Gel Coat Repairs

I am not Mr. Handyman by any stretch. I have been looking into doing my own gel coat repair, etc. on my boat. I have an 84' and we have driven the bow up into sand when camping, etc. The gel coat has worn off in the front. Is this something I can fix or should I find a competent rapair person to fix?

Pete,

I have a similar problem with my 78 SkiTique. Thanks for the link - now gimme the hints!

Thanks again, what do you not know?

Mike

It is tremendous! I owe on the knowledge part, trying to give back what little I know

OK, the first thing you need to know is the gel in the aerosol can is reduced (thinned with solvent) so they can get it out of and through the nozzle. This makes the wet film very thin, runny and very low hiding so multiple coats are required. Spray in very light coats with time between them for the solvent in the previous coat to flash (evaporate) off. This may be 10 to 15 minutes depending on the temp and humidity. I will check the pot life (time before the gel thickens in the can) when I get home because I think the 20 minutes I stated before is wrong. I think it's more like 2 hours! Damn, I can't remember details like I used to and it's been a while since I've used the stuff! You should be able to get 4 to 5 coats on and the wet film build needed to cover. Make sure the hull is nice and warm as well as the can. Clean the area with acetone several times with several rags. Follow the instructions on using the catalyst pump and shake the can in all directions to make sure the catalyst is mixed. Spray a few starting shots out of the can onto some cardboard to purge the nozzle and the dip tube in the can. Start covering the bare area and then with each coat go slightly larger into the surrounding good gel. Keep the repair as small as possible. Don't worry about sanding and making this repair real pretty, smooth and shinny like the deck. You want the color back and no one will be standing on their head while it's on the trailer inspecting it! If you do get some runs or sags, they can be wet sanded out but remember this is a realatively thin coating of gel and it's easy to sand through it. I've been there having to get a second can because I sanded throuh the repair! It can be buffed out just like normal gel because it is true gel coat.