1994 Parker 2320 extended cabin open back project

[Brent]

I did some research tonite and may have discovered why some small areas of the Parker gelcoat may not have cured over some of the repairs. I used total boat 2 part fairing compound to finish off the surfaces and sounds like they recommend using a primer when applying gelcoat over it. Well....I did not in a few spots and it shows. They are small areas so some scraping and sanding will be required followed by some primer (on way). I hope some people learn from my mistakes. In the future on any repairs not structural I plan on using polyester resin vs traditional epoxy. For the roof repair I still feel it was a better way to go but for the smaller cosmetic repairs I’d definitely go with the poly for easy topcoating


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M2cw look at brand name sprayer. Tools are free if you are DIY

B2

 

[mheltunen]

I seem to be going backwards. I sanded all the gelcoat i previously applied off of the roof. Some areas it had bonded well while in other spots you could scape it up with a fingernail. It took about 8-10 hours with a palm sander armed with 40 grit. To avoid this scenario I’m putting paint on the roof now.

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[kidfreediver]

I would give the gelcoat another try and spray PVA over it

 

[Ludicrous40]

Gelcoat will not cure if you do not seal it from the air. As Kidfreediver mentioned, you have to spray it with PVA as that is an easily removable coating that washes off with water after the Gelcoat has cured. In my experience it never hardens without this step.

 

[mheltunen]

Gelcoat will not cure if you do not seal it from the air. As Kidfreediver mentioned, you have to spray it with PVA as that is an easily removable coating that washes off with water after the Gelcoat has cured. In my experience it never hardens without this step.

both good points. I had used gel with wax mixed in.

 

[shawnee83]

Do the gel coat finish on the roof. I know you must be frustrated at this point but painting it will make the boat a bit of a bastard. Just being honest. You have gone this far with that repair, you will be much happier with a gel coat finish and doing it right, JMO. You appear to have the talent, push through. Just trying to be encouraging not critical. Good luck.

 

[Brent]

Do the gel coat finish on the roof. I know you must be frustrated at this point but painting it will make the boat a bit of a bastard. Just being honest. You have gone this far with that repair, you will be much happier with a gel coat finish and doing it right, JMO. You appear to have the talent, push through. Just trying to be encouraging not critical. Good luck.

i agree 100%. You are doing fine. This stuff is a roller coaster. I was thinking it was the temperature and styrene. Can you warm up the workshop? Maybe to over 70 deg F or warmer. Try a couple of test areas. A sprayer might help. Keep going! I avoid posting my what heck happened stories. LOL

 

[mheltunen]

Thanks for the words of encouragement. Yes it’s been frustrating (and humbling posting them) lately with a couple gelcoat failures. If I knew for certainty the cause of the failures and felt I could make steps to correct them I’d feel a lot better. Oh well ...one way or another you pay for your education. A wise man told me that line many years ago and it’s stuck with me.


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[mheltunen]

I’m unable to get the shop area any warmer than 62 for any length of time. If temps are that critical I’ll have to wait a few weeks until temps come up locally. When I rolled the first coat of gel on the roof I only added enough hardener for 70 deg. So I do know that affected the curing. It may be “spring” but temps are still in the 20’s here with occasional snow.


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[mheltunen]

The green fairing material on the bulkhead is 2 part total boat fairing compound. I discovered after the gelcoat did not bond to it that they do not recommend using it when applying gelcoat over the top. So I either have to grind it off or apply a barrier coat over it.

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[Brent]

I did some research tonite and may have discovered why some small areas of the Parker gelcoat may not have cured over some of the repairs. I used total boat 2 part fairing compound to finish off the surfaces and sounds like they recommend using a primer when applying gelcoat over it. Well....I did not in a few spots and it shows. They are small areas so some scraping and sanding will be required followed by some primer (on way). I hope some people learn from my mistakes. In the future on any repairs not structural I plan on using polyester resin vs traditional epoxy. For the roof repair I still feel it was a better way to go but for the smaller cosmetic repairs I’d definitely go with the poly for easy topcoating


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

M2cw look at brand name sprayer. Tools are free if you are DIY

B2

i would wait until temps are warmer. Start on other projects

 

[cutch9138]

You could always hang a couple of heat lamps (wal mart, home depot, etc.) from your shop ceiling. Because of the inconsistancy in tempature, I would not recommend using a heat gun. With the lamps, you will be able to regulate the temp by moving the bulb either closer or further away from the gel coat.

 

[mheltunen]

One thought that I’ve considered is to paint the roof and use it like that for a season or two. I plan on replacing the pilothouse windows in the future and when I do that my plan was to sand and re gelcoat the pilothouse exterior. At that time I could sand and gel the roof at that point. By then I may have the additional budget to invest in a sprayer and more equipment to better handle the project. A boat project has a way of wiping out ones budget quickly.


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[mheltunen]

Roof primed ....round 2 . Hopefully the last time .

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[Brent]

Roof primed ....round 2 . Hopefully the last time .

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. Thumbs up. What is the temp?

 

[mheltunen]

Roof primed ....round 2 . Hopefully the last time .

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. Thumbs up. What is the temp?

Still cold and will be for another 2 weeks. Spring in northern Michigan does not apply until May. I’m leaning towards paint to get me thru a year until I strip and re do the gelcoat on the pilothouse. At that time I intend to replace the windows as well. The Rustoleum topside paint I ordered seems to be a very close match.


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[mheltunen]

A is the Rustoleum paint. B is the color match Parker gelcoat.

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[ryderpit]

A is the Rustoleum paint. B is the color match Parker gelcoat.

try this paint should match Rust-Oleum 207001 Marine Topside Paint, Oyster White
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[mheltunen]

A is the Rustoleum paint. B is the color match Parker gelcoat.

try this paint should match Rust-Oleum 207001 Marine Topside Paint, Oyster White
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That’s the paint on the stick. (Oyster white) I was impressed how close a match it is. Can’t wait to see it applied.


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[Brent]

A is the Rustoleum paint. B is the color match Parker gelcoat.

try this paint should match Rust-Oleum 207001 Marine Topside Paint, Oyster White
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That’s the paint on the stick. (Oyster white) I was impressed how close a match it is. Can’t wait to see it applied.


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Good Luck!