Project StressEliminator Restomod-23 Daytona

[lenmann]

Wow, that was quite the spray set-up! Well done sir.

IIRC you and Roger used a Duratec High Gloss/Gel blend last time? Wondering why you moved away from that to gel + PVA. How much gel coat did you lay down this time?

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Wow, that was quite the spray set-up! Well done sir.

IIRC you and Roger used a Duratec High Gloss/Gel blend last time? Wondering why you moved away from that to gel + PVA. How much gel coat did you lay down this time?

I gotta give credit for the plank setup to Hula, that was his idea. I was planning on making a short wooden plank mounted to blocks that would glide on the reflex chines of the sponsons and glide back and forth, but that's a lot of fiddling around when I was planning on doing it virtually alone. Keeping the overspray inside and not out into the building was my #1 concern.

As far as the gel concoction, someone was paying attention or has a great memory! Roger likes the Duratec for the finish inside bilges where you're not going to sand. The Duratec can change the tint of your gel slightly, and when we were doing just the sponson running surfaces previously, I wasn't concerned with a slight color difference. This time around, I'm spraying the transom and front half-cap, so it counts. You can't see it in these photos, but I laid on the floor and sprayed the front of the deck and the tips of the sponsons. A lot of tomfoolery going on at the front of this thing.

We used PVA as an insurance policy last time when we did the sponson running surfaces, even thought technically with the Duratec it shouldn't have been necessary.

When Hula pre-filled the keels similar to last time we sprayed sponsons, the color match was really good, so we'll see how it looks on the visible areas.

As far as gel volume, we had a couple of spray gun mishaps, so we wasted a total of about 20-24 oz's, and there's a third of a gallon left out of 2. So, close to 1-1/2 gallons on the boat and in the air...

 

[lenmann]

Thanks for the detailed response. Your thread taught me a ton, inspired me to do much of the work on my sled and one of the reasons, besides the civil political debate, that I still hang here is to keep learning.

I can't wait to see a video of you on a smooth waterway in Florida soon, accelerating beyond the century mark, hop free.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Thanks for the detailed response. Your thread taught me a ton, inspired me to do much of the work on my sled and one of the reasons, besides the civil political debate, that I still hang here is to keep learning.

I can't wait to see a video of you on a smooth waterway in Florida soon, accelerating beyond the century mark, hop free.

Yeah, let's hope all this work does what its intent is for. We'll know soon...

Going to get the PVA off tonight, took the last two nights off to catch up at work and home. Will start bluing and blocking this weekend.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

My friends Remington and Zach swung in to the shop Friday night to check out the bottom in white gel and helped me pull the PVA off.

Most of it came off in sheets, I still have some spots that are a bit tedious.

Here’s what it looks like in white before block sanding.

I’m going to experiment a bit to see how fine of paper I can start with. Last time we used a modified gun and it had orange peel equivalent of a drywall texture gun. This unmodified 2.5mm tip gun has a third or less of the orange peel. I hit a spot with 400 and without being aggressive, the 1 foot square area I did came around quickly.

Catching up with family, after holidays home and vehicle stuff this weekend, back after it this week. I’ve let a lot of stuff get behind to charge to this point and it’s time to get caught up.

 

[Headless hula]

My friends Remington and Zach swung in to the shop Friday night to check out the bottom in white gel and helped me pull the PVA off.

Most of it came off in sheets, I still have some spots that are a bit tedious.

View attachment 960188

View attachment 960189

View attachment 960190

View attachment 960191

View attachment 960192

Here’s what it looks like in white before block sanding.

View attachment 960193

View attachment 960194

View attachment 960195

I’m going to experiment a bit to see how fine of paper I can start with. Last time we used a modified gun and it had orange peel equivalent of a drywall texture gun. This unmodified 2.5mm tip gun has a third or less of the orange peel. I hit a spot with 400 and without being aggressive, the 1 foot square area I did came around quickly.

Catching up with family, after holidays home and vehicle stuff this weekend, back after it this week. I’ve let a lot of stuff get behind to charge to this point and it’s time to get caught up.

Quit fuqin around and get that bitch shiney side up....

