2002 G3 1756 DLX CC

[flatboat]

nice boat.. that is gonna be a little more stable . i wonder what holds that foam down at 65 mph . anyway nice ride

 

[reedjj]

nice boat.. that is gonna be a little more stable . i wonder what holds that foam down at 65 mph . anyway nice ride

That's the only thing keeping me from ordering it... I guess I could always glue it down or use the velcro like I did on my last build.

1/2 inch of neoprene foam in Mossy Oak Breakup sure would be nice and comfy. It would match the seats and everything. I think I might order it tonight... The wife might say otherwise though, I have a truck project going on too, and she is not happy about that either LOL. She is never happy about my "little projects" though. Hahaha.

 

[Badbagger]

You sound like me lol. Always something going on and staying busy. Fortunately, I have the BEST wife in the world and she is very supportive of everything I do and puts up with a lot lol. Once the G3 is done, time for another Harley once the back heals back up.

Can't wait to see the finished project.

 

[fish2keel]

Alot of people use the hydrotuff over in the bowfishing sites and expecially at mudmotortalk. I dont think it really flys up once it sticks on the floor.

I wouldnt be to worried about it

 

[reedjj]

The Hydro Turf Gets glued down like carpet, so it won't go anywhere. One of the guys on the Bowfishing site is a dealer and is checking on prices for me today.

Im holding off on any decisions till I hear from him. This is what his boat looks like decked out with the hydroturf....

 

[reedjj]

This morning I ordered the Tuff Coat from Overtons. I got a roller applicator (just the foam pad not a roller with handle) 1 gallon of tuff coat, 1 gallon of primer for $120.00 including tax and shipping.

Im glad I went this route. I was thinking of using herculiner but I wanted it in white so I could paint it with rustoleum camo Tan. The White Herculiner was $150.00 for the white kit. So I actually got off cheaper and I don't have to buy paint or paint it because the Tuff Coat is already Tan.

Im going to do the Front and rear decks with it. Hopefully I have enough to do the floor as well. I still plan on putting either the StyxRiver NeoMat in "Mossy Oak Break" up or the Hydro Turf in "Swamp Camo" on the floor of the boat.

Im kinda leaning toward the SyxRiver neo mat.

1. Because it comes in MossyOak Breakup

2. Because it comes 5ft wide X however many yards you want long. The floor of my boat is 54inches wide X 8 feet long. I can get one piece and it will cover the whole floor. I will have to cut out a hole for the center console, but I can use that piece to put on the floor inside the console. I will tuck it under the panels along the side of the boat the entire length to hold it down. Removing it would just be a matter of removing 8 screws on each side I would have to order 2 separate pieces of Hydroturf to cover the same area with much more measuring and cutting involved. Not to mention the gluing process needed to hold it down permenant!

 

[reedjj]

I got it masked and primed. It is about a million degrees and super humid here in FL today. And that is not an exaggeration! I was only able to work in about 20 min stretches.
It was more work trying to keep from dripping sweat on the surface to be covered than it was to actually apply the primer. I backed the boat into the garage and im going to wait till around 4:30pm to apply the tuff coat. Chillen with Bud Light and the Brickyard 400 till then! Here it is in its current state!

If you are thinking of going with hydroTurf or the Styx River mats I highly recommend you go ahead and do it. This is not as cheap as I thought. Especially after all the stuff you have to buy to apply it. Im in for $195. as of right now. Just to do the front and rear deck and the gunwales.

Not to mention the hell I have been going through in the FL heat so far today. I could have had the front and rear decks LineX'd for about what I have spent so far.

 

[Badbagger]

Heat ? Just cut the lawn it is 99 here with a "feel like" temp of 107... HOT!

 

[allen]

I would be interested to hear how your tuff coat app went.

How much prep time did you spent, did you just scuff sand, etc.

Not sure where you are buying white Herculiner for $150. I bought some a month ago with a $20 off coupon delivered for $115 to the house.

Thanks,

Allen

 

[reedjj]

As for prepping the surface I sanded it with 120 grit on Thurs and used some degreaser to clean it. Fri I used the boat and knew that I would need to clean it again. Sat I got the product and it recommends using 4-60 grit so I bought some yesterday with all the other crap that added up to $75 bucks at HD.

Today I got up early and sanded the surfaces to be coated and cleaned them with degreaser and hosed it all off. Then around 0800 the wife got up and we went for a 5K run with the dog. We got back to the house around 11:00 just in time for it to reach 90 degrees. Needless to say everything was dry. I hooked up to the truck and pulled the boat to a shady spot and masked everything off took a break, wiped it down with mineral spirits and applied the primer, then watched the Brickyard and let the primer dry.

