Gel coat/Fiberglass repair

[igblack87]

Hi Everyone,

Almost summer (erhermmmm I mean boating weather!) here in New England. While cleaning up my 180, I noticed a puncture in the gel coat. Looks to be a surface thing only and hasnt really gotten to wet...

The puncture must have come from a rock or something bouncing off the hull while trailering the boat from my mechanic. It is about the size of my pinky nail.

I was reading about Marine Tex or just a general fiberglass epoxy from West Marine. (I have a picture but the form cant take anymore)

What is the best way to patch this up? Matching gel coat color? Wet sanding to make it seamless with rest of the hull? Help!

Thanks all,
Ian

 

[max366]

Check Spectrum Color for their 2 oz matching gel coat paste. I bought some for my 2004 265 and it's a good match. Saves trying to match the color using pigments. You mix up what you need, add the catalyst and apply with a plastic squeegee. About $25 at iboats

 

[igblack87]

Thanks! How about sanding it down? A little nervous about that part. Once sanded, do I just wax and polish to get back to the shine the rest of the hull has?

And yes, I am getting Spectrum Color 2oz from my Grady Dealer.

Ian

 

[max366]

I've had success using the Spectrum paste- just enough to fill the damage- and covering it tight with wax paper so there are no wrinkles or air bubbles. Use the plastic squeegee to apply and get rid of the excess. After a couple of hours of setting, the wax paper can be removed from the patch and it will wind up quite shiny. Carefully clean up any excess around the patch - but not on the main patch- with acetone, which works at this point. After a few days of curing, it can be polished to make it better blend, then waxed. Might take 2 applications to get it flush and nice and smooth but with some practice, one try will do it. I've done large chips on the gunwales of 13 ft Whalers I restore and it difficult to find the patch once it's done.

 

[igblack87]

Thanks a lot. I have talked with a couple of knowledgable people about it and done some YouTube video watching. Im confident that I can get the job done and make it look decent. I have a couple Gel Coat dings that need to be fixed...so im sure that ill get better and better at fixing it.

Appreciate the help.

Ian

 

[seasick]

Thanks a lot. I have talked with a couple of knowledgable people about it and done some YouTube video watching. Im confident that I can get the job done and make it look decent. I have a couple Gel Coat dings that need to be fixed...so im sure that ill get better and better at fixing it.

Appreciate the help.

Ian

In general, the older the hull, the less likely the Spectrum kit will match since the hulls darken over time. That said, the Marinetex is white and will make for visible patches. My only concern is the depth of the ding and more importantly, are fiberglass strands exposed? If so, the recommended fix is more complex.

 

[igblack87]

Seasick - the gelcoat broke clean and there is no damage to the fiberglass! the depth of the ding is less than a quarter of an inch...

No to worried about the color of the gelcoat...as long as it is somewhat close to the original color. the ding is about 3/4 the size of an male adult pinky finger :wink:

Thanks and looking to get on the water in the next couple of weekends!

Ian

 

[seasick]

Seasick - the gelcoat broke clean and there is no damage to the fiberglass! the depth of the ding is less than a quarter of an inch...

No to worried about the color of the gelcoat...as long as it is somewhat close to the original color. the ding is about 3/4 the size of an male adult pinky finger :wink:

Thanks and looking to get on the water in the next couple of weekends!

Ian

If the ding is 1/4 inch deep as opposed to 1/4 inch wide and not so deep, that would be a fairly significant ding, way deeper than the gel coat. If color match isn't an issue, i would go with Marinetex especially if the ding is below the water line or in an area that gets water flow on it.. It is hard as heck and waterproof. It will be easier to apply in a deeper dent. Try to get it fairly even with the finished coat since it is a bit tough to sand even. Some folks place a piece of plastic, like food wrap over the patch to make it easier to smooth it out. leave the plastic on till the patch is dry and then peel it off (You may need to sand it off).

for small chips and stress cracks on the upper areas like the deck and helm, the Spectrum putty works well and probably will match better.

Good luck with the fix.

 

[DennisG01]

Sounds like you might have had an air void in the gelcoat. Before you fix it, you actually should make the "hole" bigger by sanding the edges of the hole to an approximate 45* angle, along with a quick sand to the exposed fiberglass. A Dremel makes quick work of this.

A side note about MarineTex (which I think is a fantastic product, by the way... been using it for 30+ years)... it's not UV stable so it should really be top-coated anywhere it will be exposed to direct sun rays.

 

[igblack87]

Thanks guys for the notes! So I was able to sand the holes down and make the edges a 45* angle with a dremel. That went smoothly. What I found out after the fact is this...making the painters tape around the punctures as small as possible is key. Having to much of the gelcoat repair on the gunnels is crazy hard to sand down and not scratch up the rest !

Trying to post some pictures but looks like the board is full!

Wanted to correct something earlier that I had said...the punctures were not 1/4 deep. They were more like an 1/8ish deep. a couple of them were down to the black material (fiber glass but didnt break the material).

wet sanding scratched up the gelcoat around the punctures where I did the small patches...anyone have good tips for shining that up again? It is now dull around the patch.

Ian

 

[DennisG01]

Ian, the fiberglass should not be black. It was likely either dirty or moldy. Ideally, you get it "clean" looking before repairing, but if you at least scratched it up, it might be fine. Dull areas.. continue with a progressively smaller grit wetsanding - maybe up to 2,000 or 3,000. Then you can buff it and it will shine like new. Be careful with just your fingers as you can leave "dents" in the gelcoat - you might want to use a stiff sponge/foam rubber behind the paper.

 

[igblack87]

Dennis - thanks for the note. Yes, I have a block that I use behind the sand paper...will be getting some 1800/2000 grit paper tonight!

Ian

 

[seasick]

Thanks guys for the notes! So I was able to sand the holes down and make the edges a 45* angle with a dremel. That went smoothly. What I found out after the fact is this...making the painters tape around the punctures as small as possible is key. Having to much of the gelcoat repair on the gunnels is crazy hard to sand down and not scratch up the rest !

Trying to post some pictures but looks like the board is full!

Wanted to correct something earlier that I had said...the punctures were not 1/4 deep. They were more like an 1/8ish deep. a couple of them were down to the black material (fiber glass but didnt break the material).

wet sanding scratched up the gelcoat around the punctures where I did the small patches...anyone have good tips for shining that up again? It is now dull around the patch.

Ian

Use finer and finer wet paper. Up to 2000 grit is what you need. Then you need to use a polishing compound. You could go with a coarser final paper (1200 or so) and then RUBBING compound followed by polishing compound. The trick is to go in small steps. There are also cleaner / waxes that are abrasive also but at a really fine equivalent grit. What grit paper did you use for the last sanding?

 

[igblack87]

I was using 800...but really looks like I need to get a 1200, 2000 & maybe 3000. Going to West Marine tonight to get a couple of things. One of the pits that I gelcoated over has a pit in it...need to fix that up a little with some more paste. Should be good to go though after that!!!

Ian

 

[seasick]

I was using 800...but really looks like I need to get a 1200, 2000 & maybe 3000. Going to West Marine tonight to get a couple of things. One of the pits that I gelcoated over has a pit in it...need to fix that up a little with some more paste. Should be good to go though after that!!!

Ian

Sounds like a good plan. Good luck

 

[igblack87]

Couple of photo's to show the progress!