Bare hull prep questions?

[birdy233]

I just picked up a few new hulls, both Rivercats, one fiberglass hull and one carbon fiber hull.

Question about prep for both...the seam on the fiberglass one, do I use some bondo, putty or something else to get it smooth before paint?

And on my CF full, what prep work needs to be done for that one? I'm leaving it bare carbon fiber, do I need to clear coat it?

I'm doing CF inlays on both

[srislash]

I have been using 'glazing putty' for my seams and ride pad fixes. The CF one needs a UV resistant Clear such as U-POL #1, wetsand before applying clear. And for runs or what have you. You can clean up the CF seam with coats of clear, wetsand, clear, wetsand, you get the picture.

[birdy233]

This is the clear coat it need for my CF hull?

http://www.amazon.com/U-pol-Clear-Co.../dp/B0015POVUY

And what grit should I sand it with to start out, 600 grit?

Thanks!!

[srislash]

This is the clear coat it need for my CF hull?

http://www.amazon.com/U-pol-Clear-Co.../dp/B0015POVUY

And what grit should I sand it with to start out, 600 grit?

Thanks!!

I would start with 220 if you need a bit of aggressive action(seams), then 320, 400. At 400 you can spray the paint. ORR,,, you can go to 600 before paint. Depends how picky you are.

And yes sir, that is the wonderful clear. Make sure the hull is well lit as that clear has a good build quality and can get away on you(runs).

[birdy233]

Cool, I was just worried that sanding the CF would scratch it

[Neveryachtz]

You can mildly sand cf and then go over it with clear and it will look even more glossy than before. Like the above advice, when it comes to coating cf, the more coats the better it will end up looking.

[birdy233]

Cool, the big thing is getting rid of that seam, build up some clear and I hope that will take care of it

[kfxguy]

I would think you could use a high quality clear epoxy resin that's used with cf. Fill in the seam. Let cure. Block sand wet all the way up to 2000 to 2500 and then buff out.

[Fella1340]

If the rivercat hull is a polyester fiberglass or vinyl ester fiberglass layup then bondso will be Ok. If it's epoxy glass layup you will want to use epoxy resin thickened with microballons. Using bonds on an epoxy hull will cause the bondso to shrink and possibly cracks. Anything with poly or vinyl ester in it for epoxy hulls is a no no. Lots of guys have gotten away with it but it will fail over time, chemically they are not compatible. Finding out what type of fiberglass layup you have will dictate what fillers can be used.
Bonds is never used in quality car refinishing if you want it to last. Overtime you will be able to visibly see the bondo'd areas starting looking like scratches in the finish to possible all out failure of bond.

[srislash]

I would think you could use a high quality clear epoxy resin that's used with cf. Fill in the seam. Let cure. Block sand wet all the way up to 2000 to 2500 and then buff out.

Noooo, this will take forever to sand, cure and all that.

Sand the line to get the worst off then start with the clear. I had a Shocker that had a terrible seam and did it this way. I sanded the lip of seam till the edges and parting line began to show then started the buildup process. If you are incorporating pinstripe or decals in the final scheme this is a good place to have them so as to hide the seam. I got pics on here somewhere. Shawn Shocker 950 I imagine.

[kfxguy]

Noooo, this will take forever to sand, cure and all that.

Sand the line to get the worst off then start with the clear. I had a Shocker that had a terrible seam and did it this way. I sanded the lip of seam till the edges and parting line began to show then started the buildup process. If you are incorporating pinstripe or decals in the final scheme this is a good place to have them so as to hide the seam. I got pics on here somewhere. Shawn Shocker 950 I imagine.

True it would take some time but I repair carbon like that all the time. Just a thought!

[birdy233]

Noooo, this will take forever to sand, cure and all that.

Sand the line to get the worst off then start with the clear. I had a Shocker that had a terrible seam and did it this way. I sanded the lip of seam till the edges and parting line began to show then started the buildup process. If you are incorporating pinstripe or decals in the final scheme this is a good place to have them so as to hide the seam. I got pics on here somewhere. Shawn Shocker 950 I imagine.

Im going to put a fightercat racing decal down the side along with a pinstripe right over that seam, you were reading my mind

[srislash]

Paint 001.jpg
Something like this?

Im going to put a fightercat racing decal down the side along with a pinstripe right over that seam, you were reading my mind

And here is my seam work on page 1 http://forums.offshoreelectrics.com/...ker&highlight=