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1996 GSX Build

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I love the way paint jobs look when they are done and SLICK. All in the prep for sure. This XP body was in terrible shape so I opted for a paint job. I brought this to my buddy's shop last year where I did all the prep. We've been talking about it and he called and said, "Let's Go". James is super anal about all this stuff. He mixed that paint at his automotive shop in very small quantities and It still cost $150 his cost. :) I gave me a tip. LOL I know he won't do another one. Ha ha. I'm thinking about doing the RX top and like yours the bottom needs to be done.

I bought some $30 per quart boat paint "Black" I did a lot of reading on it before the purchase. I was gonna do the bottom with it. I actually think that would hold up especially if you don't ride a lot. Cool Idea to give the cheap stuff a shot. :D Didn't lose much money that's for sure. Good luck with it bro !!!
 

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I hope you post back with your results. The PO of my GTX suffered a rotten bunk the upright eventually ate through before gouging the holy hell out of the bottom of the ski. I don't think the glass is at all damaged. I can fill the gouges with G/Flex or could even go through the torture of re-gelling the bottom. The ski only has 134.4 hours on it, with the cleanest E boxes I've ever seen. (I don't think they had ever been open since leaving the factory) so I'm willing to put in some effort and $$$. I worked for Ranger Boats for several years though and I know what a PITA that would be. So I've been reading up trying to decide the best way to paint that ski's bottom. There's an appliance epoxy base I'm interested in but as Miki says I don't think any paint job will live long, even kept off the beach. Which probably means it becomes an annual touch-up or repaint if I want it to stay looking good. I'd love to hear if anyone's come up with anything tougher? Thanks..
 
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4 of my years at Ranger were in the paint booth of the trailer shop. We used a 2 part urethane/hardener that was baked on in a hanging oven just outside the booth. It didn't require a clear coat, it just baked tough and stayed that way. There's a used car lot in town with one of those I painted 20 years ago that's a little faded from the sun, but hasn't rubbed thin anywhere. I wonder if the baked on urethane base might not be the ticket? It was super easy to spray a clean, glossy coat, and the oven wasn't so hot that you couldn't recreate the conditions in summer with a good shop heater.. Just thinking..
 
I'm dreading doing the bottom of the RX.... I do not want to flip this ski over so I'll be looking for a safe alternative no matter how difficult. LOL I got a buddy that builds fiberglass boats and I'll have to do it his way which I can't divulge. :) Gotta warm up some first before I begin.
 
It wouldn't be worth it for a single ski, but you could find a hull in good condition or clean one up till it's baby smooth. Then using mold release wax and fiberglass, create a perfect mold of the bottom of the hull. Build a framework of wood around the mold to keep it rigid. Sand the bottom of the ski with 40 grit to promote adhesion, spray or roll a thick coat of fresh gelcoat inside the mold and then lower the ski into it. Once dry/cured, remove the mold and polish up your beautiful new gelcoated bottom! I know, sounds like some serious work. But you could reuse that mold over and over again. I've seen it done, just not on anything that big.
 
My friend has those very type of molds you mention for what we call down here "Lafitte Skiffs." One is so large it needs to cranes to lift it. He also makes small ones, what we call a "Priogue" He makes small ones, about 4-6 feet long to put on the tables to be filled with Crawfish and other fixings.... some for beer and such. Anyway. I like your idea on creating a mold. Sure would be a lot quicker and prettier !!
 
You realize you can spray on gelcoat right?
You don’t just have to use a brush.
 
Here’s the product description for that coat-it stuff I’m going to try on the bottom side...

Coat-It is formulated with ceramic beads for abrasion resistance, graphite to give it slip or lubricity and Kevlar® fiber for extreme toughness. It's a superior, waterproof epoxy sealer that will protect your boat bottom or truck bed. Coat-It can be applied to aluminum, fiberglass and wood surfaces with ease.
  • Easy to use – just pour, stir and apply
  • Tough – reinforced with Kevlar fibers for superior strength
  • Practical – enables boats to glide smoothly over debris and rocks
  • Fast drying – sets and dries completely in 10-12 hours
  • Waterproof
  • Seals small leaks and splits in a single coat
Seems to me like it might be perfect for my applications, especially considering I’ll be taking it around here in Florida where I’ll probably end up running into gravelly sandbars and oysters.

As I said, my buddy just spent $100-200 for totalboat paint. He got their special bottom side paint in black (which is so thick it has to be rolled on), and a gloss red on top which sprayed on nicely. It looks phenomenal! However, that’s $200 whereas I’m spending $20. If my paint job lasts 3 years and his lasts 5-6, I’m more than happy to spend 1/10 the price.

