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I have some limited experience rolling and tipping, and spraying Perfection, Imron and Alexseal.I'm by no means a pro. If you did a side by side comparison you might see the difference. I would not worry about the durability or gloss of Perfection. It's nice product. I would go with the best color match. I perfer to spray if at all possible because I feel it comes out better and it's faster. The one thing I can say about adding the non-skid is that I found if you mix it in the paint and then roll it on it tends to glop up and can look uneaven. After trying that meathod a couple times I went to sprinkling it on with a sifter or shaker. I would then put a final coat over the top and that looked the best. I just completed a cockpit rebuild and swin platform that you can see pictures of in this forum. I used KIWI-grip as the non-skid for the first time and it's now my product of choice, I would recommend looking into that product. Couple things about KIWI-grip I really like was that I was able to tint it to perfrctly match the rest of the boat and I can make on fly repairs and it looks perfect. The stuff came out better than I imagined. Good Luck

Hello, I thought I'd throw my swim platform and cockpit rebuild in the project forum. I dedcided to build a my own swim platform and rebuild my cockpit panels in my 1988 Wellcraft Cozumel bridge boat. The panels needed some coring repairs. I wanted to attempt some custom work so I added some graphics. The graphics are enbedded in clear epoxy and I sprayed 3 coats of Alexseal two part clear coat for added protection. The fish on the panels had to be covered with a second stensil when I applied the non-skid. The stensil was then removed when finished - that was not easy! I used Kiwi Grip and was able to tint it for a perfect match. I used Alexseal for the base paint and will be painting the rest cockpit with Alexseal. I used marine ply for the swim platform core with mohagony around the skirting. I used MAS expoxy low viscosity for both the swim platfrom construction and the panel repairs. What was really nice is I added a white pigment on the last few layers and it came out looking like gelcoat. I added pop-up cleats and Weaver Davits for when we have the dingy and jet skis at the dock. All the hardware is mounted thru solid fiberglass. I noticed on the pictures that the graphic on the swim platform appears to be somwhat yellow but that's not the case, it'really clear as glass. I think it's the reflection of the camera flash. I've worked alot on boats but I never attempted anything like this. I'm by no means a Pro. I learned alot and it was worth it for me.

I currently run at 19 to 20 knts. at 3400 rpm sometimes 3500. Not really looking for increased top end HP, looking for increased power in the mid range. There's something to say about running at a higher rpm with my boat. Fuel flow meters indicate about a 12% better mpg when running at 3450 rpm compared to running at 3200. Regarding 8.1's, I sure would like to put them in but your're looking at 30K with installation for a pair. A pair of qaulity remans will be under 10K. Not trying to be cheap but just can't justify and extra 20k.

Got a pair of 1988 Gen 1V 454 Crusaders in a 37' bridge boat that I'm looking to repower.Of course like everyone else a bit more performance would be desireable. First looked at new 8.1's but after running the numbers I really can't justify the cost. I know I can throw in a couple of long blocks but I'm not improving my performance. I would spend some extra if there's a reliable alternative. I spoke with the guys over at 454marine.com and they claim they can bring my current engines up to 425 HP with more torque and better fuel economy. They back it up with a 7 year or 500 hr warranty. Has anyone had any experience with these guys? Can this performance really be acheived on a Gen 1V 454? Almost sounds too good to be true so I'm a bit skeptical, but I only maintain my engines I don't know anything about building them. Suggestions welcome. Rick

It depends on what type of product you plan on spraying. If you plan on spraying a quality 2 part (LPU) invest in a quailty setup.

