2019 hull scratched

[Jarrett151]

Hi
I purchased a 2019 gtx 230 and I have beached my seadoo on a rocky beach very carefully and just enough so it wouldn’t float away and I have noticed a few scratches on the bottom of my hull
Any way to fix and prevent from more scratches

How to protect hull from future scratches

Rocky beaches where I ride

 

[benjilafouine]

Never beach your ski. Buy an anchor.

 

[Ckrawiec]

The ST3 hull is plastic, getting scratches out of plastic is difficult. As benji, stated above...don't beach it, anchor it.

 

[benjilafouine]

Actually this plastic is not smooth to start with. It is smooth on the sides but not on the bottom. But I think the GTX 230 still has a fiberglass bottom. Only the GTIs have plastic I believe.

 

[Jarrett151]

The ST3 hull is plastic, getting scratches out of plastic is difficult. As benji, stated above...don't beach it, anchor it.

I do anchor it it was just the first ride I had and beached it while I pulled my truck up to park it and I have bought an anchor

 

[Ckrawiec]

Actually this plastic is not smooth to start with. It is smooth on the sides but not on the bottom. But I think the GTX 230 still has a fiberglass bottom. Only the GTIs have plastic I believe.

According to the 2019 GTX 230 spec sheet = ST3 hull (polytec plastic).

Does seadoo even do fiberglass hulls anymore? I thought they had completely phased out of fiberglass hulls.

 

[mikidymac]

They are kind of ugly but the Keel Guards do work really well.

 

[skiasylum]

You should see the bottom of my kayak. One of the advantages of the new plastic hulls is we don’t have to worry about scratches functionality wise. In the fiberglass gel coat hulls any scratch through the gel coat(waterproof) lead to moisture penetration into the fiberglass(not)and softening of the hull. The idea of a pristine bottom (in jet skis) is probably on the way out. Beach it and forget about it.

 

[mikidymac]

You should see the bottom of my kayak. One of the advantages of the new plastic hulls is we don’t have to worry about scratches functionality wise. In the fiberglass gel coat hulls any scratch through the gel coat(waterproof) lead to moisture penetration into the fiberglass(not)and softening of the hull. The idea of a pristine bottom (in jet skis) is probably on the way out. Beach it and forget about it.

I would disagree with this. The gelcoat is just for cosmetics. Now if your ski was always in the water and never taken out things might be different. Every one of my skis except for one has the fiberglass showing from the previous owners beaching them. The oldest is a 1991 and the newest is a 2003 and the fiberglass is perfectly strong and does not absorb any water. If this was the case every surfboard would not float. The only exception is epoxy resin because it degrades with UV light but this has noting to do with water.

Yes the Polytec hulls are nice until you get a crack then you have to throw it away and spend thousands on a new one instead of a cheap fiberglass patch kit.

 

[skiasylum]

I would disagree with this. The gelcoat is just for cosmetics. Now if your ski was always in the water and never taken out things might be different. Every one of my skis except for one has the fiberglass showing from the previous owners beaching them. The oldest is a 1991 and the newest is a 2003 and the fiberglass is perfectly strong and does not absorb any water. If this was the case every surfboard would not float. The only exception is epoxy resin because it degrades with UV light but this has noting to do with water.

Yes the Polytec hulls are nice until you get a crack then you have to throw it away and spend thousands on a new one instead of a cheap fiberglass patch kit.

Many marine craft and some aircraft are manufactured using composite materials with an outer layer of gelcoat, typically 0.5 mm to 0.8 mm (0.02 in to 0.03 in) thick. Gelcoats are designed to be durable, providing resistance to ultraviolet degradation and hydrolysis.

 

[sktn77a]

You should see the bottom of my kayak. One of the advantages of the new plastic hulls is we don’t have to worry about scratches functionality wise

Well, most "plastic" kayaks are actually polyethylene (linear or crosslinked). Not sure what "polytec" is but I'm pretty sure its not polyethylene.

 

[skiasylum]

The hull is made of Polytec material, a recyclable, low density and high-impact composite material that includes polypropylene and long glass fiber reinforcement.

Monomer of polyethylene is ethylene and monomer of polypropylene is propylene. Polyethylene has a lower melting point compared to the higher melting point of polypropylene. ... Polypropylene is not as sturdy as polyethylene. Polypropylene is stiffer and resistant to chemicals and organic solvents compared to polyethylene.

My kayak is polycarbonate plastic whatever that is.

 

[sktn77a]

Polycarbonate (aka Lexan) is a synthetic polymer of bisphenol A (BPA) carbonate. Used in bulletproof vests and windows, protective eyewear, etc, because of it's strength. Your kayak is probably one of the clear ones you can see through? They tend to be expensive, though less than Kevlar.