Help repairing deep scratches

[Guidera48]

I am the new proud owner of a Hunter 37 cutter. This boat has a bad case of dock rash and has deep scraches in several locations on the starbord side.
I very familiar with automotive fiberglass repairs and fillers, however I am not familiar with marine product names. Can anyone sudgest what to use as filer and primer?? Eventually, the boat will be repainted.

Also, the bottom is pressure washed and cleaned but does not look good. Since it is going to be on the hard for several months, in a public area, I wanted to paint it for apearance sake. I dont want to paint it with anti fouling paint yet. Is there an other paint that I can aply to have a protective and be able to apply the required fouling paint before launching??

Thanks

 

[Ross]

If the scratches are only gelcoat deep they can be fllled with color matched gelcoat and polished fair. The hull can be buffed, compounded and polished back to pretty and shiny above the water line. Below the water line won't need anything until she gets bottom paint prior to launch.

 

[rpwillia]

Ricardo Montalban was not a boater

So it "does not matter how you feel, it is how you look." Just kidding, but why would you want to go the trouble of painting the bottom just for looks for a few months. The only one who would not understand would be some yuppie who would be skeered the first time the boat heeled. There are a few bottom paints that can be out of the water for a short time, but it is better to leave the bottom alone until you are ready to paint and drop in the water. That way you will avoid problems with paint adhesion.

 

[Hermit Scott]

If you are going to have it on the hard for several months, right when you get there I would immediately strip everything off the bottom you are gouing to and then wait until just before you launch to roll on a barrier coat and then the bottom paint.
This will alllow the hull to dry out the most it can in the time you are going to have it out of the water.
Do not use car bondo, it will absorb water. Some say it's ok above the water line, but I wouldn't do it. There is a marine filler from 3-M, I think by that very name, that is vinylester and is a good quality marine filler above or below the water line.
I found that chopped strand mat with epoxy resin to fill in the damage deeper than the gel coat works pretty good. If the damage is much deeper you will want to lay in cross woven fiberglass cloth to build it up first.

 

[shemandr]

I'm not sure how much work you want to take on but you could use the lay up time to put on a barrier coat. It would involve stripping all paint down to the gel coat (this can be done by bead blasting or grunting it out with a sander - avoid sand blasting). Of course you have to watch environmental rules regarding the old paint disposal. The barrier coat is applied in coats over several days. It could then sit for indefinitely until you're ready on other fronts. You could then put on the bottom paint immediately prior to launch. Its a lot of work, or considerable expense, but a good bottom on a boat is as important as a good roof on a house.

 

[moparv104x4]

Interlux Water Tight is a good product for filling deep scratches if you are going to paint over it. It is an easy to use waterproof two part epoxy that can fill up to a ¾” gap without sagging.