I was shown where the last bottom paint job was applied over the previous bottom coat by the prior owner. Wetsand the cured gelcoat with 320grit wetdry paper on a soft sanding block. To maintain your gel coat and your hulls integrity, follow this simple gel coat repair guide. Sand the fiberglass down until theres no shine left, so you know the gelcoats surface has been removed.
Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat magicezy. The wax rises to the top to create an air tight barrier. Gelcoat oxidation can sometimes be repaired, but if the damage is extensive the gelcoat must be removed. Discussion in general discussion started by unclebob, jan 26, 2009.
Glass fibers, benzoyl peroxide, benzoate, and a surfactant in it. With time, it is possible that gelcoat can become cracked, simply through wear. When finished you couldnt see where the repair was made. He has talked to 2 repair places in ca and one said that the fiberglass was not fully cured whaen the paint was applied and out gassing occured as it cured and this caused the paint to crack which caused the gelcoat to crack. First thing you want to do is look at the surface on which you want gelcoat applied. It incorporates pigments for desired color and contains additives for controlling flowout, gel and cure times. A two part epoxy gel for sump, pit, basement crack repair. Epoxy filler, although a great product is not suitable for a gelcote top coat. In the case of very fresh, shallow crazing, sanding alone may remove some or all of the cracks. Services gel coat doctor make your boat beautiful again. Sometimes, they go deeper and threaten an underlying laminate, which in many cases is cored.
As for painting above the waterline, the light blue interior and white exterior gel coat need refinishing. Not even water sparkles more in the sun than a metal flake boat. This resin can be used as a protective surface over the top of fiberglass, or simply as a finish, much like you might varnish a piece of outdoor furniture. Below you will find a detailed gel coat preparation guide on how to apply gelcoat to your boat, rv or other surface. My plan is to remove the many coats of antifouling paint below the waterline, then apply three coats of the west system epoxy and repaint it. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating.
Fiberglass supply depot is the premier one stop store for all your marine, auto and aviation fiberglass and related supplies. Gel coat repair series cosmetic scratches or cracks. I saw no signs of possible impact, but the length of the crack seemed a bit more than cosmetic to me. If youre pretty conscientious about your boats gel coat, you might not need to go to the extreme action of reapplying new gel coat. Magicezy hairline fix is a onepart, pretinted available in 10 colors sealant that allows you to complete the repair in seconds without having to grind out the. Confining work to the immediate repair area, continue wetsanding with 600grit paper until nearly even with surrounding gelcoat. The gel coat doctor can make your damaged, scratched, or weather worn boat have that showroom shine again.
Dont use epoxy to repair polyester resin its incompatible, will eventually unstick crack and fall out. You can carefully cover the repair area with plastic film, such as saran wrap, to prevent this tack. Ideally, the boat should be repaired indoors to protect the work from rain and sun. Using the correct design, equipment, technique and materials, it is not difficult to obtain perfect results using contact moulding, particularly after some experience has. If its just a small white or off white repair rayplex has repair kits with a simple color guide for matching. If the underside is accessible, laying up heavy glass to a well ground surface is the surest path to a. Unless that finish has spider cracks, dings, or a dull top coat. Also, older fiberglass boats tend to have a thicker application of gelcoat which means they are more susceptible to cracking. Next, using a putty knife, fill the areas to be repaired with the paste youve mixed. Polyester gelcotes will not chemically bond to epoxy. Over time, the gelcoat can fade, oxidize and become pitted and dented.
Magic fix for hairline cracks in gelcoat practical sailor. If you need more protection, then a clear coat paint can make it look very good again, a little bit more difficult. Although it can be a diy task, it is always better to hire a professional to repair the gel coat if you expect a professional finish. Maybe your boat, like most, is showing its age with fine patina of scars, nicks, and gouges. How to repair gelcoat, chips, scrapes and gouges yourself. Catalyst and mix the gel coat to repair defective area. Usually onecoat stucco is available just in white and gray. Force out any air holes and be sure to overfill, as gel coat has a tendency to shrink as it cures. Sometimes, theyre merely cosmetic, meaning they dont penetrate the gelcoat. Justin at the skiff shop shows us his process of grinding out the old gel coat, filling these cracks with resin paste, applying the new gelcoat and. The gel coat layer is about 18 inch thick and the chip is in a vertical surface. Gel coat is easy to use and looks great when finished. Several key points must be considered if the gel coat.
The doctor is a fiberglass specialist who removes annoying spider cracks, restores and repairs dents, dings, and chips even in flake metal finishes, and has an artists eye for color matching. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for. The application of gelcoat and by pretty straight forward when you follow this guide determine the existing surface. Used in conjunction with a fiberglass mesh tape, these patching materials enable the do ityourselfer to cover up these stubborn cracks so they. Your gel coat may be tough, but it will succumb to the constant battering of the marine environment over time. Burnsco and super cheap have reasonably priced gel coat repair. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired.
