Refinishing: Who has tried a shortcut?

After operating a glider repair station for 20 years, I can truly say, "been
there, done that" We probably refinished at least 20 sailplanes. What have I
learned?

1. It's one hell of a lot of work.

2. All cracks, loose material, chips and flakes, MUST be removed. Notice I
didn't say *everything* must be removed. Should everything be removed? In my
opinion, No, it's not necessary. I would say that we removed about 50% of the
gelcoat on the ships we refinished. How have these ships held up? Quite well
with the exception of those ships that were left out all the time (FBO
operations) The gelcoat (Prestec) showed paint failure within 4 years. Cracking
and checking appeared from the outside, NOT cracks that reappeared from the old
gelcoat.

3. I have refinished my Genesis 2 with acrylic urethane (PPG Concept 70) and I
think this is the way to go, especially for ships that will be left out. I
would only use Prestec for spot repairs of gelcoated gliders. By the way, the
*brown ring* around paint repairs is caused by not removing the oxidized old
paint. I recommend the edge of the old paint be lightly sanded with 220 grit
and then control the edge of the new paint, so that the *fether edge* occurs in
the middle of the 220 sanded area.

4. We need some way to get our 20 year old ships refinished for less than
$10,000 US bucks. It just doesn't make good sense to spend any more than that
on an old ship. Some shops will welcome *owner assisted refinishing*. I have
done this. It might well be worth considering taking your vacation at the
local repair shop. The shop doesn't want your project to linger on for months,
but if you offer to work full time for a month, things will move along
satisfactorily. Can you do it at home? Probably not. You need some specialized
equipment, a good air compressor to start with + air boards, spray booth,
respirator, not to mention a cooled, heated and well lighted place to work.

5. Did I mention that it is one hell of a lot of work?
JJ Sinclair