I've got a few chips in my hull, and the rest is in perfect/near perfect condition. What's the best way to repair these minor chips(at best 1/4-1/2 inch in diameter) they are a little deep though. On a bright sunny day I can see a little bit of light come through the bilge area. Any thoughts? I've never worked with glass and epoxy combo. I've worked with two part epoxy, but that was some time ago...What's the cleanest way to make this work without having to redo the entire hull. Thanks, -SolMan
- Status
Try Marine-tex
If your chips are small enough Marine-tex will work well, its a two part material, and you can mix it in small batches. It come in white, which can be tinted to match hull color, and gray. Its easily applied and sandable. Its possible to apply gelcoat over the repair if necessary. You just have to remember to cover over the gel so air cannot get to it while it cures. Sand it out with 220, then 400, then 600 grit media and the repair will be invisible. If the chip is not all the way through the gelcoat, you may be able to make a successful repair using gelcoat only.
If your chips are small enough Marine-tex will work well, its a two part material, and you can mix it in small batches. It come in white, which can be tinted to match hull color, and gray. Its easily applied and sandable. Its possible to apply gelcoat over the repair if necessary. You just have to remember to cover over the gel so air cannot get to it while it cures. Sand it out with 220, then 400, then 600 grit media and the repair will be invisible. If the chip is not all the way through the gelcoat, you may be able to make a successful repair using gelcoat only.
Thanks Doug - Chip in Hull
Yeah, it's all the way through the gel coat. I'll give Marine-tex a shot. I was hoping this would be a straight forward fix, thanks! I'll let you know how it goes. -SolMan
Yeah, it's all the way through the gel coat. I'll give Marine-tex a shot. I was hoping this would be a straight forward fix, thanks! I'll let you know how it goes. -SolMan
Hull chips
I agree with using marine tex. This stuff is pretty goood, and should do fine for what you need. When you mix it up and put it in the chip, take a small piece of wax paper and put on it, then squeege over the wax paper. Will give you a much smoother finish, so you don't have near as much to sand.
I agree with using marine tex. This stuff is pretty goood, and should do fine for what you need. When you mix it up and put it in the chip, take a small piece of wax paper and put on it, then squeege over the wax paper. Will give you a much smoother finish, so you don't have near as much to sand.
Shiny MT finish
In lieu of waxed paper and sanding, I've used saran wrap over the Marine Tex which gives it a bright finish that may not need to be sanded, just waxed, depending on how carefully you've feathered the MT.
In lieu of waxed paper and sanding, I've used saran wrap over the Marine Tex which gives it a bright finish that may not need to be sanded, just waxed, depending on how carefully you've feathered the MT.
Put gelcoat back in
If the chips are above the waterline, I would get some gelcoat mixed to match and fill the areas with that. Look at voyager charters.com He has a gelcoat matching service, among others on the web, that can match the color. If your boat is new enough, teh manufacturer will have golcoat to match on teh shelf. I would not use epoxy above the waterline on an otherwise perfect boat.
If the chips are above the waterline, I would get some gelcoat mixed to match and fill the areas with that. Look at voyager charters.com He has a gelcoat matching service, among others on the web, that can match the color. If your boat is new enough, teh manufacturer will have golcoat to match on teh shelf. I would not use epoxy above the waterline on an otherwise perfect boat.
MT not UV stable
MarineTex was used to patch a white gunwale that got chewed up by poor docking by a Scout leader. It was a perfect color match and easy to use. Several months later it turned yellow and drew attention to the repairs. Its not UV stable, so I guess you need to color it or cover it with the gelcoat touchup tubes for that purpose.
MarineTex was used to patch a white gunwale that got chewed up by poor docking by a Scout leader. It was a perfect color match and easy to use. Several months later it turned yellow and drew attention to the repairs. Its not UV stable, so I guess you need to color it or cover it with the gelcoat touchup tubes for that purpose.
Marine Tex
Christ, I've used the stuff for many years, Ive had no color changes.. White is white and will always be white. RGH
Christ, I've used the stuff for many years, Ive had no color changes.. White is white and will always be white. RGH
Chipped Hull
Thanks All, These are all great suggestions! Since these are a few small chips, I'm guessing the Marine-tex sounds like the strongest and best solution(just a little more complicated than using straight gelcoat). I like the ideas with the wax paper or saran wrap, to apply the composite mix and be able to smooth it out before letting it cure. After squeegeeing it, will I need to leave the paper on for it to cure or can I remove it immediately? Even if the coloring does change a little, it probably wouldn't be noticed since they are so small. It is above the waterline, so I guess I could just use gelcoat, but I wanted to do it right the first time and not worry about it getting worse on down the line. Thanks again, -SolMan
Thanks All, These are all great suggestions! Since these are a few small chips, I'm guessing the Marine-tex sounds like the strongest and best solution(just a little more complicated than using straight gelcoat). I like the ideas with the wax paper or saran wrap, to apply the composite mix and be able to smooth it out before letting it cure. After squeegeeing it, will I need to leave the paper on for it to cure or can I remove it immediately? Even if the coloring does change a little, it probably wouldn't be noticed since they are so small. It is above the waterline, so I guess I could just use gelcoat, but I wanted to do it right the first time and not worry about it getting worse on down the line. Thanks again, -SolMan
- Status