SoCal Jet Boats

Tech Talk => Gelcoat / Paint / Fireberglass Repair => Topic started by: SLCKREG on January 01, 2008, 06:12:16 PM

Title: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 01, 2008, 06:12:16 PM
WTF  is flow coat?????????????? ::)
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 02, 2008, 12:15:38 PM
No one? I just pulled all the carpet out of my daytona and I'm lookin for a carpet substitute.(I hate carpet in a boat) Is it just like resin with extra wax????
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: GAWnCA on January 02, 2008, 12:22:43 PM
No one? I just pulled all the carpet out of my daytona and I'm lookin for a carpet substitute.(I hate carpet in a boat) Is it just like resin with extra wax????

Have you ever thought about a bed liner product?  One company I know of sells a kit and you can tint it to whatever color you might desire.  http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/Product%20Info/Bedliner%201050-1.htm
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 02, 2008, 12:30:27 PM
I've used a product b-4 called durabak it's about 100 bucks a gal. I'd still kinda like to hit the bottom with something else first. It looks like you can already see the glass cloth ,and I haven't even sanded off the carpet adh. yet. 
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: GAWnCA on January 02, 2008, 12:41:09 PM
I've used a product b-4 called durabak it's about 100 bucks a gal. I'd still kinda like to hit the bottom with something else first. It looks like you can already see the glass cloth ,and I haven't even sanded off the carpet adh. yet. 

Go to that web site and ask Barry, he's more than happy to help out.  Just ask Jork.  or http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/contact%20us.htm 
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: hotrod56cars on January 02, 2008, 02:55:43 PM
What is Flowcoat? Where? Why?
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: bkplesh on January 02, 2008, 03:07:42 PM
If the glass is go. Then dont sand it, use a stripper and glue remover  O0
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: bkplesh on January 02, 2008, 03:10:53 PM
What is a flowcoat ?
      A flowcoat is similar to a gelcoat except that it is used after the laminate has been made. Flowcoat has a small quantity of wax added to enable the surface to dry "tack-free". It is usually brushed but can also be sprayed. Flowcoats, like gelcoats are available in a wide range of colours.

Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: hotrod56cars on January 02, 2008, 06:59:44 PM
What is a flowcoat ?
      A flowcoat is similar to a gelcoat except that it is used after the laminate has been made. Flowcoat has a small quantity of wax added to enable the surface to dry "tack-free". It is usually brushed but can also be sprayed. Flowcoats, like gelcoats are available in a wide range of colours.



Thanks. So it does the same thing that paint or gelcoat does, just a different type of liquid color for the exterior or whatever of the boat.

What are the plusses and minuses compared to paint or gelcoat? Is it difficult to sand/polish? Does it flex? etc etc etc
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: wanabe on January 02, 2008, 07:27:13 PM
From Marc's thread:
http://www.socaljetboats.com/index.php/topic,2366.0.html (http://www.socaljetboats.com/index.php/topic,2366.0.html)
http://www.marinewatch.info/library/fibreglass.html#Finish (http://www.marinewatch.info/library/fibreglass.html#Finish)
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 03, 2008, 07:35:52 AM
Thanks Wannabe that was helpful.
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: old rigger on January 03, 2008, 08:24:56 AM
What is a flowcoat ?
      A flowcoat is similar to a gelcoat except that it is used after the laminate has been made. Flowcoat has a small quantity of wax added to enable the surface to dry "tack-free". It is usually brushed but can also be sprayed. Flowcoats, like gelcoats are available in a wide range of colours.

When I did flow coating on the boats, we just used tooling resin mixed with a surfacing agent, like parafin wax. Dries super hard, won't crack and is very clear. You can add any gel coat to clear resin to tint it if you want a little color to it, or you can just use gel as your final flow coat with the same agent added to it.
I'm sure the other, newer products are fine too, probably better. I'm just telling you how we did it back in the day at companies like Rogers and so on. It can be done pretty easily with products at hand.  Like any body work, it's all in the prep. :)   
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 03, 2008, 09:10:36 AM
Thanks Old Rigger. Regarding resin type. I'm not sure what i've been buyin at lowes. I think it's more of a finishing resin rather than a laminating resin. I'd kind of like to tint it black, but at west marine they have no black. The last time I tried to brush on gel it went on anything but smooth, maybe mixed with resin it would flow out better. If i used mineral spirits to remove the carpet adh. would that have adverse effects on the new resin/gel?  Thanks all!
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: old rigger on January 03, 2008, 09:31:30 AM
Presonally, I'd never use the stuff at Lowes.

