gel coat gouge
Printed From: CorrectCraftFan.com
Category: Repairs and Maintenance
Forum Name: Boat Maintenance
Forum Discription: Discuss maintenance of your Correct Craft
URL: http://www.CorrectCraftFan.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=2724
Printed Date: January-16-2025 at 5:42am
Topic: gel coat gouge
Posted By: 99Sport
Subject: gel coat gouge
Date Posted: November-15-2005 at 7:52pm
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I put a scratch, or you may call it a gouge roughly 1/64" deep, 1/4" wide by 12" long in my otherwise perfect red gelcoat. The head of a nail was protruding just below the surface of what appeared to be a well padded dock.
I got an estimate of $300.00 from a repair shop specializing in marine gel coat repairs. They would order gel coat (I believe from Washington state) supposedly matching the gel coat color but would NOT guarantee a color match. I went to an auto body shop that does a lot of Corvette repairs. They stated they would use an epoxy based filler (not Bondo) and would take a picture of the surrounding area and color match paint with a colorimeter. All for about half the price. I like the idea of repairing with gel coat but the ultimate goal is to have a perfect repair in my otherwise perfect gel coat. Does any body have any advice? ------------- 99Sport |
Replies:
Posted By: markb
Date Posted: November-15-2005 at 9:02pm
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purists will say gel coat but really I'd be looking at the the 'vette repairers due to them going for the best patched repair. Gelcoat is used to help free a boat from the mould, it's no magic substance it just has a few properties that make it convenient for the manufacturer to use on boats. |
Posted By: David F
Date Posted: November-16-2005 at 7:12am
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My vote is repair with gelcoat. Find out what the shop will charge you for the gelcoat and then request the leftover to have on hand for future repairs. Gelcoat has a very long shelf life if stored properly. You can buy factory gelcoat from your favorite CC dealer, but you will have to order 1 gallon minimum and the cost will be about $185.00. After that, the repair is not too difficult, just labor intensive.
If the scratch is really only 1/64" deep, it can be sanded out. The gelcoat is amazingly thick. Markb: Gelcoat is NOT just for allowing the hull to release from the mold. In fact, it does nothing in this respect. Epoxy resin will NOT stick to a waxed mold and a hull without gelcoat could be seperated from the mold without problems. Gelcoat is the best choice because: 1. It protects the fiberglass composite from sunlight. 2. It is much harder and more durable than any paint. 3. It produces a ready to go finish right out of the mold. 4. It is applied much thicker than paint and thus can be repaired by sanding. 5. Saves time and effort to apply, thus cheaper. It is inferior because: 1. It is brittle and thus can crack if over flexed (stressed). |
Posted By: 99Sport
Date Posted: November-17-2005 at 3:48pm
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I agree with both of you.
I agree with markb about getting the best looking repair. Color match is everything. David is correct in what he is saying also. My line of work has taken me to some boat and jet ski manufacturing plants. Some get skiis use no gel coat whatsover. Manufacturer name will be withheld. The marine repair shop was recommended by the regional Correct Craft distributor, (one step up from a dealer) which is essentially the factory. I trust there recommendation. This repair shop stated there is only one really large supplier of marine gel coats and 90% of all manufacturers get their gel coat from this company. The company is based in Washington state. The repair shop claims they give them the manufacturer, year, model etc. and they send them supposedly the correct gel coat color, but once again they would not guarantee a color match. I am a Correct Cfaft purist but if the colors do not match I am looking for alternatives. I have been warned about automotive body shops simply using bondo to fill. Bondo will pop out after a period of time. The gouge must be deeper than 1/64" because the marine repair shop stated he did not want to sand it out. The head of the what I would guess was an eight penny nail did the damage. 
I am looking for what others have done in this situation. I'll spend the $300.00 but NOT if they will not guarantee a color match. ------------- 99Sport |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: November-17-2005 at 4:10pm
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IMHO, no one's gonna guarantee a color match.
