I have some deep gel coat cracks in the tan non skid on my O'Day 25. How do I find gel coat that exactly matches the O'Day tan gel coat?
gel coat repair
- Thread starter dicknatta
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Popeye gel coat matching
We went thru this discussion recently, why can't I find it in the archives? Anyway we came up with at least two sources for O'Day boats.
D & R aka Rudy
and
see link
Ed K
26
We went thru this discussion recently, why can't I find it in the archives? Anyway we came up with at least two sources for O'Day boats.
D & R aka Rudy
and
see link
Ed K
26
Just get a kit
and get it close enough.
The bigger issue is what's causing the cracks. Where are they? How deep? Do you need bigger/stronger backing plates in these areas?
and get it close enough.
The bigger issue is what's causing the cracks. Where are they? How deep? Do you need bigger/stronger backing plates in these areas?
Gelcoat
You could be well ahead of the game if you take it to a good fiberglass repair guy. Gelcoat is very difficult to apply without the proper equipment. Gelcoat unlike regular paint, needs to cure from the inside out. So it needs a wax barrier to seal out the air so it can cure. You can apply it with a small rubber squeegee, and seal it with wax paper and tape or cellophane, but you would still have to match the color and sand it with super fine wet or dry sandpaper, and it still won't come out looking all that great. If you can find someone who is good at it, ask to see his work. There are a lot of hacks out there who claim to do good work. Then, on the other hand, there are guys who do excellent work. We have a guy who works at a boatyard up the river from our club, who does excellent work. If you had a hole in your hull, he could reconstruct the damaged area and match the gelcoat so that you would never know that it was damaged. Believe me, I've tried to do gelcoat and I'm no good at it. If it's just a small area, it is well worth it to have an experienced pro do it. DIY gelcoating isn't worth the aggravation without the equipment and know how. Been there, done that.
Joe
You could be well ahead of the game if you take it to a good fiberglass repair guy. Gelcoat is very difficult to apply without the proper equipment. Gelcoat unlike regular paint, needs to cure from the inside out. So it needs a wax barrier to seal out the air so it can cure. You can apply it with a small rubber squeegee, and seal it with wax paper and tape or cellophane, but you would still have to match the color and sand it with super fine wet or dry sandpaper, and it still won't come out looking all that great. If you can find someone who is good at it, ask to see his work. There are a lot of hacks out there who claim to do good work. Then, on the other hand, there are guys who do excellent work. We have a guy who works at a boatyard up the river from our club, who does excellent work. If you had a hole in your hull, he could reconstruct the damaged area and match the gelcoat so that you would never know that it was damaged. Believe me, I've tried to do gelcoat and I'm no good at it. If it's just a small area, it is well worth it to have an experienced pro do it. DIY gelcoating isn't worth the aggravation without the equipment and know how. Been there, done that.
Joe
Joe, Evercoat has
Joe,
Evercoat has a gel coat product designed for spot repair that does not require wax paper, wax spray, mold release, scran wrap, etc. It sands smooth with fine sand paper and polish paper. Using pigments before catalyst gives close match. Stuff is designed for the do it yourselfer.
However, it comes out really smooth if you use wax paper or scran wrap.
Ed K
26
Joe,
Evercoat has a gel coat product designed for spot repair that does not require wax paper, wax spray, mold release, scran wrap, etc. It sands smooth with fine sand paper and polish paper. Using pigments before catalyst gives close match. Stuff is designed for the do it yourselfer.
However, it comes out really smooth if you use wax paper or scran wrap.
Ed K
26
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