I’ll update how the coat-it stuff goes on. I just need to add another coat of clear and give it a few days to dry before I flip it over to coat the bottom.
 
mikidymac said:
You realize you can spray on gelcoat right?
You don’t just have to use a brush.
Click to expand...

There's no way around wet sanding when it comes to applying gelcoat. The hardest part is getting the waxy surface off, which is applicable either way spraying or brushing/rolling. For what little smoothness a person might make up for spraying vs. rolling it's still a lot of sanding time. Spraying is a pain and messy, you need a respirator and makeshift booth to block over spray from getting everywhere, clean up is a mess and there's little room for error.

Brushing is nothing more than prep the surface with 100 to 150 grit, then mix and apply, doing it in 10 minute stages with a pint at a time. Clean up is a snap, and you don't need a $100 respirator or a large (2.0) orifice paint gun. The drawback is the more hours spent to get it smooth before the polish phase, but that is manageable.

Painting a ski is easy, prep, then shoot and you're done. Painting is good if flipping a ski or you don't have the time, the only drawback is short term it looks good, but in a couple seasons or long term it won't. Paint the bottom? I'll give it one season on durability...
 
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Like the man said, there's no getting around a whole lotta wetsanding to get it smooth. Even the best spray job will feel textured like an orange and I can only imaging how much drag that would induce..
 
Whereas with the type of mold I'm talking about, the finish is glass perfect as long as you do your prep right. It would be some effort but a very cool project if you were a member of a club or organization of 2-stroke lovers with enough guys interested to make it worth it. For instance, an X4 hull version would be the smallest and easiest to manage, and I'm sure a popular one. You can use whatever colors you want too. Go full bass boat on it LOL I still have friends at Ranger, the colored flake would be super easy to get. If it worked out, you could go on to do a GSX hull then work up to the big GT.
 
Cool way to produce a repair panel too. Busted bottom? No Problem! haha

JetJon24, sorry to half hijack your thread. I've just been dwelling on this awhile and your post got me thinking again. Thanks for the update, I'll check out the Coat-It for sure.
 
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No worries. I've got another question on a completely different topic. The right sponson on my ski is completely cooked. To buy a 1996 gsx sponson off of ebay is going to be $80. However, there was a 96 gtx one for $25 with free shipping. Are they the same or completely different shapes? Also, what would be the consequence of just removing both my sponsons and filling the holes. Would that make it so i cant hardly steer or would it just be minor steering differences?
 
Jetjon24 said:
No worries. I've got another question on a completely different topic. The right sponson on my ski is completely cooked. To buy a 1996 gsx sponson off of ebay is going to be $80. However, there was a 96 gtx one for $25 with free shipping. Are they the same or completely different shapes? Also, what would be the consequence of just removing both my sponsons and filling the holes. Would that make it so i cant hardly steer or would it just be minor steering differences?
Click to expand...

$80? for one?....dang, after swapping mine, I sold them as pair last yr for $36 shipped to CA, I think I made $10 after I paid shipping. Search on ebay for a pair of 97'-99' XPL or 98'-99' GSXL sponsons. I believe mine were off a 98' XPL and on ebay I paid $35 total including shipping. I mainly wanted a black pair since the blue was so faded, but it ended being better, the XPL pair is slightly longer and more aggressive, I can turn hard and pull some serious G's with them.

Don't worry, the GSXL and XPL sponsons are a direct match on the stock holes, it's just a little challenging to do the swap. Dab of RTV at the threaded base when you install them.
 
Hit up Jess or Nick at Westside Powersports, I'd bet they have a better deal than that. Are you familiar with those guys?
 
Will these fit? They appear to have the same bolt pattern... I had to do quite a lot of digging just to find these.
Screenshot (69).png
 
Oh... I saw XP limited and it didn't register in my mind that that = XPL. Sometimes my brain just doesn't work. I looked at their website last night and they seem pretty cool. I can give them a call and see if they can beat the price i found on ebay. Thanks!
 
I talked to Nick from Westside Powersports. Seems like a cool guy, but he was looking for more than I was willing to spend. He wanted less for the right side gsx one than most people on ebay, but i can't beat a pair of better cutting sponsons for $35 + shipping. Thanks for the suggestion though, I'll keep them in mind for future parts and projects. I just put the motor back together with locktite, oil, and yamabond. She is looking good. Just gotta finish cosmetics then put everything back together.
 
I guess I should remove the sponsons from the 1999 and 2003 XPs before I bring them to the dump. :)
 
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