I use Deka AGM group 31's. The only reason why I have the AGM's is because I'm gettin up there in age and I don't want to crawl around the engine room to maintain them and I leave them in for the winter. If you don't mind diligently maintaining your batteries you can use a quality wet cell and get same performance for a lot less money. Good Luck

A lot depends upon the area you boat in and how much effort you want to put in to it. Go to Properboatcare.com and autogeek.com and look at there sites. They have some excellant info. The last product I tried was some Gel Coat labs made by Four Star prodcts and a product made by Restructure marine (more on them later), The results were the best I experienced so far. I've used Rejex, Race Glaze, Starbrite PTFE, 3m, Colinite, Meguires and more all providing good results. Some will use a solvent/chemical and or very fine abrasive for deeper cleaning and polishing when buffing. Both work good although I like the fine abrasive if you have some oxidation, I perfer a two or three step product for older boats experiencing oxidation. I really like the Gel Coat Labs Fine Cut but Its somewhat pricey. The technology of synthetic polmers have been the latest rage due to the fact they last longer, produce a great shine, plus dirt and fish blood amd alike easily wipes off. On top of that they are easy to apply . Starbrite PTFE, Race Glaze, Rejex and Gel Coat Labs fall into that catagory. The only draw back that many detail enthusiast claim is they shine good but don't produce the deep rich glow of a high end Carnauba. I agree but the Carnubas just can't hold up to the marine enviroment on their own, which leads leads into some other excellant products that fuels the wax debate. Products like 3m, Colonite and Meguires have a loyal following and rightfully so. These still utilize carnuba wax in there formulas, (check out their MSD sheets), along with ploymers. They produce a deep shine with very good durability. So if your looking somewhat of a highbred this is the way to go. It's all a matter of preference and what works for you. Back to Restruture Marine product. This product is a nano technology incorporating RALG. It's a high end product and not for everyone. I put this on my 21 year old bridge boat's front over hang as a test. This product is not made for older damaged glass, it's made for glass that's in "like" new condition or restored. Mine had been well buffed and restored but still not a prime canadate. I applied the product anyway and at the end of the year it never look better, the product really works. It gets applied by hand and I really didn't like that. I'd rather use my buffer. Apparently I wasn't the only one because they have reformulated it so now it can be applied with a buffer. If you're a detail enthusiast check them out. So what am I gonna use this year. I'll use the the Restructure Marine on the top again. On the rest of the boat I'll go back to the Gel Coat Labs or I'm thinking of trying Klasse one step and then their sealant. I been told that after the Klasse is applied a high end carnuba can be applied on top for that ultmate deep finsih. When the carnuba wears away you still have the high end finish of Klasse acrylic polymer. Sounds intersting, it all depends on how abitious I am. Good Luck

I just tried some KIWI Grip on a cockpit we rebuilt. I got the white color and had it tinted to match. It came out very good. I've used other non-skid products that you add into the paint but KIWI is by far the easiest to apply and looked great. Now we need to see how long it will last.Even if I need to recoat after 5 years it will be super easy to do. I also did the swim platform with it. My only concern is how it will it clean up from fish blood and bird droppings. Good luck

I've had the same Cannons for 20 years and still going strong. I put the telescopic booms on them which is very nice. What I don't like about them is their front pulley, the cable can jump it and it's a pain in the butt. I'm changing my cable to Power Pro to see if that helps. I've also fished Penns and big Jon and they seemed to work just fine also. Good luck

Always used 5200 except for my last one where I used 4200. I saw no difference so if 4200 allows you get it out easier I'd say go with the 4200.

Got it Larry - Thanks Rick

Thanks Larry, I was planning on using epoxy resin. I have rebuilt some large cockpit hatches using this method with success. My question is would you glass the 1 X 2 stiffeners on the bottom going length wise or width. Rick

I'm thinking of building a fiberglass swim platform this winter. The boat is an inboard bridge Sportfish with a 13' 8" beam with a walk thru transom. I fish the boat boat with downriggers so the depth of the paltform will be short - maybe only 20 to 24 inches. The reason for wanting the platform is to accommadate the occasional dingy and somewhere to get off and on a Jet ski when playing around the dock. I've read the other posts on suggested construction but It looks they they were going to build a mold and I really don't want to have to build a mold. My question is: Could I simply build it out of a coreing such as Divinycell or Balsa and then glass over it, paint it with something like Interlux Perfection with non skid added. I'm aware of the companies that custom build platforms but I have the time and space to do it myself and would like to give it a shot. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thanks Rick

I used C-Map on a Furuno 1650 and Nortstar also on the Great Lakes. Worked well.

Never had a problem with mine. Is the ethernet cable ok?