Paul, is it possible to reduce the costs by peeling off and replacing
the outer fiber layer instead of sanding down the gel coat? It's
mentioned in my Schleicher manual, but maybe it's not generally applicable?

Paul Gaines wrote:

John is correct. Doing it right is the 'BIGGIE'.
Some people think that 'right' is shiny and flying
again. We do not do refinish work that way. At best,
refinishing a composite ship is grueling, un-healthy,
skilled busy work. Done properly means ALL of the
old cracked/crazed gelcoat is removed CAREFULLY, re-contouring
critical areas of the entire aircraft, and using high-quality
materials. We spend about $2000 alone just in materials
(this includes high qulity polyurethane paints and
fillers, not gelcoat). The only way you can make money
above break-even is by taking short cuts and doing
lower quality work, utilizing cheap enough labor, or
charge more than 99% of the customers would ever dream
of paying. Usually a combination of the first 2 conditions
is the case. I would rather watch Michael Jackson
court proceedings than do break even refinish work.
By the way, if you are paying big money for your refinish,
ask for progress photos to verify that all of the crazed
gelcoat is removed. Better yet, plan a couple of trips
during the process to see what your baby looks like
naked. If you do the math that was discussed in the
first e-mail of this thread, 30k is the number you
come up with on one of our refinishes. The number
probably would not be that high. The last full refinish
we did in the proper fashion outlined here was 15k,
and I said I would not do one for that price again.
20 -25k would be the number. Not much of an alternative,
huh? I think that sending your ship over to the former
eastern block is a viable alternative for many people.
I have recomended this to several customers, and
you can make a mini vacation out of it by visiting
the facility. And wherever you have this done, request
polyurethane. It lasts much longer, and in the hands
of someone that knows what they are doing, it is easier
to blend duiring repairs.

I estimate we will have 1000 hours in my modified/refinished
20C that will be in Atlanta '04, and she will be wearing
Sikkins polyurethane. Crazy amount of labor for any
sailplane, but it keeps me out of bars! And the ASW-20
is the prettiest fiberglass/composite glider made!

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Replace "SPAM" with "charter" to email me directly

Eric Greenwell
Washington State
USA