Gelcoat repair

[Tim]

Does anyone here have any experience with the gelcoat repair kits that marine stores sell? Do they work? Can you really make a seemless repair? If so which ones work the best?ThanksTim

 

[craig]

I use Marine Tex White

I have used this product for small repairs and to fill a few holes. It works great and is easy to sand. The only problem is the shading of white is very hard to match. I have been experimenting with some white paint from petit to try and better match. craig

 

[Augie Byllott]

Irrespective of the materials used, the principal determinant of the quality level achieved is the degree of patience and artistic ability of the person wielding the brush.That said, a gel coat repair expert said that he observes the 90/20 rule which states that 90% of those who see your boat never get closer than 20 feet and can't see the fine detail that concerns the owner. The other 10% who get close enough to see really don't care.

 

[Jim willis]

Color matcing gelcoat

Part of the problem with store-bought repair kits is that it is already thickened and therefore only really for filling in small spots."Undetectable" repairs require spray application and "blending" becuase the human eye only really sees "edges" to different colors. Diluting thickened gelcoat will change its color!All this and more is given in permanant post "essays" that I took a lot of effort to write in the Gelcoat and Plastics Forum.The part on color matching is based upon expert opinion and much of my own experience.ThanksJim W

 

[Tim]

Thanks Jim

I read your article and I plan on following that. I want to take my time and make it as close as possible. BTW the Island Girl products worked great for us. The only question I have is I seem to get water spots every time it rains. I have reapplied the Silken Seal over the Superwax which helped but the finish does not seem to be as shiney afterwards. This is how we did it. After the gelcoat color was restored we rinsed with water and applied a coat of silkenseal sparingly. We then applied the superwax in a thin coat and let dry. After that we applied another coat of superwax and let dry. We then used a microcloth to remove the excess wax. At this point the boat looked perfect. Unfortunately it rained that night and we saw dull spots where the water ran over the gunwale. We then apllied a thin coat of silkenseal but we continue to get those dull areas.Any ideas?Tim ReilleyPortland, Maine