In message <v03102801b1559035baa6@[195.8.77.235]>, Rowland and Wilma
Carson <rowil@clara.net> writes
>
>I hope that the comments about poor weathering when referring to (a) are
>not also applicable to (b). If so, why do the glider types bother to pay
>for this superb finish if it's only going to last 5 minutes?
>
The lifetime of the gel coat of a glider is usually about 15-20 years if
kept in an enclosed trailer. Leaving outside or a lot of high altitude
flights can dramtically reduce this. Owners of glass-fibre gliders after
about this sort of time have to face up to a bill of about 6000 for
resurfacing. As the gel coat is a polyester, don't forget the cautions
which have been quoted before that epoxy can be laid down on polyester
and not vice versa. Despite this gel coats have been used on some
Europas. Not all glass-fibre gliders have gel coats; some are painted on
top of the epoxy. The paint surface tends to be more durable, but
resurfacing may require extra filling to take up the long term shrinkage
which occurs with epoxys.
Ken Whiteley
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