in materials for the gel. No idea how to tackle one you can't flip over. Possibly hang it somehow? But if you're able to hang it you'd be able to flip it..

[@scottwilson4079]

I watched every video with your restoration. It turned out amazing! I was just wondering if the black base is a gel coat or a paint?

[@TNels]

Thank you! The black was also gelcoat.

[@ONDRE32]

Late question, the white paint was a sealer? Do they have a black sealer? And what size gun is that shooting gel?

[@daniellepalmer1726]

Maybe im missing it, ive read your write up about the whole process. What gel coat are you using? Im about to repaint an old 1996 nitro i got from my grandfather and plan on redoing the flake

[@TNels]

I forget the exact brand that I used. But I know I bought it all from Express Composites in Minneapolis. If I were to do it agin I would skip the black base coat and just go to spraying flake over primer. That would save a lot of time and material.

[@nevio1986]

Hi, great work!!! How much silver metal flake did you spend cca 600 grams, and did you sand black before flake?

[@TNels]

I used about 24oz of silver flake. I did not sand the black, it was sprayed with no wax, allowed to cure for about an hour and silver was sprayed on.

[@Sertao2013]

What gel did you mix with the flake ? What size flake did you use ? If your spraying flake do you need a special sprayer or nozzle ? Can you pain it on with a roller or a brush if you don't have a sprayer ?

[@TNels]

Sizes etc are listed in video description. Doubtful to be able to brush on a metal flake job.

[@MRScrubNasty]

I do this for a living, own a shop in Jacksonville, Florida, want a job? You did an absolutely amazing job and you can come work in my shop anytime you want. I am impressed. What gun a0re you spraying with? And, what is the air temperature in the shop your painting in?

[@TNels]

Wow, thank you! The gun is a China special from Amazon, paid $35 for it. Air temp was 65 when I sprayed it.

[@handyallaround5776]

i have this exact gun, and it clogs with the glitter used glitter from ranger actually, is the tip still too small, or do you really need to thin i more?

[@TNels]

I didn't thin the gel any. This was all sprayed full thickness. It is a 2.5mm tip and I was running the fluid adjustment wide open. The only issue I ever had was the gel curing in the gun causing clogs. I did try mixing just a bit of flake with acetone and running that through before I ever attempted gel just to se if the flake would clear the tip. That all cleared fine and looked really cool spraying too.

[@skinaitique78]

Why don't you paint the pad?

[@TNels]

That pad was gel coated in white. I just didn't do flake over the bottom to save time and materials for something that will never be seen.

[@tadpolebo]

Why play the crazy music, video was ok but I couldn’t watch for the music, terrible music!