I've always used straight acetone to remove any glue leftover from taking out carpet. Costs a little more than thinner but you'll have to wipe down the area to be flowed with acetone anyway to remove any film and impurities that the mineral spirts left behind.

Flowing gel with a brush is a little tricky and again it's all in the prep. Apply too thin, and you'll have to sand away the surfacing agent and flow again. To thick and it'll puddle or worse, crack. Done right, you'll have zero brush marks.

Sorry if I asked you already but where are you in Utah? My wife's family on her dads side are from ( and still a few of them left there) Nephi. Beautiful part of the state looking East towards the mountains.
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: GAWnCA on January 03, 2008, 10:40:05 AM
Thanks Old Rigger. Regarding resin type. I'm not sure what i've been buyin at lowes. I think it's more of a finishing resin rather than a laminating resin. I'd kind of like to tint it black, but at west marine they have no black. The last time I tried to brush on gel it went on anything but smooth, maybe mixed with resin it would flow out better. If i used mineral spirits to remove the carpet adh. would that have adverse effects on the new resin/gel?  Thanks all!

Call Tap Plastics http://www.tapplastics.com
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 03, 2008, 10:55:07 AM
Old Rigger I'm in slc  nephi is about 1 hour south of me. One of my favorite lakes is right by there ,yuba lake.  Greg I guess I could try tap. there is a west marine sorta by me but they are way pricey, and every time I ask them a question the hand me there manual and say I DUNNO.  The generic shit I've been buyin at lowes dries tack free.
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: old rigger on January 03, 2008, 10:59:07 AM
  The generic shit I've been buyin at lowes dries tack free.

That's because it has an agent already in it and should never be used for bonding purposes. In fact I wouldn't use it at all unless I was coating a picnic table or something like that. Never on a boat.
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: jet boat performance on January 03, 2008, 08:45:48 PM
Kreg try Sherfab fiberglass (google) Doug is a great guy has all the F/g goodies you might want need Tom
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 03, 2008, 08:56:43 PM
I thought there was only laminating resin, and finishing resin (with wax)  and you could laminate with finishing reisn if you sanded between coats??????????? ::)
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: old rigger on January 04, 2008, 07:53:27 AM
I thought there was only laminating resin, and finishing resin (with wax)  and you could laminate with finishing reisn if you sanded between coats??????????? ::)

lol. This doesn't even make sense.

And don't forget tooling resin.

Do yourself a favor and use the right resin for it's intended use. NEVER use any resin with wax in it for laminating anything to anything in a boat. You can use finishing resin layer upon layer if you wish, there's no real reason to but you can do it, but only for finishing the project. It's just as easy to build up to your finishing layer with regular resin and then for the final...finishing resin. Every shop I ever worked at has made this mistake at least once, accidentally (or intentionally) getting some surfacing agent mixed up in the lamination process. You'd better sand and sand like you've never done before and pray that you've removed every trace of the agent before you continue whit the next layer.