 

[Fonz69]

View attachment 958465

View attachment 958466

A coworker showed up at my desk yesterday and said he had a present for me. I thought he was pulling my leg and sheepishly opened the box, and inside was this.

It’s from cleaning the ducts in the Shawano, WI Eliminator factory. He bought a couple boats up there in the 90’s and they had pieces of this layered gelcoat on the shelf and he took one.

My boat residue is dead center, I believe.

Odd but cool paraphernalia.

Didn’t spray last night because the prep wasn’t up to my standards previously, but at 1 AM it was. That’s a bit late to start a major spray project, so I called for attacking it with fresher minds, so we’re going to do it now.

Pics at 11

Thats crazy cool I bet that 21 I had was in their somewhere as it was built in Shawano also and was a 94.

 

[lenmann]

My friends Remington and Zach swung in to the shop Friday night to check out the bottom in white gel and helped me pull the PVA off.

Most of it came off in sheets, I still have some spots that are a bit tedious.

View attachment 960188

View attachment 960189

View attachment 960190

View attachment 960191

View attachment 960192

Here’s what it looks like in white before block sanding.

View attachment 960193

View attachment 960194

View attachment 960195

I’m going to experiment a bit to see how fine of paper I can start with. Last time we used a modified gun and it had orange peel equivalent of a drywall texture gun. This unmodified 2.5mm tip gun has a third or less of the orange peel. I hit a spot with 400 and without being aggressive, the 1 foot square area I did came around quickly.

Catching up with family, after holidays home and vehicle stuff this weekend, back after it this week. I’ve let a lot of stuff get behind to charge to this point and it’s time to get caught up.

Probably too late now but have you considered using a wet sanding D/A to sand the gel through the grits to get to polish? On my hull I think it may have been a better alternative to hand wet sanding. It's certainly faster and a couple of people I have spoken that use them on car paint jobs say with a little practice you can learn to keep the pad nice and flat avoiding any digs or gouges. Hand sanding is pretty tedious and I know in a couple of spots I created some "grooves" with the edge of the block that had to be corrected.

Just a thought, might help you retain your finger prints...

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Probably too late now but have you considered using a wet sanding D/A to sand the gel through the grits to get to polish? On my hull I think it may have been a better alternative to hand wet sanding. It's certainly faster and a couple of people I have spoken that use them on car paint jobs say with a little practice you can learn to keep the pad nice and flat avoiding any digs or gouges. Hand sanding is pretty tedious and I know in a couple of spots I created some "grooves" with the edge of the block that had to be corrected.

Just a thought, might help you retain your finger prints...

I have thought of that, but don't want to risk learning a new process at this stage of the game.

I'm not going as far in grit as you think I am, and certainly not a polish. I'm picking up some paper tomorrow that I think will fill my needs, but the spot I hit with the 400 was more than satisfactory, so we'll see.

I know what you're saying about the grooves, but the only place I had that was where I was trying to sharpen the angle between two surfaces.

More vehicle maintenance tonight, then full boogie on the boat this week at night.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

I hit the right half of this test spot with 400 wet sandpaper on the sanding block, and 320 on the left. I could start with either but the 320 is noticeably quicker

Here’s the hull with no PVA on it. What didn’t peel off I washed off with a sponge

Here’s the hull fully blued and ready for block sanding

I decided to try a grout float as a larger surface area block sanding tool.

I’ll sand Friday night, and a little bit on Saturday, but I’m going to have to get my cheesehead out and watch the Packer game Saturday afternoon. Full boogie on Sunday.

 

[sonicss31]

Quit fuqin around and get that bitch shiney side up....

Maybe if he gets it shiney side up he could road trip to your place or my place and run it without freezing his nuts off.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Maybe if he gets it shiney side up he could road trip to your place or my place and run it without freezing his nuts off.

I’m pretty sure this is going to be the shiny side in short order

 

[sonicss31]

I’m pretty sure this is going to be the shiny side in short order

The invitation stands. Water temp is still 74* with air temps in the low 70’s. Perfect to put up some good #’s.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

The invitation stands. Water temp is still 74* with air temps in the low 70’s. Perfect to put up some good #’s.

Careful what you wish for... I have 5 weeks of vacation and love to use my boat!