If you don't the gel, you can't guarantee its match. If you can't get the manufacturer to guarantee it, then it's probably all on your own risk. I think using someone with a reputation for good work is about all you can do. See the photos of David F's repairs. He did the work himself on a badly damaged 93. I bet he can show you where the blend lines are, but for all the rest of us, the boat looks great. Personally, even if the color is a hair off, which it probably won't be, I'd still rather have that than a big scratch, or a non-gel fix. My $.02 BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: David F
Date Posted: November-18-2005 at 6:47am
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BKH:
LOL. You are correct, I can show you the blend lines. Other than taht, you have to look for them to see them and then only at certain angles with the correct lighting. Thanks for the compliment. 99sport: No one will guarantee a color match because no one really knows how much the original gelcoat has faded. Dark colors are worse for this than light colors, obviously. Factory matched gelcoat will get you very close, and then a great gelcoat person can tint from there. I agree with BKH in that repair that may be slighly off from perfect is a much better solution than leaving a scratch. |
Posted By: fishyflorida
Date Posted: November-18-2005 at 9:41am
| If you are willing to spend the money for a "near perfect" match, go with the gelcoat. I have seen many repairs done here in Florida with epoxy, that matched "near perfectly" initially, but the color changed in the sun over the next couple years to a noticeably different shade. I believe that your best bet against color changes will be using the same material as the surrounding area - gelcoat. Also, there is a local fiberglass company that will mix just about any manufactures gelcoat colors in small (quart) quant*ties from a color chip for around $15. You might wan to check around your area for the same. |
Posted By: wrollema
Date Posted: November-21-2005 at 4:43pm
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I have done several gelcote repairs and it is very difficult to match pefectly. I would not use a non gelcote paint for several reasons, first, paint will not colour fade the same as gel coat. The second reason gelcote fades at a diffrent rate than automotive paint, imagine what this would look like in a couple of years. Third you cannot use gelcote polishes to remove oxidation on automotive paint, again think of the mess you will create. You have 2 options in my opinion order the gel coat from CC polish the area around the scratch with 1200 grit sand papper and apply a small amount of gelcote next to this area if it matches then you can repair the area with the gelcote if it doesn't call Minicraft (1-8002828244)and order a Gelcote matching kit. You could also order the gelcote from them.
Hope this helps....WR |
Posted By: David F
Date Posted: November-22-2005 at 8:25am
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My wife will tell you that I am color blind and I do not even know (reliably) what color you get when you mix two different colors together. Where am I going with this? Forget about mixing colors to get a match to your gelcoat (e.g. from kits). I HIGHLY recommend you order the color pre-mixed from CC or other places that KNOW the proper formula for the year, make and color of your boat. It will match exceptionally well. you may ultimately see the repair in some light/viewing angles, but you already made an imperfect boat when you scratched it, so now you have to live with the repair. IMHO: no one will ever give a perfect match gaurantee...I wouldn't.
Remember, you are getting new (unfaded) gelcoat to make the repair. So, this is one fo the reason the match is not perfect. However, the new gelcoat will fade over time to more closely match the old gelcoat. Given this, the new gelcoat will still match exceptionally well (given my experience with Silvercloud and Electric Blue, both ordered through CC). |
Posted By: wrollema
Date Posted: November-22-2005 at 9:56am
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I have ordered all of my gelcote from CC and approxmately 70 % are a good match the other 30% are not and requires colour matching. The worst is yellow. A company that is experinced in doing gelkote repair should be able to get the colour close enought that an untrained eye would not be able to see the diffrence. Also, prior to the repair polish the boat with a compound. The polishing compound cuts the top layer of the gelkote making it easlier to match the colour.
WR |
Posted By: 99Sport
Date Posted: November-23-2005 at 7:04pm
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OKAY you all convinced me that the gel coat repair is the way to go. In consideration of color (or colour for you folks up North) fade is what convinced me. Keeping in mind that it is red (which I was told was hard to match) BUT a lighter shade of red may be the saving grace. The fact that a non gel coat paint would fade differently than gel coat was another disadvantage of the fill and paint concept.
WR you say you have done several repairs so I assume you are at least a semi professional. On the subject of color fade, I am assuming that color fade is worse on a boat that is exposed to constant sun, such as on a boat that is on a lift for several months out of the year. If this is the case I am sitting in a little better position since my boat is kept indoors when not in use, so color fade may not be significant, therefore the new gel coat color match may be a better. If any one has different opinion let me know. In my own defense, I have owned a boat for 30 years and never put a scratch in any of them. This incident was quite a blow to my ego. My family and friends could not believe I did it. So luckily I do not have any experience with this type of repair. I appreciate everybody's input. ------------- 99Sport |
Posted By: bkhallpass
Date Posted: November-23-2005 at 8:34pm
My input is that if you've never scratched a boat in 30 years, you've truly been blessed. I'd like you to select some lottery numbers for me.
From my perspective, it's a boat, not the Mona Lisa. Fix it as best you can and have some fun. Have a great Holiday. BKH ------------- Livin' the Dream |
Posted By: wrollema
Date Posted: November-28-2005 at 1:56pm
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99Sport,
Color (for you I changed my words) will fade more in the sun but even if you keep your boat indoors (I do the same) the color will still fade, although at a much slower rate. If you polish your boat with a compound it will restore the boat's color to its original color. I guarantee you will be pleasantly surprised with the results. I would recommend polishing your boat with a compound every 5 years even if you meticulously polished the boat every year. One piece of advice before anyone repairs your boat ask for a reference and personally go and view the workmanship. WR |
Posted By: 99Sport
Date Posted: November-28-2005 at 7:11pm
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WR
Thankyou. My instincts were Correct. My work, which is in robotic painting systems takes me to Canada often. If you live near the London Ontario area I'll post and maybe we can get together over a cold Canadian beer (not the watered down U.S. beer I get ribbed about up there)and talk Correct Craft. ------------- 99Sport |