Surface Chip

Feb 21, 2008
408
Hunter 33 Metedeconk River
Yesterday while putting the framework on the boat to support the winter cover I dropped a support which is actually a metal electrical conduit. It left a surface chip on a corner of the fiberglass. It is about a 1" circle and I can see mesh thru the surface.

I searched the forum but still can't figure out whether I should repair this with a product like Marine Tex or West Marine Gel Coat Repair.

Any insights would be appreciated.

Thanks
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,992
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Stu.. perhaps a picture would help us understand the extent of the damage.

If your repairing an area that is flexing you will want to try the cloth layer method. If it is small and cosmetic. You might find that filling the bottom of the hole with epoxy to just under the surface, then when cured (48 hours at 72 degrees longer is cold) you can clean up the aime blush and rough up the patch then cover with gel coat the color of your boat.
Here are words from West Systems. https://epoxyworks.com/index.php/we...lyester-for-fiberglass-boat-repair/#more-1582
 
Feb 26, 2004
22,759
Catalina 34 224 Maple Bay, BC, Canada
John & Dave are right. I had a few dings in my topsides, gunwales, cockpit and coachroof, many had been there for a long time, others more recent. Les Troyer loaned me his micro-balloons and gel coat and taught me how to use them. While not perfect because I was new at it and hadn't yet perfected my technique, they all visibly disappeared. As John linked, there are all sorts of guides available. If it's not deep, or is on a horizontal surface, gel coat alone may well do it with a few thin applications. Good luck. Don't worry about the color match unless you have a non-white surface. Sun and time will even it out, especially a small gouge.
 
Feb 21, 2008
408
Hunter 33 Metedeconk River
Here a photo of the chip. The tape above the chip is 1" wide for scale.
It is on a curved surface but I don't think it is a flex area. You can see the seat below it in the smaller picture.

Thanks again to all.

Fiberglass Chip2.JPG


Fiberglass Chip3.JPG
 
Oct 24, 2010
2,405
Hunter 30 Everett, WA
The picture looks like a hole rather than a chip, but if indeed it is just a chip the above advice is what I'd do. In fact, even if it takes a long time to complete the gel coat part, do the epoxy part soon to keep water intrusion and winter ice from making it worse. It doesn't look like it will be a difficult repair except color matching.

Ken
 
Jan 11, 2014
11,321
Sabre 362 113 Fair Haven, NY
Slightly different fix here.

It is difficult to get fiberglass to lay up in corners like this. It is common to find voids between the gelcoat and the fiberglass. Some cloth does not like to make tight turns. It is likely the fist layer of glass is mat, which is kind of stiff. This is not a structural issue.

Clean out the void a bit more and get a nice fair opening. Fill with thickened epoxy to just about where the gelcoat begins. Once that cures, wash it with soapy water and a scotch bite pad. This will remove any amine blush that might have formed. Rough it up with some 80 grit sand paper, clean the sanding residue with a rag and acetone and then apply gelcoat. Don't worry about getting the gelcoat perfectly smooth, that is what fine grades of sandpaper and wet/dry sandpaper is for.

Check the Boatworks Today Youtube channel. Andy has a lot of videos about working with gelcoat and different kinds of repairs.

You may hear that gelcoat won't stick to epoxy. That is sort of correct. If the epoxy surface is not prepped properly, i.e., the amine blush is not removed and the surface is not roughed up, it won't. The West System website has articles on this issue. Andy on Boatworks Today has also tested gelcoat on epoxy.
 
Oct 10, 2011
619
Tartan 34C Toms River, New Jersey
WOW that is some chip, caused by a dropped piece of conduit. How far did it fall to create that much damage? I suppose I would go with West System.
 
Feb 21, 2008
408
Hunter 33 Metedeconk River
Only about 1 foot. I guess it hit just right on the bend. ☹ Or just wrong.
 
Oct 22, 2014
20,992
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
You are correct. It looks more decorative than stress area. @dlochner has nailed th way to repair it.
Can you reach up under the area? If so I would reach up there with a piece of gorilla duct tape and seal the on the inside pressed up firmly against the fiberglass. It will help you to shape the repair. Make your mix thick like smooth peanut butter. You can use chopped up glass fiber to one of the manufactured thickners this will set up in temps down to about 50 degrees. If you cannot find a 48 hour period warm enough then you can try heating the space around the damaged area with a heater or lamps under a tent. If that is not possible, then cover the area until spring with tarps to keep water and snow off the area. Dry so water does not intrude. Then in spring when you get some early sunny days you can try the repair. Call up a friend and have then help with moral support. It is a project that you can do. And remember... Beer helps to lubricate the process.

:plus: For the Boatworks videos. Andy is very good.

After you get the basic shape and patch done, then as Dave shares you do the gel coat.

You’ll have a great story to tell in the future.
 
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Oct 10, 2011
619
Tartan 34C Toms River, New Jersey
John you are spot on with the repair. In the days before vacuum bagging, the wet mat was rolled by hand and sometimes getting into a tight radius was difficult, and not rolled properly.
From leighsail photo that seems to be the problem.
 
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Aug 28, 2015
190
Oday 28 St Joseph, MI
You’re going to have to grind it out to a cupped hole, removing the crack to the right, all the loose stuff and all the jagged edges. A Dremel tool would be great for that. The right way to repair would be to use fiberglass and epoxy resin. You’re not going to get a chemical bond to cured fiberglass and epoxy will give the best mechanical bond. Probably just mixing some cabosil into the resin to make a paste will make a repair that will outlive the rest of the boat though.
 
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