 

[Sleek-Jet]

Quit fuqin around and get that bitch shiney side up....

The way he's going that will be the shiney side...

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Here’s a shot of a spot that the hose fell on while I was spraying. It happened a couple of times and I’d hit the area with extra gel in anticipation of having to sand it out.

I’m happy to say that the first one I tackled sanded out. It is time consuming though.

This is all the further I got. A bit disappointing but I’m establishing the V where the two angles meet, and it needs to be straight, so it’s time consuming.

This first sanding procedure is tougher because you’re cutting the orange peel off and plugging the paper as well. I’m still feeling out how long to run the paper for. I’ll try changing it more often tomorrow night.

The grout float is working well so far on the larger flat surfaces. I ordered a couple of rolls of sticky back wet sand sandpaper. It’s tough to find, but I’m looking forward to be able to use my longer sanding blocks. Hopefully shows up tomorrow so I can use it two nights from now.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Just a bit further. Every bit counts.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself

 

[Eliminator21vdrive]

View attachment 963293

Just a bit further. Every bit counts.

At least that’s what I keep telling myself

Checkered flag is in sight!

 

[HydroSkreamin]

This is what the block sanded to as-sprayed surface difference is. It’s about 4’ from the front.

Here’s what it looks like about 45 minutes and a fresh sheet of wet sand paper later:

There’s some thin spots but not too terrible.

 

[arch stanton]

I kind of like the bottom done in purple with white stripe

 

[02HoWaRd26]

I know orange peal isn’t as pretty as a mirror, however i know they say a raw lower unit is faster than a painted one, as the slick sticks and the rough creates little
Bubbles that lighten things. This isn’t the issue with the bottom of the boat?

 

[HydroSkreamin]

I know orange peal isn’t as pretty as a mirror, however i know they say a raw lower unit is faster than a painted one, as the slick sticks and the rough creates little
Bubbles that lighten things. This isn’t the issue with the bottom of the boat?

There’s a ton of theories on that, and I’ve actually been involved with a pretty broad spectrum of them. None of them have stood out as superior, and without really hard data taken same day, boat, weight, driver, conditions and course, I think it’s extremely hard to argue.

The general average I’ve seen is 400-1000 grit. I know that some guys swear by speedcoat, and others that have run it say it’s a waste of money.

Even your “raw casting” gearcases aren’t raw, they’re generally DA’d with 400. Some guys like the random marks from the DA, some like sanding directionally with water flow, and others like to polish.

I can tell you that the wet sand water runs off faster after I’ve sanded than before I’ve sanded.

I think there’s a balance somewhere in that window I described above.

I think being straight and not having big bumps or pockets will gain you less friction than the minimal differences in surface finish. Especially considering how little of the boat is in the water at speed.

There’s also a reason bottom paint slows a boat down considerably. Like, multiple MPH.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

My new wet/dry sandpaper with sticky back came yesterday and I got to try it out tonight. It lived up to the claims of sticking with wetsanding and resists plugging. Nice stuff to work with, a tick pricey at $25/5m, but it’s handy.

Started the other side of the pod tonight. Being able to use the Dura-Block sanding blocks is going to help this job go faster and come out smooth and straight.

 

[ChrisV]

keep up the great work! love it!

 

[98special]

My arms are getting sore just thinking about it.
I sanded (1500-2000) and buffed the bottom side a couple years ago
and was sore for a week.
Great job and thanks for posting the entire thing.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Thanks for checking in, guys. I never know if what I’m posting is boring or informative; the entire reason for this thread is to be informative and maybe help someone figure out how to do something themselves in the future or just to add to our knowledge bank.

Obviously, sanding is pretty boring, but the reward is seeing it come to life right before your eyes.

I’m going to order some more of this new paper as an insurance policy. I probably won’t need it, but I think it’s going to be close, and I’d rather have it than not.

 

[HAP]

Well the PVA application was very informative and now I know for sure that laminating resin can be cured without adding wax.

R,
HAP

 

[King295]

I check in on this thread daily, the amount of thought and work going into this is astounding.

 

[EPL]

I check in daily to see how it's going , I gel coated a complete boat many years ago and don't think I would do it again !!

