Fiberglass and Paint Department
Skyway Yacht Works paint and fiberglass department is the best in the Chicago area. Attention to detail is the most important trait of a paint shop and detail is our specialty.
Fiberglass
Whether you hit something or it hit you, we can repair the damage no matter how extensive. Fiberglass is often misunderstood and over-applied as a substrate. It is key to lay up the new glass per the manufacturers original specifications. Too much glass may create a "stiff" spot in the hull that may cause failures around the boat seemingly unrelated to your repair. Too little will lead to an obvious weak spot.
At Skyway we are familiar with complicated laminating schedules using not only fiberglass but also carbon fiber, Kevlar and vacuum bagging systems. Let us help you get your boat back on its feet and ready for the water.
Paint
The fiberglass in boats has a half-life approaching infinity. Most of that fiberglass is covered in gel coat which has a much shorter half-life. So, even though your boat may not look great, it is far from dead. If you love your boat, but you are unhappy with how it looks, rather than setting it on fire, you may want to sand it down and paint it.
We have extensive experience in many different coatings, including AwlGrip, Imron and Perfection to name a few. The key to a new look is choosing the right paint for your surface. We can steer you in the right direction and reinvigorate your boat.
Gel Coat
Gel coat is a polyester resin which gets its color from pigments. It is a very tricky material to work with. Chemicals must be mixed just right and applied quickly before hardening. The excess heat released by the exothermic reaction can weaken the repair site and lead to premature failure. The probability that the new gel coat, out of the can, will match your old, UV bombed gel coat is remote. The art of tinting and color matching is very important to the overall look of the finished product. Repairing old gel coat and getting it smooth is one thing, but getting it to look as if it never happened requires specialists, like those at Skyway, who notice details and have vast and varied experience.
