Gel-coater vs fiberglass finisher

The differences between gel-coaters and fiberglass finishers can be seen in a few details. Each job has different responsibilities and duties. Additionally, a fiberglass finisher has an average salary of $33,599, which is higher than the $30,263 average annual salary of a gel-coater.

The top three skills for a gel-coater include hand tools, boats and . The most important skills for a fiberglass finisher are hand tools, grinders, and boats.

Gel-coater vs fiberglass finisher overview

	Gel-Coater	Fiberglass Finisher
Yearly salary	$30,263	$33,599
Hourly rate	$14.55	$16.15
Growth rate	-11%	-11%
Number of jobs	287	2,465
Job satisfaction	-	-
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 56%
Average age	44	44
Years of experience	-	-

Gel-coater vs fiberglass finisher salary

Gel-coaters and fiberglass finishers have different pay scales, as shown below.

	Gel-Coater	Fiberglass Finisher
Average salary	$30,263	$33,599
Salary range	Between $23,000 And $38,000	Between $23,000 And $47,000
Highest paying City	-	-
Highest paying state	-	-
Best paying company	-	-
Best paying industry	-	-

Differences between gel-coater and fiberglass finisher education

There are a few differences between a gel-coater and a fiberglass finisher in terms of educational background:

	Gel-Coater	Fiberglass Finisher
Most common degree	High School Diploma, 45%	High School Diploma, 56%
Most common major	Business	Civil Engineering
Most common college	-	-

Gel-coater vs fiberglass finisher demographics

Here are the differences between gel-coaters' and fiberglass finishers' demographics:

	Gel-Coater	Fiberglass Finisher
Average age	44	44
Gender ratio	Male, 97.4% Female, 2.6%	Male, 72.7% Female, 27.3%
Race ratio	Black or African American, 11.0% Unknown, 4.2% Hispanic or Latino, 13.6% Asian, 9.2% White, 61.2% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.8%	Black or African American, 14.0% Unknown, 3.7% Hispanic or Latino, 16.4% Asian, 8.5% White, 56.8% American Indian and Alaska Native, 0.6%
LGBT Percentage	5%	5%

Differences between gel-coater and fiberglass finisher duties and responsibilities

Gel-coater example responsibilities.

Gel coat with industrial gel coating all the molds for pursuit boats.
Operate multiple printing and bindery machines UV roll coat machine/cutter/ink jet/stitcher
Operate Gema brand auto booth paint systems, as long as Colmet manual paint booth systems.

Fiberglass finisher example responsibilities.

Utilize dual action sanders, die grinders, air buffers and electric buffers.
Wax and polish molded parts using buffer and paste wax to place on the finished boats.
Assist ICM with project management responsibilities and updating and editing documentation for ISO compliance.
Gather all proper and need PPE, tools, materials need to complete the job task.

Gel-coater vs fiberglass finisher skills

Common gel-coater skills

Hand Tools, 58%
Boats, 42%

Common fiberglass finisher skills

Hand Tools, 43%
Grinders, 30%
Boats, 21%
Air Bubbles, 4%
Top Coat, 3%

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Updated January 8, 2025

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