 

[MeCasa16]

I love this thread.. I appreciate you putting this much work into sharing all this knowledge with us.

 

[King295]

Every day there is not an update, this is how I feel. Hope all is well HS, we are eagerly awaiting to see an update.

 

[02HoWaRd26]

Every day there is not an update, this is how I feel. Hope all is well HS, we are eagerly awaiting to see an update.

Exactly!! LOL

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Every day there is not an update, this is how I feel. Hope all is well HS, we are eagerly awaiting to see an update.

OK, Pablo...., er, I mean King295, sorry I haven’t had updates worthy of posting. Being winter in Cheeseland, it’s just tough getting over to the HulaHut 2.0 between work and the rest of life. It’s not for lack of trying, I can tell you that.

It’s pretty when it’s fresh, but you gotta do something with it right away, or it turns into ice, and the pictures probably don’t show it, but there’s a 30’-40’ drop on my driveway, and last winter I had the exclusive fun of sliding my 4x4 truck down the driveway with brakes locked, achieving 7 mph on GPS...fun times. Needless to say, when it snows, I gotta take care of it, and we haven’t had huge amounts but it’s been twice a week. That’s just January in Cheeseland, and that’s why Hula packed his suitcase, took the HulaToo and pulled up roots for warmer climate.

It’s even better when you get a week of this:

This just happened while I was working on the StressEliminator tonight. I’m letting it warm up and will clean off the snow and head the 40 miles to home in this crap.

I did manage to get everything except the port reflex finished on the running surface of the pod, and I’d like to finish the sides tomorrow; we shall see. Obviously after I plow more snow.

I guess it’s for real. Looks kinda cool after all that crap in between when I started this mess and now. I’m definitely motivated on multiple fronts to get it finished.
Thanks again for checking in, and I’m very glad that some of you have been able to learn something from all of this silliness, that’s really the only reason I started this thread back in 2016. More to come in 2021!

 

[MeCasa16]

OK, Pablo...., er, I mean King295, sorry I haven’t had updates worthy of posting. Being winter in Cheeseland, it’s just tough getting over to the HulaHut 2.0 between work and the rest of life. It’s not for lack of trying, I can tell you that.

It’s pretty when it’s fresh, but you gotta do something with it right away, or it turns into ice, and the pictures probably don’t show it, but there’s a 30’-40’ drop on my driveway, and last winter I had the exclusive fun of sliding my 4x4 truck down the driveway with brakes locked, achieving 7 mph on GPS...fun times. Needless to say, when it snows, I gotta take care of it, and we haven’t had huge amounts but it’s been twice a week. That’s just January in Cheeseland, and that’s why Hula packed his suitcase, took the HulaToo and pulled up roots for warmer climate.

View attachment 968252

View attachment 968253

View attachment 968254
It’s even better when you get a week of this:

View attachment 968255

This just happened while I was working on the StressEliminator tonight. I’m letting it warm up and will clean off the snow and head the 40 miles to home in this crap.

View attachment 968256

I did manage to get everything except the port reflex finished on the running surface of the pod, and I’d like to finish the sides tomorrow; we shall see. Obviously after I plow more snow.

View attachment 968257

View attachment 968258

I guess it’s for real. Looks kinda cool after all that crap in between when I started this mess and now. I’m definitely motivated on multiple fronts to get it finished.
Thanks again for checking in, and I’m very glad that some of you have been able to learn something from all of this silliness, that’s really the only reason I started this thread back in 2016. More to come in 2021!

That’s pretty cool. I grew up in Westfield.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

That’s pretty cool. I grew up in Westfield.

That's cool. I grew up in Wautoma, moved away, and came back later in life.

If you get up here with or without your boat, don't be afraid to look me up!

 

[MeCasa16]

That's cool. I grew up in Wautoma, moved away, and came back later in life.

If you get up here with or without your boat, don't be afraid to look me up!

For sure, I would love a ride in your beast.

 

[02HoWaRd26]

 

[HydroSkreamin]

That’s awesome! Not much to show from one night of work. I’ll update Sunday night.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

My friend Joe was up from FL for the weekend and helped me out when he had a chance. Got the port side of the pod finished, Joe tackled the keels and got the orange peel off the transom, and I got the stbd side of the transom blended in. I’m not happy with the color match of the gel, but I am happy with the flatness. I’m outta time and can fix it this summer on the trailer if it still bothers me after the swim steps are on.

