I have a question, about the gel coat on my Hunter 23 it seems to have a number of they call them stress cracks in it. Is this anything to worry about and if it is is there anything I can do about it. I am putting a big chunk of money into getting a bunch of things I have out off repaired or added. I hate to have the boat canned. I know I can not afford to have the Gel Coat repaired.
repairs
- Thread starter teacher63
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Gelcoat repair is something a boat owner can tackle. It depends on the reason for the crazing. If in solid fiberglass, then the concern is probably minimal. If in a cored area, then maybe more problems might exist because the cracks can let water into the core material, which can be a problem if wood core. Sometimes crazing can come from a fastener and sometimes from gelcoat that is too thick (usually older boats). If they are from say under a stanchion (lifelines), then maybe the glass beneath is weak from torquing in normal use. To get rid of them you need to grind them out, fiberglass them up and finish them with a putty (making it smooth) and then you can spray the gelcoat on and do the finish work by wet sanding the gelcoat from 320 to 400 to 600 grit and then buff your work out with fiberglass rubbing compound. That's a quick lesson, but you can do it.
Does anyone have a good link to a thread or site that discusses how to spray on the gelcoat, and what sort of products and tools can be used? For example, I assume gelcoat is 2 part, like epoxy, and thus you don't buy it in a spray can. What do you use to spray it?
Thanks,
Thanks,
For small jobs, I used a Pre Val Sprayer which most hardware stores sell. You will need to use the specific hardner for the gel coat as many are at a lower temp. You will have to thin it in order to spray and I used acetone but you will need to experiment before using. Spray quickly over the area and if oustide, no air movement or wind plus be in a dust free situation. There are commercial thinners for gel coat that you can use but I forgot the name of them.
crazy dave condon
crazy dave condon
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