Progress pics

[steelcomp]

Here's what I just finished tonight...after about 4 wks of filling, sanding, priming, more sanding and filling, more sanding, then more sanding, and finally, after some final sanding, it's done. This is one of those jobs where about half way through, you ask yourself, "why on earth did I ever start this?? Now that it's done, I'm glad I did.
This is what I started with:
The stringers had enough holes in them that I decided to just fill and paint them. I used hardwood dowels in the holes with good waterproof glue. Then I ground down the fiberglass around the hole, and covered the hole with a patch of matting, two layers thick. Then Bondo-glass (fiberglass re-enforced bondo) over that, and sand smooth with 80G.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors5.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors6.jpg
After I got things as smooth as I wanted, I sprayed a couple of heavy coats of PolyPrime. This was about an hour of masking, and ten minutes of spraying.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors10.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors11.jpg

[steelcomp]

Then more sanding, which revealed the spots I missed with the filler.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors13.jpg
After some more filling, another couple of coats of PolyPrime, and lots more sanding, I was ready to start on the tops of the tunnels with the DA and 80G.
This is what they looked like when I started:
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors1.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors3.jpg
The tops of the tunnels were poorly done from the get go, as you can see in the photo. They took a week of evenings sanding with the DA, trying to get them flat and smooth. Then, another three nights of sanding by hand with 220g, to remove all the scratches and swirl marks from the DA. I started getting into the top layer of glass cloth in some areas, so I decided to stop sanding any further, even though there were still some low spots.
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors12.jpg

[EMCAM]

looks bitchin we are i the process of the same thing we have pic posted under under sj build up in here . looks like you are doing a great job

[steelcomp]

Finally, I said "good enough".
Then, again, the stringers were masked, and were painted black. Then hand sanded with 400G to get them smooth and remove a little orange peel, and also give the clear something to stick to. I sanded through in a couple of spots, so I had to re-mask and do a little touch-up. :rolleyes: Then, finally, tonight, I did another marathon masking job, this time masking off the tops of the tunnels, and sprayed the clear. Here are the final results. They aren't perfect by any means, but when I look at the before and after pics, I'm pretty happy with how thay came out. My hat's of to you guys that do this for a living. This was nothing more than plain ol' hard work, and a pain in the a$$!
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors15.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors16.jpg
http://www.***boat.com/image_center/data/520/1729floors20.jpg

[steelcomp]

looks bitchin we are i the process of the same thing we have pic posted under under sj build up in here . looks like you are doing a great jobThanks EM...I'm dying to get this thing done!!! :cry:
Tomorrow it gets flipped, and I can finish my intake install, and do some bottom work. Then it starts going back together. :D

[EMCAM]

wait now i saw all the pics way bitchen Our build is an econo build just to get through the summer and then sell.

[Cas]

Looks great steel! pride of ownership sure shows.....excellent work!

[Squirtcha?]

Nice work Scott. After doing all that I'm betting you know why most the manufacturers didn't got to those lengths when they built the boats?
They wouldn't make a nickel after putting in all that time.

[Kachina26]

Very nice! I'd sooner have a hot poker shoved up my A$$ than do that much sanding! (I've done too many unfinished furniture projects) Hats off to you!

[olbiezer]

great job steel.....all the restoring jobs i have done i did the old fashioned way......i paid someone to do it! :220v:

[sdba069]

Hey Scott........... Looks like you have it going your way. Give me a call when you get a chance.

[bakerjet]

man, that looks really nice

[Cs19]

that looks really good scott. so the black is just paint?

[TRG]

Real nice job Scott!! You can't beat a little hard work when the end result turns out like that ey?
Chris, i believe scott used the dura-tec "black" or just gelcoat, cant remember but , i dont think he used paint.
Todd

[poncho-pwr]

It looks good and I feel your pain when it comes to sanding and working with fiberglass. What kind of boat is it that you are working on?

[Morg]

That is a huge amount of work.
You did it the proper way :)
Looks good Steel

[steelcomp]

Thanks for the compliments guys.
That is a huge amount of work.
You did it the proper way :)
Looks good Steel
Thanks Morg...you know about me 'n "proper" :) ...LOL...the job you did on the Revenge was quite an inspiration. I can only imagine (and respect) the amount of work that went into that project...all I did was a couple of stringers and the tops of the tunnels. Today I wet sanded everything for a final polish. Of course, while moving around inside the boat, I couldn't help stepping in the water bucket! Doh! :rolleyes:
Todd, CS, ...after talking with you Todd...(and thanks again for your help),...I pussied out and went with paint instead of Duratech. I just didn't feel like experimenting any more, and just wanted to get this done, and paint, I know. The black is a Nason (DuPont) product that I used on my trailer and is hard as shit, and the clear is Nason Select Clear, which will be just as tough. It won't be quite as durable as the Duratech, but for the kind of use this boat's going to see, it'll be plenty tough. Besides, there's a quart of material on there, like 5 coats...so there's plenty to work the scratches out of.
Poncho...it's a 1980 Bahner tunnel.
Thanks again for the compliments. :D

[TRG]

...well scott, i have to admit, i did squirm a bit when i read about the poly-prime,and ending up with a dura-tec top coat, dont know how that would have ended up! lol
Looks stellar,... anyway you achieved your finish!
I think you'd be quite suprised about how many people use different products to do floors, alot of the v-drivers go the automotive way! as long as it shines right?
Todd

[steelcomp]

Todd, the PolyPrime and Duratech are both catalyzed polyurathanes and are copmpatable. There's actually a coat of Duratech black that I brushed on over the PolyPrime but that came out so bad, and I had such a hard time with the cure rates with the Duratech that I just didn't want to feel rushed, or have that stuff go off in my gun. After sanding with 220, I sprayed the Nason right over the Duratech with no problems.