There’s been a cold snap here. This was the high. If only we’d have gotten to +0°

My Denali is in the shop, has been since last week, getting an exorcism. The door locks started locking and unlocking and the speedo and gauges were pegging both sides while driving home one night. Trans was stuck in 3rd gear as well, so 50 miles at 3300 RPM in the freezing cold was interesting.

That puts me out of spare running vehicles, so I have to fix stuff I’ve been putting off to finish this boat. Parts showed up today so I’m fixing vehicles the rest of the week, and hopefully I’m not shopping for a new-to-me boat hauler, because I love my 6.2L.

So, no updates for a week minimum.

 

[HNL2LHC]

Sorry to hear of the mechanical challenges with the Denali. by the way, is -0 colder than just 0? Sorry for the stupid question from a guy currently in a high of the day temperature of 73 degrees. :looking:

 

[02HoWaRd26]

Sorry to hear of the mechanical challenges with the Denali. by the way, is -0 colder than just 0? Sorry for the stupid question from a guy currently in a high of the day temperature of 73 degrees. :looking:

Right wtf is all this +0° vs -0° about???

 

[Fonz69]

My friend Joe was up from FL for the weekend and helped me out when he had a chance. Got the port side of the pod finished, Joe tackled the keels and got the orange peel off the transom, and I got the stbd side of the transom blended in. I’m not happy with the color match of the gel, but I am happy with the flatness. I’m outta time and can fix it this summer on the trailer if it still bothers me after the swim steps are on.

View attachment 971010

View attachment 971011

View attachment 971012

View attachment 971013

There’s been a cold snap here. This was the high. If only we’d have gotten to +0°

View attachment 971015

My Denali is in the shop, has been since last week, getting an exorcism. The door locks started locking and unlocking and the speedo and gauges were pegging both sides while driving home one night. Trans was stuck in 3rd gear as well, so 50 miles at 3300 RPM in the freezing cold was interesting.

That puts me out of spare running vehicles, so I have to fix stuff I’ve been putting off to finish this boat. Parts showed up today so I’m fixing vehicles the rest of the week, and hopefully I’m not shopping for a new-to-me boat hauler, because I love my 6.2L.

So, no updates for a week minimum.

Sorry to hear about your denali my 08 has slowly had parts fail like the heated steering wheel, rear defrost, rear air suspension however it only has 98k on it so I’ll keep driving it as it does pull the boat nice! That and the cost of a new one is ridiculous and cuts into my boat funds

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Sorry to hear of the mechanical challenges with the Denali. by the way, is -0 colder than just 0? Sorry for the stupid question from a guy currently in a high of the day temperature of 73 degrees. :looking:

Right wtf is all this +0° vs -0° about???

I laugh every time I see -0°. I’m guessing the actual temp is between -0.1° and-0.5°. I don’t know if they round up or down concerning temp, but it’s funny every time.

I’ve always said when a thermometer shows zero, “Look, we have no temperature!”

Current situation. It usually doesn’t snow when it’s this cold. I’ll take care of that when it’s done falling from the sky.

Middle daughter that had the accident in October gave up looking for her mini-Aussie that was lost in the accident. She’s picking up a 12-week old Aussie-doodle today and bringing it home, so that’s going to be fun. She named it Denali

I’m very fortunate to have a garage with radiant heat within the Hula-coated floor, a 4-post hoist, and 85-gallon compressor. I’m equipped to be able to do a lot of stuff, and for that I’m grateful. I just need to get my act together and finish this boat so I can get my maintenance schedules back on track.

Talked to my service manager friend and they’re stumped. Cleared the codes and can’t make it happen again. I’m convinced it’s a bad ground, chafed wire, or poor pin contact at a connection, because crossing expansion cracks, potholes, and railroad tracks kicks it off. I can generally clear it up with my own code reader, but this was the worst symptoms yet so I left the codes for them to be able to diagnose.

