gel coat repairs

[john w.]

I have three flaws in the gel coat ( air pockets ) that started showing up last season . All three are in the cockpit and in highly visable locations . I received a can of the matching gel coat from Hunter but am still hesitant to start the project . I could use any help that can be offered . Thanks john

 

[mark schaefer]

west system manual or tape

west marine carries a manual and a tape to instruct you how to use their products...it goes over everything fromfiberglss repair to finishing with gel coat...justbrowse in your local store and see if it will help you

 

[Bryan]

Color matching

Using the gelcoat is pretty easy. For hairline cracks, use a pointed tool to scratch them open just up enough for the new gel coat to penetrate. Clean the surface with acetone. Mix the gel coat with the indicated amount of hardening agent (Methyl Ethyl Ketone Peroxide (MEKP) - Hunter didn't send it when the gel coat but you can get the agent at a boat store). Put on the new gel coat. Some procedures call for taping cellophane to make a smooth surface, but I don't. When the new gel coat dries, sand smooth finishing with #600 wet sanding and polish. The hard part is color matching. The gel coat I got from Hunter didn't really match -- has a slightly yellower tint to it. Maybe in time it will blend in. It's been about a month since I did it and you can still notice the color differential. Still not sure what the answer is in that department.

 

[Bryan]

Gelcoat repair part II

In the April 2000 issue of cruising world, there is an article on gelcoat repair under the spring recommissioning section that details what is, I am sure, a more professional method of repair. Basically, the article suggests expoy or other suitable filler for any voids and then spraying the gel coat on with one of those little compressed air sprayers you can get at a hardware store, then sanding and compounding and waxing. It wasn't much more help with the color matching, however. The article suggesting mixing pigments until a suitable match is found. The author admits its a "black art" however. My experience has been that the color of the new gelcoat changes significantly over the first few weeks. I first tried some white gel-coat repair stuff that looked pretty good when I first put it on but then got a little grey. The Hunter stuff looked pretty good but then turned a little yellow.