Gel Coat

[Adventure]

Hunter gave me a jar of matching white Gel Coat for my boat but no hardener. I bought Gel Coat Hardener at PEP Boys but it would not cause my Gel Coat to harden.

Would someone please suggest a hardener that I can purchase that will work with the material Hunter gave me.

Thanks.

Jerry

 

[Don S/V ILLusion]

Some gelcoat and hardener require an absence of air to properly cure.

 

[MsEmee]

You need to get MEKP (Methyl ethyl ketone peroxide) as the hardener. As a general rule, four drops of hardener will catalyze 1 ounce of resin at 1 percent. Make certain to stir in the hardener thoroughly; if you fail to catalyze every bit of the resin, parts of the repair will be undercured.

 

[Captn Dare]

Curing Gelcoat

Don is dead on. To get the gelcoat to cure you'll need to prevent air form getting to it. This is usually done by either adding a wax additive to the gelcoat or more simply, spraying the repaired area with PVA once the repair is complete. PVA usually comes colored, either green or purple so you can see where you've sprayed. A Prevail sprayer available at most marine stores works well for both small gelcoat repairs and PVA overcoat.