Then the fun part started around 4:00 after letting the primer dry for a few hours. I put the first coat on a little to thick and had to wait 3 hours to put the 2nd one on. The directions say to put the first coat without worrying about looking good and not to try to stretch it out for coverage. I followed the directions but I did try to get an even coat and ended up putting a little too much. After wating, checking, eating, checking again, I started on the 2nd coat and wondered if I had enough to finish the job... It was close but I got it done.

I really made sure to prep the surface really really good. And while I wish I had a little thicker 2nd coat I did get it covered good. I did the rear deck, front deck, bow, rails/gunwale. It would take 2 more cans to do the floor.

The worst part of it was the heat. If you are debating doing this yourself I would recommend it only if you have a small area to do. If you have anything bigger than a 1648, let LineX do it!!!! or go with carpet, hydroturf, or Styx river mats. Unless of course you already have paint pans, mixing attachments, tape, drop cloths, rollers, mineral spirits, degreaser, laying around. If you do you might save a dollar or two....

Im happy with the way it turned out BUT unhappy with the cost. I thought I was going to save some money over my other options (lineX, hydroTurf,styxRiver mats) But in the end it was about even because I had to buy all the supplies to apply it.

I got the price on the white Herculiner off an autoparts store website. The whole Kit was $150.00 for the white. WITHOUT SHIPPING!

For some reason Im having trouble uploading pics tonight. I will do it tomorrow......

 

[reedjj]

here is the masked and primed pic

 

[reedjj]

After the 1st coat

 

[reedjj]

I got up early before work to remove the masking tape. I was a little worried that I left it on too long because I woke up and remembered that the instructions said to remove it before it cured. It looks really good and I am happy with the job. The only thing left to do now is to touch up the areas that were under the masking tape with the same Tan Rustoleum spray paint that the rest of the interior is done in. Its supposed to rain all week so I guess I will have plenty of time to get it done. The area on the rear deck where the hinges are is the spot that needs to be touched up the most. A little of the prmer seeped under the tape where there were a few small gaps in the tape where it went over some screw heads. Not a big deal and once I spray it you will never know.

 

[Jonboat Jerry]

Looking great Reed and thanks for all the info on Tuff Coat! =D>
That's exactly what I was doing yesterday too. Boat, Beer, and Brickyard.
Keep the pics coming.

 

[allen]

Several years back I sprayed a work jon boat with Herc. Turned out awesome. I do not think people realize how much effort and time is required in doing the prep. Did you have any corrosion work to do?

I applied Alodine to my boat before primer coating though. Creates a water break free layer and helps with corrosion prevention. I was also surprised on the grit of sand paper you used. Seems a little too coarse, but your boat does look awesome.

Thanks for the update,

Allen

 

[reedjj]

The prep work is the hardest part. I went to a Navy paint and Corrosion Control school (Aircraft, paint, finish, and insignia) in 1995 and learned how to "Properly" prep aluminum for paint. I have used the knowledge I gained there several times. Never in my career but in my hobbies and projects LOL! 99% of the time when a paint or finish comes out bad its because of bad surface preparation. Very seldom is it a fault with the product being applied.

We learned about alodine and anodized finishes at that school too.

I didn't have any corrosion to deal with on this job so that did make it easier. In fact I didn't even think about it, I guess it could have been a lot worse than it was.

Its always better to do it right the 1st time! Doing it over sux and cost 2x as much and is alot more work.

 

[Badbagger]

Looks GREAT! I'd read and re-read your posts and I am of the opinion that comes late Fall, I'll be calling my local Linex dealer lol. If there was a significant savings, it would be worth the work but there doesn't appear to be and my time is far to valuable me between working full time for the state and running my own business on the side.

Nice job!

 

[reedjj]

Looks GREAT! I'd read and re-read your posts and I am of the opinion that comes late Fall, I'll be calling my local Linex dealer lol. If there was a significant savings, it would be worth the work but there doesn't appear to be and my time is far to valuable me between working full time for the state and running my own business on the side.

Nice job!

Good choice!

 

[Badbagger]

Lol.. I kinda thought so. I just called my local linex dealer and to do the front & rear decks is $150.00 and I've got the same exact boat so I'll figure around $200 to do gunwhales etc as you did. Worth every penny to me.

 

[reedjj]

Yep! And about $350. for that and the floor! With the cost of equipment its actually cheaper to have it done!!!!!

Post some pics when do it..