# Polyester Fairing Compound



## NativeBone (Aug 16, 2017)

Redfishwhisperer said:


> Can someone recommend a polyester fairing compound that will fully cure in super thin pulls? I have been using Super Poly-Fill and its great as long as it has a little thickness to it. I have a lot of shallow indentations that are too deep for high build primer so I am trying to fair them with filler. The Super Poly-Fill cures fine in the low spots but remains tacky in the surrounding areas that have just a thin film which stays tacky and instantly gums up sandpaper. I have tried over catalyzing to a point of having virtually no working time with pretty much the same results. Looking forward to any suggestions as I am tired of the 30 second life span of a sanding disc.


I have had good luck with Fiberglass Florida Fairing Putty
FAIRING PUTTY (F206LF)


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Try under catalyzing it just a tad and then shoot it with a heat gun. High humidity seems to play games.

The other thing I found that caused this same issue for me was dust. If there is dust on the hull and I applied it it would pick up the dust and would not cure properly. Washing the boat cured that problem.


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

I've always just used micro balloons for fairing


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Where are you located? If you have a finish master around you can buy directly but if not I'm sure you can order it. SMART pourable putty is what I would use. If looking for a putty. You can use a high build that needs to be catalyzed with mek but need a pressure pot or a gun that can be pressurized. Depot sells a gun for about $50 and the primer is called slick sand. It's incredible stuff. Either will work. The slick sand will do the job the quickest and guarantee show car paint results. If you would like to talk just give me a shout. Hope this helps, Michael


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)




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## millerrep (Apr 14, 2014)

Maybe ready for high build primer.


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

millerrep said:


> Maybe ready for high build primer.


That's what I said. A polyester high build that uses mek. I use slick sand personally. But you have to have a way to spray it.


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## Redfishwhisperer (Jan 22, 2017)

Well my fun level got turned up to 10. Instead of using Slick Sand (which I used to fair the bottom) I decided to roll on a coat of gel coat on the ENTIRE BOAT to try and fill low spots and also serve as an early guide coat. I must have bad catalyst as it hasn't cured in over a week. I tried heat, which didn't work, and then sprayed a coat of Partall to see if I could get it to kick. No dice! I now have 3 gallons of acetone and a bale of rags and will start the fun process of wiping the goop off. BTW....I have a gallon of Slick Sand for when I get this shit off.


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## millerrep (Apr 14, 2014)

Redfishwhisperer said:


> Well my fun level got turned up to 10. Instead of using Slick Sand (which I used to fair the bottom) I decided to roll on a coat of gel coat on the ENTIRE BOAT to try and fill low spots and also serve as an early guide coat. I must have bad catalyst as it hasn't cured in over a week. I tried heat, which didn't work, and then sprayed a coat of Partall to see if I could get it to kick. No dice! I now have 3 gallons of acetone and a bale of rags and will start the fun process of wiping the goop off. BTW....I have a gallon of Slick Sand for when I get this shit off.


Oh no- I improperly mixed a batch of epoxy fairing once and had to scrape it off days later. Thankfully it was a few square feet, not the entire hull. Be careful not to hose the surface with acetone, it will get into the layer underneath your bad gel coat. Are you familiar with Duratec primers. Mek catalyzed highbuild polyester, and it sands well. Thinking it’s worth checking on it. Best luck!


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## Redfishwhisperer (Jan 22, 2017)

millerrep said:


> Oh no- I improperly mixed a batch of epoxy fairing once and had to scrape it off days later. Thankfully it was a few square feet, not the entire hull. Be careful not to hose the surface with acetone, it will get into the layer underneath your bad gel coat. Are you familiar with Duratec primers. Mek catalyzed highbuild polyester, and it sands well. Thinking it’s worth checking on it. Best luck!


I am taking all of the gel coat off. Acetone and a wire brush wiped up with rags and then sanding down to glass. Loads of fun.
I have used Duratec when I spray gel coat for a final finish but none of their primers. I already have a new can of Slick Sand and it has worked well for me in the past. Thanks for the recommendation though.


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## devrep (Feb 22, 2009)

did you seal the gelcoat from the air after applying?


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## Redfishwhisperer (Jan 22, 2017)

devrep said:


> did you seal the gelcoat from the air after applying?


It was waxed gel to start with but after it didn’t cure I sprayed PVA over everything. I let it sit for a couple of days and it still didn’t kick.


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

Man that is rough. I hate to hear anything like that. I was debating on using gelcoat on my hatches as a show coat to see if I needed slick sand and now you have me second guessing that thought.


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## Redfishwhisperer (Jan 22, 2017)

Mike Haydon said:


> Man that is rough. I hate to hear anything like that. I was debating on using gelcoat on my hatches as a show coat to see if I needed slick sand and now you have me second guessing that thought.


Its not uncommon to use gel coat as a guide coat. I would do a test batch to make sure your materials perform as planned. I know I will in the future even though this is the first time I have had this problem.


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## Mike Haydon (Dec 19, 2019)

I know my gelcoat is good. It's new and I have used it already in my bilge area. Just have a good bit and was trying to save money but I know slick sand will do the job in one coat and I love the way it sands. I just have to make the trip to pick some up


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