Custom/Hybrid Aftermarket hull finish

[Brian_216]

I have never owned an aftermarket hull other than my own. I have read some about how some of the other brands show up (finish quality). Can anyone give some input on what you have seen, and what you would like to see when you open the box and get your un painted hull? Please leave brand names out of the discussion. The point is not to bash, just get input on what others are putting out the door.

 

[chad]

I would think light sanding , then prime . for the most part I wouldnt think any body work should be expected . turn the tables.. deliver something you would be happy receiving if you bought it from someone else .

 

[chadman154]

I have seen painted hulls (finished product) That still have large voids (filler needed to make it smooth)and other spots where you can see the marks from angle grinders near hood latch. Granted this was not a 10k but more on the budjet end.

I would provide the best possbile finish your budget/ profit margin allows......

People will pay to have good quality and finish.

 

[rubbertoe]

it depends on which brand you choose as to what you will get to work with ,some are pretty and shiny out of the box and some require a little massaging to get from point "a" to point "b".to some riders finish is high on the criteria list and some its design that matters .it depends on how much you are willing or not willing to deal with,i guess ?

 

[motoman96]

I've seen some that look better then oem quality right out of the box, and others with less then desirable finish.

 

[Billybo455]

your ability to make money is what's going to dictate your quality of the finish. no matter what people tell you no hull is 100% out of the box. just figure out what is going to make your hull sell better. if it's unfinished then so be it. you can always offer a finished product.

 

[MADMAT]

IMO this is why gelcoat can't be beat! Super solid and long lasting!

 

[chriselmore_1]

X2 on the gelcoal. Its a no Brainer...

 

[chadman154]

IMO this is why gelcoat can't be beat! Super solid and long lasting!

Who does hull in gelcoat? Only one is WCF, that i know of...

 

[chriselmore_1]

Wdk. Ski clinic. Pretty sure wamiltons too.

 

[Billybo455]

pretty sure most of them do it. the superfreaks a gelcoated black in the molds. i don't know why they have so many pinholes.

 

[Matt_E]

Eh yeah, who DOESN'T do their hulls in gelcoat would be the more appropriate question.

 

[rubbertoe]

Eh yeah, who DOESN'T do their hulls in gelcoat would be the more appropriate question.

thats what i was thinking ...

 

[Brian_216]

We avoided it on the first few hulls for a few reasons.
One we were told by the designer of the hull not to, his reasons were- the epoxy laminate will flex more than the gelcoat ever will. (stress cracks in gel coat) and it will add more weight than paint.

Instead we sprayed primer over the pva and laid up over that. When sanding we found pin holes and some small bubbles that needed attention. Some of the air bubbles were 3mm across and 1.5mm deep, mainly in corners and tight spots. By far nothing that could not be prepped out before paint. What would happen if you had a small air bubble under gel coat? It may hold up for quite a bit, but in the end it would cause an issue and you would have an angry customer. That is not what we want. Another big reason we opted not to use it was the molds have a ton of "print" in them in spots. Im very happy with the design, and it was a huge gamble buying these sight unseen in Thailand- so we are going to work with that we have for now.

 

[McDog]

Waternut used some sort of spiderwebby filler material on the exterior against the molds. He said it was to keep the cloth texture from coming through and give it a smooth finish. His hull was all fiberglass and epoxy resin with no gelcoat. I don't know how much work it was to get it paint ready but it seemed fine after paint. I don't remember what it was called. PM him if you want. He doesn't fequent the board much these days.

 

[chriselmore_1]

I've never seen bubbles in gelcoat

 

[Breese08SJ]

Waternut used some sort of spiderwebby filler material on the exterior against the molds. He said it was to keep the cloth texture from coming through and give it a smooth finish. His hull was all fiberglass and epoxy resin with no gelcoat. I don't know how much work it was to get it paint ready but it seemed fine after paint. I don't remember what it was called. PM him if you want. He doesn't fequent the board much these days.

Yes the product he most likely used is surface veiling, and yes it helps prevent the "grid" pattern from woven cloths from printing through the finished gelcoat surface or finish painted surface.

 

[SUPERJET-113]

the superfreaks a gelcoated black in the molds. i don't know why they have so many pinholes.

Pretty sure thats not black gel coat, its epoxy and that's its inherent tendency to do in the mold. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

 

[Brian_216]

I've never seen bubbles in gelcoat

The bubbles would be in the outer layer of glass under the gel coat- not visible in the gelcoat. you would not see them until something bumped it in the right spot. Im just basing this off of what came out of our molds, we used a thin, slow epoxy resin, carefully wet out each layer, and vacuum bagged all the parts. (and did it all in an air conditioned room to keep the resin from kicking) Still had pinholes and small bubbles to fix before painting.

 

[Matt_E]

Pretty sure thats not black gel coat, its epoxy and that's its inherent tendency to do in the mold. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

He calls it epoxy gel coat. It's very hard to sand.
That's all I know.