Deep scratch in the bottom of the hull. Please help!

[raymondN]

Hello ladies and gents,

I bought a new GTS130 2014 about a month ago and I'm having a blast. Family loves it.

This past weekend while trying to load onto the trailer i missed and ended up running onto the loading dock slightly. I now have what i think is a pretty deep gouge in the hull (please see attached photo) it is about three inches across and at its deepest points about a quarter inch deep.:banghead: I definitely punched through the gelcoat and i think what i am seeing is the fiberglass underneath the gel coat?

I have done some reading and i believe what i have is a gel coat on the hull (please correct me if i am mistaken). I would like to repair this to factory condition if possible or the closest thing to that. It sends sharp pains through my heart everytime i look at it.

Is this something i can accomplish on my own? Is this something my local dealer would tackle? I live in san diego and there are lots of boat shops. Is this something best left to a pro?

I appreciate your input.

Thank you

 

[KK40384]

I can see fiberglass for sure. You do not want that to touch water because the exposed fiberglass will soak up water like a sponge and damage more of the gel coat. For beat results I would take it to a fiberglass shop and have them fix it. If not you could try and fix it yourself but unless you have some bodywork experience that will never come out looking anything close to the way it did. If you just want to seal it so you can ride it, I'd use some gel coat with black pigment and cover it good.

 

[phatjoe88]

I can see fiberglass for sure. You do not want that to touch water because the exposed fiberglass will soak up water like a sponge and damage more of the gel coat. For beat results I would take it to a fiberglass shop and have them fix it. If not you could try and fix it yourself but unless you have some bodywork experience that will never come out looking anything close to the way it did. If you just want to seal it so you can ride it, I'd use some gel coat with black pigment and cover it good.

I agree with this. Have a pro do it before you put it in the water. I just had some scratches fixed on mine and it didn't cost a lot of money. Shouldn't take very long either if they are not that busy.

 

[surfcitypops]

Hello ladies and gents,

I bought a new GTS130 2014 about a month ago and I'm having a blast. Family loves it.

This past weekend while trying to load onto the trailer i missed and ended up running onto the loading dock slightly. I now have what i think is a pretty deep gouge in the hull (please see attached photo) it is about three inches across and at its deepest points about a quarter inch deep.:banghead: I definitely punched through the gelcoat and i think what i am seeing is the fiberglass underneath the gel coat?

I have done some reading and i believe what i have is a gel coat on the hull (please correct me if i am mistaken). I would like to repair this to factory condition if possible or the closest thing to that. It sends sharp pains through my heart everytime i look at it.

Is this something i can accomplish on my own? Is this something my local dealer would tackle? I live in san diego and there are lots of boat shops. Is this something best left to a pro?

I appreciate your input.

Thank you

I just did a gelcoat repair on my 2006 Wake GTX and it was a piece of cake. Bought the gelcoat repair kit from http://www.gelcoat.ca/ and the color match was perfection. This company provides Seadoo its gelcoat and they send it to you already pre-mixed according to year/model. Buy a few squares of wet sandpaper in varying grits 80/150/400/600/1000 (as high as 1000) and have a go at it. Since it's underneath, who cares if it doesn't come out perfect? You'll have learned something, and if it looks like total crap you can have a pro re-do it.

 

[devonte007]

I also did my first gelcoat repair a couple years back. I did a lot of research online and watched as many youtube videos as I could find. Hardest part is mixing the gelcoat with the hardener in the correct proportions. I experimented and found 8 drops hardener to about 3tbs of gelcoat gave me about 15-20min work time before it got too hard.

It is tough to fill in gouges like yours on the bottom of the boat b/c the gelcoat is thin and you will need to build it up in successive coats. Since it is on the bottom, and it does not look like any damage to the fiberglass I might also try a marine epoxy. You can probably find a black epoxy that would be much easier to work with because it is usually thick like caulk and you can trowel it in. Once hardened the epoxy is sandable just like gelcoat and you should be able to polish it as well. I for one will use epoxy for all future repairs to the hull below the water line, seems much easier to do than having gelcoat constantly drip in your face.

As long as you take your time and prep the hull properly gelcoat or marine epoxy should work just fine. If still unsure try it out on something like a piece of wood and see how it cures and if it is sandable and polishes well. I for one was very pleased with my first try at gelcoat and glad to learn a new skill.

 

[raymondN]

Thank you all for the great advice. I am going to make some calls and see how much it will be to get fixed by a pro. If cost is reasonable i may go that direction. If not, i'm up to learning something new.