I would appreciate any advice out there on the best products, materials and techniques for filling in gouges in the hull so that they become as unnoticeable as possible without needing a gellcoat.
Filling in gouges in the hull
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Gary
I'm no expert, but....
Gelcoat repair kit at West's has worked well for me. It comes with color dye so as to, thru trial and error, obtain the right tint. Once done, spread it over the damaged area and then place a plastic transparent sheet (provided)over it while wet. Let dry, pull off sheet and sand with ~1500 grit paper and no one will ever see it. The plastic sheet gives it a glossed finish, and if done right, may not even need sanding. Good luck
Gelcoat repair kit at West's has worked well for me. It comes with color dye so as to, thru trial and error, obtain the right tint. Once done, spread it over the damaged area and then place a plastic transparent sheet (provided)over it while wet. Let dry, pull off sheet and sand with ~1500 grit paper and no one will ever see it. The plastic sheet gives it a glossed finish, and if done right, may not even need sanding. Good luck
What color?
Paul, what color do you need? If it is the cream colored that O'Day used, Rudy Nickerson still has the gel coat in stock, I don't know if he has any of the other colors or not. I got some from him a couple of years ago to touch up a couple of chipped places on my hull and you can't see the repairs. I applied several coats to the damaged areas building it up and then used the 1500 grit wet/dry paper, buffed it out then waxed. Perfect match.
Paul, what color do you need? If it is the cream colored that O'Day used, Rudy Nickerson still has the gel coat in stock, I don't know if he has any of the other colors or not. I got some from him a couple of years ago to touch up a couple of chipped places on my hull and you can't see the repairs. I applied several coats to the damaged areas building it up and then used the 1500 grit wet/dry paper, buffed it out then waxed. Perfect match.
That's it.
O'Day must have gotten a real deal on that gel. Call Rudy at 508-644-3001 and see if he still has some. He'll sell it by the pint and it wasn't that much the best I remember. He won't ship any hardner for some reason or the other, but you can get that stuff anywhere.
O'Day must have gotten a real deal on that gel. Call Rudy at 508-644-3001 and see if he still has some. He'll sell it by the pint and it wasn't that much the best I remember. He won't ship any hardner for some reason or the other, but you can get that stuff anywhere.
Gouge Repair
If your not real fussy about color match, I suggest the following: Cleanout any loose material in the gouge and wipe with actone. Fill the gouge with white "Marine Tex". Tape some wax paper over the fresh Marine Tex, this will give you a smooth surface to work with as it hardens. After the "Tex" sets up, sand it level with fine paper. To get a pretty good color match...find a bottle of similar touch-up paint at the auto parts store. Good Luck!
If your not real fussy about color match, I suggest the following: Cleanout any loose material in the gouge and wipe with actone. Fill the gouge with white "Marine Tex". Tape some wax paper over the fresh Marine Tex, this will give you a smooth surface to work with as it hardens. After the "Tex" sets up, sand it level with fine paper. To get a pretty good color match...find a bottle of similar touch-up paint at the auto parts store. Good Luck!
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