The truck just turned 297,000 miles, and I’ve been planning on pulling the engine at 300,000 and put cam, lifters, timing chain, oil pump in it, have the heads gone through, and new rockers or put the bearing kit in the originals. I’d like to run this two more years while I build a ‘70 C-10 as a daily driver.

This truck is paid for, and I’ve maintained it with wheel bearings, brakes, a-arms, ball joints, rack, shocks, etc, so it’s still tight. WI winter salt is starting to show holes in the body, though, so its time is limited.

 

[RichL]

Have no idea why I haven't check this thread for awhile but glad to see things are moving along. Summer's on the way.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Got caught up enough to get back on the StressEliminator. Having been away from the shop for a couple of weeks, I needed to get snow removal caught up first. A kind neighbor let me use his truck and plow. Sure beats shoveling!

Remington was back in town and swung in for some upper body work. He did a great job smoothing out the port side of the transom. If you recall, he was seeking fiberglass experience, so I kept him focused on the transom, and he’s done a great job from glass to block sanding. He can point at it and say, “I did that part!”

Got the youngest daughter to bring my orbital sander and some food, then she pitched in too, “rough block sanding” for me.

I’m very pleased with how the transom is turning out.

Center pod is looking really good, too.

Started working down the starboard tunnel.

Tried to use 320 dry on my orbital sander, what a disaster. Made nuggets about the size shingle stones. What a mess. Gave up on that idea and went back to the blocks.

Back for more in a few hours.

 

[boat527]

Got caught up enough to get back on the StressEliminator. Having been away from the shop for a couple of weeks, I needed to get snow removal caught up first. A kind neighbor let me use his truck and plow. Sure beats shoveling!

View attachment 974909

Remington was back in town and swung in for some upper body work. He did a great job smoothing out the port side of the transom. If you recall, he was seeking fiberglass experience, so I kept him focused on the transom, and he’s done a great job from glass to block sanding. He can point at it and say, “I did that part!”

View attachment 974910

View attachment 974912

View attachment 974911

Got the youngest daughter to bring my orbital sander and some food, then she pitched in too, “rough block sanding” for me.

View attachment 974913
I’m very pleased with how the transom is turning out.

View attachment 974914

View attachment 974916

Center pod is looking really good, too.

View attachment 974915

View attachment 974917

Started working down the starboard tunnel.

View attachment 974918

Tried to use 320 dry on my orbital sander, what a disaster. Made nuggets about the size shingle stones. What a mess. Gave up on that idea and went back to the blocks.

Back for more in a few hours.

Like others on here I've been watching this for a long time. In a way it's given me confidence to tackle my rebuild. Love your work..AND.. the posts of how real life sometimes gets in the way.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Like others on here I've been watching this for a long time. In a way it's given me confidence to tackle my rebuild. Love your work..AND.. the posts of how real life sometimes gets in the way.

Thanks much, and that’s the whole point of this thread. If you’ve gotten any inspiration, confidence, knowledge or ideas from this thread, you’ve made my day.

Can’t wait to see your same-year Stoker back on the water!

 

[sonicss31]

Just for your information, there is no 12 step program to cure your disease for fiberglass perfection. Yesterday I had the good fortune of getting your landlord to fabricate an aluminum plate for my Checkmate project.

BTW it was a chilly 65* day down here.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

Just for your information, there is no 12 step program to cure your disease for fiberglass perfection. Yesterday I had the good fortune of getting your landlord to fabricate an aluminum plate for my Checkmate project. View attachment 974929 BTW it was a chilly 65* day down here.

i’d say it’s a good thing my landlord’s landlord has an awesome set of tools!

hopefully I see your Checkmate in person one day.

 

[HydroSkreamin]

My buddy Nick came over and sanded for the entire afternoon, which is much appreciated!

While Nick was sanding on the spray rail, I worked on the capped area in front. I’m disappointed I missed some pinholes on the starboard vertical surface. I’m going to have to fill them.

All in all, I’m very happy with the complex intersection of spray rails, tunnel top, front wing, and sponson tips. There’s a lot going on in a small area, and I think it flows really well. The thin spots will have to be addressed, but I’m going to see what else I find before I start repairs.

Look what showed up while I was working

I won’t have any updates for about 10 days.