Garbage Truck Chipped Hull C-22

[agprice22]

The insurance company will just send a check. Unless of course they call it a total loss! (Just Kidding!)
You can decide what to do with the money.
I would fix it myself.
There some excellent videos on YouTube on both gelcoat repair and through hull hole repair. Try Boatworks Today videos. The work he does is top notch. He will show you how to tell whether there is delamination that requires repair.

 

[dlochner]

Ask the yard that gave you the estimate, exactly what they would do to repair the damage. The deep gelcoat scratches would likely be cleaned and filled with new gelcoat that would be a close match.

The deeper gouge on the transom corner looks like it may need a little fiberglass, hard to tell from the photo. That makes the repair a little more involved, but still a job within the realm of a DIYer.

It is very difficult to match gelcoat perfectly due to the effects of age and oxidation. Since the transom is a relatively small area, it will be easier to just spray gelcoat on the whole transom. Any color difference between the hull and transom will not be noticeable because of the corner. The transom will be a uniform color.

 

[DrJudyB]

IMO, $700:for a professional fiberglass repair like that is a reasonable price. With time for prep, set up and clean up, that’s a day’s work. Kind of like body work on a car.

There aren’t many DIY boat owners who can get professional grade results repairing fiberglass and gelcoat, IMO. I’ve done a lot of my own repairs for decades and I’ve also paid for pros to do it. The pros do a much nicer looking repair than I can. I’m pretty good at fiberglass and gelcoat, but nowhere near as good as a pro. If somebody else’s insurance is paying, I’ll hire a pro to do it.

 

[Day Dreamer]

The check arrived in the mail today for the low quote of $700 and I am not complaining. Decided to go with Spectrum Gel coat repair kit from Catalina Direct and will learn how to repair small chips.

Happy Sailing !

 

[dlochner]

Glad it is working out for you.

Take a look at BoatworksToday.com and his YouTube site. Lots of good information on repairing boats.

 

[jssailem]

Good for you @Day Dreamer . It will be a good project.
Follow the directions and no sweat if you mess up a bit. You can always repeat the task and make it better.

Make sure the glass under the gelcoat is solid before you add more. he image I saw gave me pause and want to examine the underlying fiberglass to be sure the fiber is well saturated with resin. It may have been damaged. You do not want a loose fibers or open weaved glass under your new gelcoat. You want a solid smooth surface. Then the gelcoat will look like the rest of your boat. Gelcoat does not fill the space, it replicates the underlying surface. If rough beneath the surface gelcoat will look rough.

Give yourself time to work. Check the temps are in the zone as described in the directions for the gelcoat application.
And put on some summer tunes. Think back to the 60's when California Boys made their own surf boards.
Have fun.