Price for gelcoating????

[johnjmurray]

My 1993 SNOB has a good number of stress cracks around the boat all above the rubrail; when I bought it in May it had them. I took it over to a local gelcoating guy here in Indiaanpolis and asked him how much it would cost to have the gelcoat redone above the rubrail. He quoted me $5,000.00 :shock:

Is that about right or is he priced too high? Just want to make sure I'm getting a fair shake.

Thanks!

[skinautique]

RE: Price for gelcoating????

What was the hours break down? Gel coating is very labor intensive but I have seen a lot of them quote high.

[DanielC]

RE: Price for gelcoating????

Gelcoat does surface cure, normally. Gelcoat also is not self leveling either. So, when you apply it, you have to make a provision to cause a surface cure. There are agents you can put in gelcoat, when it is sprayed, or it can be covered with something to keep air off it to allow it to cure.
All the unevenness then must be sanded off the surface of the gelcoat, over the entire boat, starting with about 220 grit sandpaper, and then several more times with finer grades of sandpaper, and then the surface must be buffed, and then polished. You could easily spend the majority of an entire work week or two, on this one project. Figure $75.00 per hour shop rate, add in price of the materials, and labor to remove and replace windshields, and any other objects above the rubrail, and the quote does not seem out of line.

[JAG]

RE: Price for gelcoating????

I agree with DanielC. It's a pretty labor intensive procedure if it's done correctly. Why are you getting all the stress cracks? Are you slamming into docks? Stress cracks need to be looked at closely to see if there is any underlying damage to the fiberglass, and if any reinforcement is warranted. If it's not fixed correctly it will only crack again and ruin a $5k finish. I would suggest, if you are serious about fixing the boat, is to get the stress cracks fixed and look into having it re-finished with Awlgrip or Sterling linear polyurethane paints

[jmo]

RE: Price for gelcoating????

Can you get a second opinion? Like anything else the more quotes you get the better off you are. I agree with the other posts that gelcoat work is not cheap - working with the stuff is not easy. I had some gelcoat work done to take out some scratches and it was ~$800. The guy did an awesome job, you can't tell even in direct sun light where they were.

One other point of interest is the cost will vary based on whether the gelcoat work is above or below the rubrail. If its above, the workmanship has to be excellent in order to blend it in with the rest of the boat so you can't see the patch work in direct sunlight.

If you can post a few pics that might help us gauge whether or not the quote is too high.

Hope this helps - jmo

[johnjmurray]

Here are a few pics from various spots on the boat. Keep in mind these are just three areas on the boat the stress cracks are all around the boats (all are above the rub rail).


JAG - No I am NOT slamming into docks, I have more respect for my Nautique than to let it slam into docks, however, I can't speak for the previous owner.

[JAG]

Didn't mean to accuse you of slamming docks even though we all do it inadvertently on occasion. Those cracks look pretty deep and more then likely will need to be re-glassed from the back side.

[TRDon]

since it is above the rubrail/waterline, is it really worth it to have that done? My 93 I just got has stress cracks like that all over it above the rubrail, but I figured it wasnt anytingh of concern ither than it bugs me cosmetically. I never gave mine a second thought.

[johnjmurray]

No worries Jag, I think I just read into you comment too much, my bad.

TRDon that is a good point, I'd be curious to get others thoughts on that as well....