Gelcoat Repair

Tug · Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 8:05 pm Post subject: Gelcoat Repair

Today when i was under the boat examining the hull i noticed that there was some spots where the gelcoat was worn down to what appears to be a black hard material. Its is on the starboard bottom edge of the hull, its seems to be a wear spot but i am not sure what caused the wear. Seeing that i will be applying Interprotect 2000E next Spring can i just apply 2000E over this spot. There are not holes or gouges just a smooth worn spot.Tug

Sea Wolf · Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 8:41 pm Post subject:

"black hard material" ='s ???

If it were a more recent boat, it might be carbon fiber, but ???

Joe. Disgust

Tug · Posted: Sun Nov 07, 2010 9:02 pm Post subject:

My thoughts exactly, i e-mailed the previous owner and he said that the hull has never been painted and it was the original gelcoat on the boat. Could the black colour be just darkened gelcoat from wear, there is a large black rubber roller on the back of the trailer for launching and retrieval, just a thought. I will crawl under the boat tomorrow and have another look.

Just Goggled......black hard material under a boat's gelcoat and got something to the effect.....in gelcoat repair...if sanding and you come to a dark material it means that you are almost through the gelcoat to the laminate.
Tug

Captains Cat · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 8:27 am Post subject:

matt_unique · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 8:40 am Post subject: FG

It's the fiberglass beneath the gelcoat.

As long as there is no hole you are OK - just annoyed to have the chip/wear hole Smile

You can put whatever you want over it but of course only gelcoat will repair the spot to the original look.

If the wear is out of sight I would not bother with a gelcoat repair. If it is a wear spot I would scuff the area, clean out the dust, and cover with epoxy resin.

This season I had a sailboat drift into Napoleon while on the mooring. It made a few scratches, one chip, and also bent one of my stanchions. Grrrr....I have since moved my mooring farther away from the rest. The damage was slight and you would not notice unless I told you where to look but it is of course aggravating.

sjboysen · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:03 am Post subject:

Tug,

I normally would like to see a picture of the area before I give hard and fast advice, with that stated though, I would recommend cleaning the area to make sure that it is actually a wear area, and if it does prove to be worn down gelcoat to the laminate, and since you are bottom painting, here are some simple steps:

1) Sand the worn down area with some 150 grit sandpaper.
2) Clean the area of dust and debris, then hand paint the area with gelcoat.
3) Bottom paint

This will protect the suspect area, and since you are bottom painting you don't need to spray the gelcoat.

I hope that this information is helpful, and if you have any questions just give me a call.

Sincerely,

Scott

Tug · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 9:22 am Post subject:

Thanks for all the great help! I am glad to hear that it is mostly a cosmetic problem and can be fixed. Do i have to apply epoxy resin or gelcoat over the area if there are no holes in the laminate. Can i not just sand and then apply InterProtect 2000E over it.If i need to apply some sort of epoxy resin can i use The West System...105 Epoxy Resin....205 Hardener with an additive for more strength and hardness. Thanks Tug

sjboysen · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:14 am Post subject:

Tug,

If you have worn through to the laminate layers then YES you will need to gelcoat the worn areas prior to bottom paint. You do not have to use a resin coat prior to gelcoating.

Scott

Tug · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 10:20 am Post subject:

Scott would Hi - Bond White Gel-Coat with Wax be ok.Will order some today. Thanks Tug

sjboysen · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 12:12 pm Post subject:

Tug,

That would be fine, any gelcoat would suffice.

Scott

Tug · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 1:42 pm Post subject:

Buying , selecting bottom paint , primer, gel-coat was just about as bad as getting a tooth pulled. I ordered all i will need to tackle the job next Spring, may before if i can find a garage.Putting the bottom paint/primer on will be the easier of the two things to do..I will take pictures of the process. Thanks Again. Tug

thataway · Posted: Mon Nov 08, 2010 5:18 pm Post subject:

The boats are sprayed with an "occlusive" color--often the strip color, gel coat before the first layer of glass is laid. This was started many years ago, because owners were upset that they could see light thru the hull, especially with a white gel coat.

If you are going to put an epoxy barrier coat on, you can put this right over the dark area. We have had RIB's which we beached on rocks etc, regularly. Each fall we would sand the bottom area smooth, put on epoxy resin, and if any large gouges or wear, another layer of sacrificial cloth.

The 2000e is an epoxy and will seal the glass laminate as well as gel coat (or better)--however I would put several coats on this area--be sure and let it dry and wash it between applications, so that any amine on the surface does not cause poor adherance. An alternate would be to do the gel coat or any of the epoxy resins. I often use West Systems, with some cabisol (fumed silica) and high density filler if there was much wear. This is then sanded smooth before application of the 2000e.

Jack in Alaska · Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 12:49 am Post subject:

Tug,

My 1983 Classic had the same problem on the starboard side towards the front. It was caused by tying up the boat against the bank in a tidal creek with a gravel channel. Over the years the gelcoat wore off leaving the edge smooth and black just as you described. I put gelcoat on it several times but it wore off again from the same reason.
Eventually I stopped leaving it in the river and loaded it on the trailer each time.
It never seemed to hurt the boat and it is still making trips in the sea w/o problems.

Jack

Tug · Posted: Tue Nov 09, 2010 9:28 am Post subject:

Jack.. The black mark on my boat is only about 2 inches long and 1/8 inches wide and may have been caused by gravel wear as well or by that large roller at the back of my trailer.I will have to examine that roller more closely. After i repair the area and cover with gel-coat, than sand i will apply InterProtect 2000E than Bottom paint. She will look better than new. Tug