Keel rash- thoughts?

[Sethkins88]

Hey all,

Slowly been going through my new to me 1999 Fisherman 222. I have a good amount of keel rash on the underside that has worn through the gel coat. Luckily, just the fiberglass resin is exposed, no dents or damage. I'm wondering if this is a DIY where I could simply reapply gel coat or should I look into a gel coat repair paste. What would you all recommend?

 

[DennisG01]

FYI, it's not the "resin", it's the actual fiberglass which has resin in it to bind it together.

Will you be continuing to use bottom paint? If so, just put a coat or two of epoxy resin on it and call it a day.

 

[PointedRose]

Agree, use an epoxy barrier coat/primer. Get it as smooth as you can. Interlux has some products that would work fine.

 

[Hookup1]

Polyester doesn't bond well for repairs. Use an epoxy fairing compound instead of gel coat. Fill and sand out the edge. Use a barrier coat like InterProtect and then bottom paint. The materials are available in small quantities and are not that expensive. Done right - done once!

Interlux Watertite filler https://www.interlux.com/en/us/boat-paint/filler-and-epoxy/watertite
or
TotalFair https://www.totalboat.com/product/t...RVkVjUsVj5GeyYp17yj8OsMRkERxpKQBoCSaEQAvD_BwE

 

[Sethkins88]

Polyester doesn't bond well for repairs. Use an epoxy fairing compound instead of gel coat. Fill and sand out the edge. Use a barrier coat like InterProtect and then bottom paint. The materials are available in small quantities and are not that expensive. Done right - done once!

Interlux Watertite filler https://www.interlux.com/en/us/boat-paint/filler-and-epoxy/watertite
or
TotalFair https://www.totalboat.com/product/t...RVkVjUsVj5GeyYp17yj8OsMRkERxpKQBoCSaEQAvD_BwE

Thank you!

 

[Done-it-again]

This is common for us west coast guys who lake boat. If it’s just gel then we would pay 700-1100 to have this repaired by a shop. That’s usually painting up towards the stakes to blend it.

 

[Sethkins88]

I'm not really interested in bottom painting as this boat will not remain in the water after use. The area where the gel coat has wore exposing the fiberglass is smooth and even with the surrounding gel coat. If I apply epoxy to the area, sand and reapply gel coat would it likely be an uneven area?

 

[Done-it-again]

I'm not really interested in bottom painting as this boat will not remain in the water after use. The area where the gel coat has wore exposing the fiberglass is smooth and even with the surrounding gel coat. If I apply epoxy to the area, sand and reapply gel coat would it likely be an uneven area?

Yes, you would have to blend the gel tape line somewhere on the hull. Gel work is a craft.

 

[DennisG01]

Seth, you already have bottom paint, though. After protecting the exposed glass, your options are to leave it as is or re-paint to make it look uniform. A third option is to remove the bottom paint... but that is a VERY lengthy process that also requires wetsanding the gelcoat to because, if the bottom paint was properly done, the gel will be ugly as it would have either been physically sanded or chemically etched.

The fiberglass is not smooth and even with the gelcoat. The gelcoat is sanded and tapered. Re-gelcoating would involve adding a full thickness of gel to the fiberglass area and then less and less as you go upwards, then sanding to bring uniformity to it.

 

[Hookup1]

Getting the bottom paint off is a project. Then you have to refinish the bottom. For now fix the keel and bottom paint.

Another option is to lighten up the bottom paint color or even go to white.

You should seal the fiberglass to prevent water absorption. It probably is smooth but there is an edge there. Gel coat was sprayed into the mold first before the hull was laid up.

 

[Sethkins88]

Getting the bottom paint off is a project. Then you have to refinish the bottom. For now fix the keel and bottom paint.

Another option is to lighten up the bottom paint color or even go to white.

You should seal the fiberglass to prevent water absorption. It probably is smooth but there is an edge there. Gel coat was sprayed into the mold first before the hull was laid up.

Thanks for the reply. I'm liking the idea of white bottom paint.

 

[SkunkBoat]

Epoxy bottomkote primer and then black bottom paint...done.

If you are truly never going to keep it in the water then the long term solution is soda blast, epoxy bottomkote primer and then epoxy paint...done. Any color you want. I would go dark... Easy to touch up in the future.
Forget gelcoat.

 

[seasick]

If you are going to beach your boat, you may want to consider a keel guard product. Of course, you will still need to repair your rash.

 

[Lt.Mike]

If you are going to beach your boat, you may want to consider a keel guard product. Of course, you will still need to repair your rash.

 

[Keitha]

I've repaired similar on a WHaler with Marine-tex. It worked really well. It goes on thick, then you can shape it a bit before it cures. Once cured and hard, just sand it to final shape and to blend into gelcoat.