This mistake has been made since the beginning of boat building. I was talking to a guy at the Long Beach boat races 2 years ago that was working at Powercat boats in Paramount back in the late 50s. They were making the switch from wood boats to glass. The first one they built they did in two separate lay-ups, both with wax in them. It wasn't until they were racing the new boat (they were a very famous boat company and did very well in marathon races too, check out their web site if you get a chance) and the boat started to separate. they had in effect built two boats, one in another and by the end of the race both had completely delaminated from one another, one just sitting in the other. Only whatever little hardware there was, was holding them together. In all fairness to them, it was something so new that very few guys knew how to do it. Even before they got to laminating they made a big mistake. They popped open their first drum of resin and preparing to do the first boat, they mixed the entire drum with catalist and went to work. lol The whole 50 gallons kicked before they got done with the skin.  :D
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 04, 2008, 08:36:54 AM
Hey I never claimed to be a expert. I've never heard of tooling resin. I assumed it was the same as laminating resin.  What would I want to use to lay some cloth up and over my stringers after plugin all my holes?  Tooling resin, or laminating? ???
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: old rigger on January 04, 2008, 08:43:15 AM
I use tooling resin for everything I do here in the driveway, it's the best you can get but I have a good source for it. Laminating resin is fine too.

Are you going to plug the holes and just glass over that little area, or are you glassing the entire stringers?
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 04, 2008, 09:10:24 AM
I'll be doing all of both stringers. I'd post a couple of pics if I wasn't such a dumb ass. Yesterday my stringers looked like friggin porkypines. ;D
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: jet boat performance on January 04, 2008, 09:36:10 AM
Greg if you need pic posting help call or pm me Tom
btw heres the link to sherfab    http://www.sherfab.com/
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: old rigger on January 04, 2008, 09:40:24 AM
Before you bond those dowels into the stringers make sure you cut them to the correct length. You don't want them the same width as the stringer with glass, you only want them to be the same width as the wood in the stringer. Cut them to length, soak them with resin, and drive them in place. You should have already ground away an area of about 2" in diameter around each old bolt hole on each side of the stringer. Once the dowel is bonded in place then you can begin to fill these areas with glass, feathering out to nothing, ending up with the equal amount of material that was there originally and no visible bumps from the wood dowel being too wide. The little pieces of glass should start out about the size of a quarter, the next a half dollar, and so on until you've filled the divit just slightly higher than the old glass. Grind smooth and you can give the stringers a wrap of glass if you want to.

Always soften the edge of the glass you're bonding in by tearing away a 1/2" or so around the entire piece you're working with. When the resin kicks, you won't have that hard edge of the glass to try to sand down.  ;)
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 07, 2008, 08:46:30 PM
I've got a half quart of generic resin, and a half quart waxed gel, is there a reason I shouldn't use  that as flow coat? Old rigger are you out there? are you cuttin loose with any more secrets as far as puttin it on?  Do you use mostly a brush or a bondo spreader? ect,ect .   How thick is to thick?  ect? 8)
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on January 18, 2008, 10:46:44 AM
Hey Old Rigger or anyone. When I add the surfacing agent my resin fish eves/solvent pops or something? First I sanded of the carpet adh. and glassed the center sponson area with just laminating resin, no surfacing agent because I am/did paint that after. But the tops of my tunnels are balsa so I sanded and mixed up a small batch with the surfacing agent and fish eyes every where. Did another small batch in a different spot the next night,same thing. Did a batch last night with no surfacing agent and no fish eye. I guess I'll just 86 the surfacing agent and not worry about it. just curious if anyone could shes some light on wtf is goin on here.
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: skinut on February 12, 2008, 10:20:03 PM
Have you ever thought about a bed liner product?  One company I know of sells a kit and you can tint it to whatever color you might desire.  http://www.southernpolyurethanes.com/Product%20Info/Bedliner%201050-1.htm
Balsa wood flooring is the best for flooring. But it costs alot of money.see attached from terry's custom painting. 909-957-8116
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: hotrod56cars on February 12, 2008, 11:12:14 PM
Balsa wood flooring is the best for flooring. But it costs alot of money.see attached from terry's custom painting. 909-957-8116

THAT LOOKS AWESOME.
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: SLCKREG on February 13, 2008, 07:07:10 AM
Did you use any parafin? When I put any adative in it fish eyed. I'll have to check that balsa link out on the tops of my tunnells some of my balsa has dark spots, I didn't dare try to sand them out.
Title: Re: flowcoat?
Post by: skinut on April 17, 2008, 12:35:45 PM
WTF  is flow coat?????????????? ::)
Flow coat is called Simtac a claer gel resin. you apply it about the same as a clear in paint.
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