In such cases, grinding off the gelcoat for wholesale refinishing is the best approach. How to repair cracks and chips in damaged gelcoat duration. Stress cracks, spider cracks, and hairline cracks in the decks of older boats are, of course, not rare. We are a family business and we would love to help you with your next project. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat. Improper temperature and humidity can also cause problems in your gel coat. Either deepen the scratch using a small blade or grinder, or leave it. Gelcoat used to patch existing gelcoat, fiberglass repairs, and for new construction and projects. This premium marine grade gel coat may be as gecloat for boats, gelcoat for pools or many other applications. Cold temperatures can lead to slow gel coat cure times, while moisture can cause pinholes, blisters and other imperfections in the gel coat. The easiest repair method is to sand the surface heavily and roll on two coats of epoxy primer followed by two coats of twopart linear polyurethane. For all your shower refinishing and repair needs, contact specialized refinishing at. Basic information gel coat is a polyester resin specially formulated with thixotropic ingredients for increased viscosity and nonsag properties.
Learn how to remove gelcoat by following a few simple steps. You can also add pva after the gel coat starts to cure. I would definately try doing it yourself first expecially on the. The only major difference in that case is that you would use a clear gel coat to carry the deep colours required, rather than a white one. The secret to a good finish is to apply gel coat properly. Painting over cracked and chipped gel coat moderated. Join us on the sv hideaway as we explore floridas west coast seeking enlightenment on the course towards wisdom aboard a 23 com pac. It hid the fact that the gel coat below the water line is blistering, cracking and flaking off. The gel coat is in pretty rough shape cracked, chipped and pitted. The owners dont want to junk these boats, in fact they are very interested in making them new. I repaired a chip on the bottom of my boat last winter that took me about 20 minutes. The sun and water dull your boat, the docks add scuffs and. A prior owner had fixed a few with evercoat gel coat scratch patch gel coat repair, with ugly results.
White gel coat, precolored gel coat, clear gel coat, neutral tintable gelcoats. Youll want to take care of any damage on the fiberglass first so you have a smooth surface to apply the gelcoat to. Rayplex has a great web page that will give you all the information you need to get a good gel coat match. Also, i have a fiberglass car body and the body has lots of hairline cracks. The gel coat doctor can repair, restore, and rejuvenate metal flake finishes to that right off the showroom shine.
How would a potential buyer go about evaluating this issue. This is just an old jonboat i want to repair, repaint, and have look decent, without spending a. Do your own fiberglass and gelcoat repair with epoxy resins, filler, sealants, and fiberglass repair kits from west systems, 3m, and hibond. Restoring your gelcoat can help restore the shine of your boat and protect its surface. Gel coat repairs and star cracks skuk sea kayaking uk. Over time and with use, the gelcoat on your boat can become dull, making your boat look old. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat. I need to fill some small chips and holes in a gel coated cabin. I dont think its practical to completely strip the gelcoat and lay new glass. If your gel coat already shows signs of aging, its time to repair it or to reapply a fresh layer to revitalize your boats look.
When youre finished filling, seal the repair off from the air with a pva curing agent or a piece of plastic wrap or wax paper. The easiest repair method is to sand the surface heavily and roll on two coats of epoxy primer followed by two coats of twopart linear. To bulk out a clear coat, a colloidal silica would be used instead of the filler powder we used for this job. This repair has been to a white hull, but exactly the same principles apply to pigmented hulls. Gelcoat is a fiberglass resin that has had a pigment added to it. Extensive spider cracking common on older boats is due to aging of the gelcoat.
The gelcoat seals the fiberglass and can be left alone or painted over. You can also get information from reliable sources on the internet. To fill in damaged areas, start by sanding them with coarse 36 grit sandpaper to remove any. These premium quality isophthalic npg gel coats are.
Maybe the gelcoat is entirely salvageable but there was a big fiberglass repair made. If the gel coat is thick in this corner as is often the case, the gel coat is more prone to cracking. The gelcoat thats on my boat now was polyester based. If the gel coat is applied too thick it has a tendency to crack because of the difference in thermal expansion. Upon inspecting the underside, i noticed a crack in the gelcoat about 2 feet long on the bottom side of the hull under where a passenger seat would normally be located. He uses a rotary tool to grind the crack down to the fiberglass, then he fills it with and interlux epoxy filler called interprotect watertite, uses a longboard sander to sand and then it is ready. Magicezy hairline fix is a onepart, pretinted available in 10 colors sealant that allows you to complete the repair in seconds without having to grind out the existing damage. There are various professionals in the industry to assure perfect shower repairs with long lasting results. Sign up for emails and stay uptodate on the latest news, events, and promotions. Unless the scratch goes through to the glass matting it wont harm the boat. This problem is sometimes severe, as we have seen with a number of old boston whalers.
If the current clear gel coat is just dull and oxidized, then sanding and buffing can fix the problem, easy. He has the expertise to fix the finish so that no one will ever know there was even the tiniest flaw. One quick and easy way to repair gelcoat stress cracks yourself is by using magicezy hairline fix a purpose built diy repair solution for stress cracks in gelcoat and fiberglass. Most amateurs can fill cracks and repair shallow or small areas of stucco. Maybe you still dont know if you should restore your existing finish or simply bite the bullet and have it painted. If the surface of your boat looks like a cracked eggshell, the gelcoat is suffering from crazing sometimes called alligatoring. Another option is to add wax to the final coat of gel coat. Since 1968, west marine has grown to over 250 local stores, with knowledgeable associates happy to assist.
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