My 185gal build in progress (lots of pics)

I can hardly wait to see the fully finished product!

Man, I wish I'd seen this thread before you started shooting the gelcoat, as I came across some awesome stuff for this type of job. I KNOW it would have helped you in this aquarium buildup.

I just sanded, filled and faired my entire bass boat above the beltline, then shot it with a gallon of gelcoat/gloss additive. Whenever I did a gelcoat job previously, I either had to add surfacing wax or cover it with mylar to avoid a "tacky cure". The surfacing wax was a hit or miss proposition, and the mylar angle required a lot of finish work after removal to get it glossy.

Then, I found DuraTec Hi Gloss Additive for gelcoats. You add it 50/50 to the gelcoat, catalyze with 25ml MEKP per quart, then shoot with your gelcoat gun. Wait 3 minutes for the solvents to flash off, then shoot again. I did not have to add any surfacing wax, and most of the boat will not require any post-shoot fine wet-sanding. Some of it came out super glossy, like it just came out of a mold and plug from a boatbuilder's shop.

I guarantee this stuff would have made your gelcoat on that aquarium look positively glossy. Wish I'd known about it years ago!

v/r, N-A
 
Native American said:
I can hardly wait to see the fully finished product!

Man, I wish I'd seen this thread before you started shooting the gelcoat, as I came across some awesome stuff for this type of job. I KNOW it would have helped you in this aquarium buildup.

I just sanded, filled and faired my entire bass boat above the beltline, then shot it with a gallon of gelcoat/gloss additive. Whenever I did a gelcoat job previously, I either had to add surfacing wax or cover it with mylar to avoid a "tacky cure". The surfacing wax was a hit or miss proposition, and the mylar angle required a lot of finish work after removal to get it glossy.

Then, I found DuraTec Hi Gloss Additive for gelcoats. You add it 50/50 to the gelcoat, catalyze with 25ml MEKP per quart, then shoot with your gelcoat gun. Wait 3 minutes for the solvents to flash off, then shoot again. I did not have to add any surfacing wax, and most of the boat will not require any post-shoot fine wet-sanding. Some of it came out super glossy, like it just came out of a mold and plug from a boatbuilder's shop.

I guarantee this stuff would have made your gelcoat on that aquarium look positively glossy. Wish I'd known about it years ago!

v/r, N-A
Click to expand...

I've heard of that stuff actually, but I've never used it. Next time I do an order from USComposites I'll have to include some. I've used Duratec surfacing primer and I loved it; I think Duratec makes only the best.

I actually didn't use surfacing wax on the gelcoat, and it did cure eventually (it's pretty dry here sometimes, so I think the moisture content of the air got low enough for the stuff to cure.) I actually used a roller to apply the gelcoat, cuz the back will be hidden, and it's mostly just to protect the wood.

One of my other hobbies is custom composite parts for car stereo/interior work, so I'm sure I'll find a use for it!
 
Awsome, so I guess later we will be adding underwater subs? Let the fish rock and roll all night!
 
Me too, me too.........we need an update!

Mellowvision, I think cvermuelen has spoiled us with the rather frequent and comprehensive updates. Most posts here leave you hanging.
 
LOL. sorry guys, I got pretty heavily involved in another project this weekend. You can see the details Here: http://www.fiberglassforums.com/showthread.php?t=3033

However, I WAS thinking of you guys, so I dragged my very tired butt out to the garage last night and cut all the dividers and lids for my sump, and coated them with epoxy:

DSC02750.jpg


DSC02751.jpg


I also was doing some drawings for how to plumb my dual pumps so they are actually fail safe, and doing some research to decide if I'd rather run a single Mag 36, instead of my dual fountain pumps. I think what I"ll do is buy the Mag sometime down the road, and either use it for another project, or run it when I need extra circulation. On ebay for $125, I can't resist the cool factor of 3600gph!!
 
Good news! glass is coming on tuesday. (I hope that means tomorrow... I never did verify with the guy that he wasn't referring to NEXT tuesday... but anyway... I did more mucking around with the sump tonight, but since it's all black, my pumps are black, and my bioballs are black... none of my pictures show anything but a big black blob :p
 
Thanks for the update. Anxious for that glass, eh?
 
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