Gel coat scratches

[KyleRass41]

I was able to get all the color ID's and you can go through iboats for spectrum. But curious on the best ways or tricks to make it look clean and hard to tell. Thanks!

[freeheel4life]

Find the guy that's great at glass/gel work in your area and pay him. If that's not an option you are going to have to dab in repair for stone and sand back down, or do some work with pencil dye grinder and build it back up with sprayer. Dab in is tough as it will shrink as catalyst kicks off and it will look like a big divit unless you dab it in suoer thick, wait for it to shrink/cure, then sand down. Your orange could possibly be wetsanded as you can still see original gel color underneath. Catalyst mixing ratio knowledge is helpful (ratio can change to get different results) . Machinist dye is good trick to rub in to show where you need to sand more . Don't just sand by hand. Use blocks. Dont sand in circles. Have only done some really easy repairs at Skiers choice factory for their gel school so by no means an expert. With the little I know I would say that your orange scratches are much easier repair than your stone chips.

[boardman74]

Like said above...find a professional to do it. Would you try to paint your $20,000 car/ truck??

Most would say no way...so why try a $50,000 boat?????

[KyleRass41]

Good point!

[Bakes5]

I will tell you why you try it....who wants to wait for weeks and weeks to have some glass guy do it who may or may not do a good job and who may or may not ruin something else on the boat or leave it outside and let it get trashed by the elements.

My experience with any shop is that a “good” shop will have 1-2guys that know what they are doing and a bunch of clowns to help out with volume. Bad shops are staffed entirely by clowns.

Sooo...give it a whirl. I have a couple spots on mine that need some love.

[bsreid]

Or you know.. play it safe, find a good dealer who knows what they’re doing and let them have it for a bit over the winter.

[Jetdriver]

I repaired some gel coat on a previous boat I owned. Came out pretty damn good for a rookie! Given it was a lot less valuable than my current boat so I wasn’t too concerned about trying it.
Watch some videos on you tube. It’s not brain surgery. If you’re capable of following directions and working with tools you can do it yourself. You’ll get what you put into it. Take your time and be methodical.
Disclaimer: I like to do most all my own work. I always like to learn knew skills, makes me feel like a man!

[Brianrzr]

What’s the worst that can happen? If you don’t like how it turns out, then take it to a shop. There is a satisfaction of doing something yourself that some people will never understand. Like jet driver said, it’s not that hard.

[freeheel4life]

Worst case the color doesn't match and repair sticks out like a sore thumb. Grey/grpahite/stone can be hard to cokor match. Just because you buy the color that boat was originally sprayed with from Spectrum doesnt gauruntee a color match. If it doesnt come out perfect the next guy will most likely charge you more because he has to grind out the attempted repair. Pulling a tooth isn't rocket science either but I'm still going to the dentist. I appreciate saving a buck or two and doing work myself just as much as the rest of ya, but in some cases(in my mind) paying someone who specializes in a skill makes more sense. Would rather have it done right the first time. Easy decision though as we have a phenomenal glass/gel coat repair shop in our area (Chapman Boat repair) All they do all day. If you didn't have a reputable shop in your area then I guess I would try it.

[boardman74]

Thats how I think about it. ^^^^

If you don't do gel work I wouldn't try it on a $50K boat. I've tried it with decent results on cheap boats.

Its like saying I'm gonna go out and learn to do gel work on my new $50K Corvette....who on here would do that because they like the satisfaction of doing things themselves?

Like free said I'm also curious how you guys handle your Medical and dental needs???? Handling that out in the garage also???

[KyleRass41]

Lol....good way of putting that...Thanks for all the feedback. I'm going see if I can get a few quotes first then.

[JLG]

Think you're a performance marine customer? If so let Joe and his crew take care of it! Joe has several gel guys he works with that will make it look near perfect. He even does some work in house and won't charge an arm and leg to have it fixed.

[Bakes5]

If you have a great shop nearby who will do a good job at a fair price and won't screw something else up...yeah, take it in.

