CONTINUOUSWAVE

Q1: on a c.1974 11-footer with stencil number 4A0144, how can one determine the boat’s original configuration of steering system—tiller steering or remote steering—as delivered from the factory?

Q2: on a c.1974 11-footer with stencil number 4A0144, how can the hull’s original gel coat color be determined?

Q3: for a first-timer applying gel coat resin, between a sprayer application and a roller application, which is preferred if the goal is to produce a flat surface and a high gloss finish?

Q4: what is the best method to repair the [drain area] between the forward locker and the main deck where there is connection between the two, but there is an open passage into the foam?

Q5: what is the best method to repair the [drain area] between the rear locker and the main deck?

Q6: can a flexible tube of some sort be used to repair a drain instead a rigid tube of PVC?

BACKGROUND

I hope those seasoned among this esteemed group might provide some sage advice for me. For months I've been working on a total restoration on a c.1974 11-footer. I bought a hull bare and all the wood was gone. The original gelcoat was painted over several times. Several fiberglass repairs have been my focus, and now I am getting close to completing them



—Steve

kassak wrote:Q5: what is the best method to repair the [drain area] between the rear locker and the main deck?

Q6: can a flexible tube of some sort be used to repair a drain instead a rigid tube of PVC?

For advice on repair of hull drain made with brass tubes, see the answer to that frequently asked question in the REFERENCE SECTION article FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTONS at

Q12: How are brass drain tubes replaced?
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q12

kassak wrote: Q2: on a c.1974 11-footer with stencil number 4A0144, how can the hull’s original gel coat color be determined?

To uncover the original gel coat color on a hull that has been painted, carefully sand off the paint layer without also removing the underlying gel coat. Then wet sand the gel coat with progressively finer grit, starting with 300-grit and going to 800-grit or finer. Then apply a very fine polish compound, followed by boat wax buffed to a high gloss. This process will restore the original gel coat top layer to its factory finish and the original gel coat hue.

kassak wrote:Q3: for a first-timer applying gel coat resin, between a sprayer application and a roller application, which is preferred if the goal is to produce a flat surface and a high gloss finish?

Neither method produces your desired outcome.

A uniformly flat and high gloss gel coat finish is only obtained by spraying gel coat resin onto a female contact mold with a super smooth surface that has been polished and waxed to a high gloss, and then sprayed with a mold release agent such as poly-vinyl alcohol.

Applying get coat resin in open air as the final layer onto an existing hull will always require extensive sanding and fairing, polishing, and waxing to produce an even surface with a high gloss. Also polyester gel coat resin will not cure if exposed to air, so the gel coat resin must be mixed with additive, usually a wax, to prevent air from coming in contact with the polyester resin.

You can get advice on this from websites whose entire focus is teaching how to spray gel coat resin. This forum does not particularly try to teach how to apply gel coat, as generally no participants are really professional gel coat spray gun operators.

For advice on making repairs to a Unibond hull, see

Advice on Making Repairs to a Unibond Hull
https://continuouswave.com/forum/viewto ... f=6&t=9254

I am not asking about the large diameter brass drain tubes that connects the interior of the boat to the water, I am discussing small drain channels nd tunnels from the compartments as described.

Fill them with West Systems epoxy and use a common soda straw to maintain a tubular opening. It's not rocket science.