My experience with shops has been bad over the years. Utter incompetence (brake pads on backwards, no retaining pins on hub nuts, not torqueing brake calipers so that they just fall off and into the hub on a trip, etc.) to absolute crooks trying to trick me and make me spend 2K on a $150 repair. Let's not forget the shops that just leave your nice boat out in the elements and come back filthy, full of leaves, grease marks, etc. Soo, I have taken it upon myself to figure things out over the years and it pays off in many ways. Would not believe the Google fixes I have done over the years...dryers, washing machines, TVs, cars, etc.

Also...seems like I've read a few posts on long term gel repair and seems like most folks say they eventually look crappy again. Can someone comment on that? Anybody have a 10 year old gel coat repair that is still invisible? Just wondering.

Regarding medical/dental...I don't think you can compare doing your own gel work to doing your own surgery or tooth restoration. It's more like doing stretches, reducing activity and researching home rehab methods prior to going to the physical therapist. I don't think I would try to fix a hole from a rudder that's been torn off by a log...agree that you take that to a specialist. Again...home gel coat repair = Motrin, home stretches, exercises prior to going to PT. Fixing a big hole = going to the dentist or surgeon.

Again, if your afraid of screwing it up and have a great shop...drop it off and be done with it. Make sure you send us pics once it's done. Also, if you remember and still have it 2-3 yrs from now, send them out again.

[Brianrzr]

I literally have painted 50k cars in my garage. Actually more like 75k, and they have won several shows. I know guys who don’t know how to operate a screwdriver, and they have to pay to change a doorknob or faucet in their home. Yet they are the ones who tell others something can’t be done, and criticize other who can. Maybe it restores some self worth their lacking.

I’m attaching a close up picture of my orange bow that I repaired. It became crossed-up on a lift and caught a screw that left a 1/8x1 1/4 gouge in the glass. Realizing that a cosmetic repair that isn’t 100% is life altering, my wife will leave me and I’ll be disowned by my parents. I got a quote to repair, at $1,000.00 plus. It is a plain color and not metallic, I chose to attempt the repair myself.

Since I work for a fiberglass boat manufacturer, I asked the advice of the repair techs, Their advice was pretty straight forward and common sense as with any paint process. Since the damage was narrow, clean the area to expose fresh glass but no deeper than I had to. Mix the gel, and apply with an artist brush in several layers until the repair is raised above the base. Try not to spray, it greatly expands the repair area. Spraying is for larger damaged areas. The rest is elementary bodywork 101. Once the gel has cured, spray a light coat of lacquer paint of a contrasting color over the repair as a guide coat. The most critical part of the repair is the wet sanding. Never sand with your bare hand or a power tool, always use a sanding block or a piece of wood. Using long strokes following the contour of the hull, lightly pass over the repair in only one direction. Do not focus on just the repair or you may create a flat spot. Hopefully, only contacting the repair. Think of it as shaving down a mole. The guide coat will begin to disappear where the paper is making contact. Progressively use finer paper, finishing off with 2000 grit or finer. It is all about patience. The final step is to progressively polish with some compounds until the gloss returns.

Mine turned out great! I’m still married and I saved about $950.00. The majority of shops will apply whatever color the supplier says matches the code. Any deviation will be called sun-fade and beyond their control. A few shops will attempt to tint for fade, but you will PAY for that service.

After your done, spend the money you saved on some fun boat gear, have a beer and enjoy the satisfaction of a job well done.

Btw, shops will never “grind off” a tinted color, they’ll scuff and respray.

[Bakes5]

Yeah...I have 3 spots that need some love. No way I’m paying $1000-2000 for that....ever. Especially since my kids will just another one one it next year.

Sooo...what is the source where I can order me some gel?

I’ll post before and after pictures so you guys can judge how difficult it is and whether or not it’s worth $1000 for a possible invisible repair that might fade at the same rate as the old gel over the next 5+ years.