Gelcoat surface crack repair....does this prep look good?

[SeaDooGood]

I have the oem Sea-Doo gelcoat repair kit coming in tomorrow and wanted to make sure you guys who have done simple gelcoat repairs before think this prep is good to go? I watched a lot of videos and research and was told to actually take a dremel grinder and actually deepen the crack so that the gelcoat could then sink through. I took a small grinder attachment and lightly grooved out the crack/cracks. The fiberglass integrity underneath is sound, so no worries about that. Does this look ok to start applying the gelcoat tomorrow?

 

[soccerdad]

I think it looks good. It may be a challenge to keep the gel cote in the cracks while it sets depending on how thick it is. If you have problems, put a piece of wax paper over it and then even use some thin aluminum on it to hold it until it sets. Good luck and post back.

 

[bajaman123]

I can't tell what I am looking at in that picture...? Looks like smeared glue or something? Where are the cracks you've opened up? Or is this the 'before' picture?
You have to get AFTER it, man...and it will freak you out....but you need to use a carbide cone tip and widen the crack out to a 'vee' that is about a quarter inch wide at the top.
Be sure to have some Styrene on hand (acetone will do but not as good of a job) to re-activate the existing gelcoat prior to starting the repair filling.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

This article I think, is right on:

http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2011/december/diy.asp

 

[bajaman123]

Here is an example of what I did to my '97 GTI. It had severe cracks that went thru the hood by the gauge cluster. So I built up the underneath side with some new mat and resin. The yellow gelcoat was a challenge. As you can see, I really routed out the cracks, and then started the repair. At the end of the day, the blend/color of the yellow was not perfect...drove me nuts...so I painted it black, lol! Came out okay, the main thing is the hood is super strong now.

 

[SeaDooGood]

I can't tell what I am looking at in that picture...? Looks like smeared glue or something? Where are the cracks you've opened up? Or is this the 'before' picture?
You have to get AFTER it, man...and it will freak you out....but you need to use a carbide cone tip and widen the crack out to a 'vee' that is about a quarter inch wide at the top.
Be sure to have some Styrene on hand (acetone will do but not as good of a job) to re-activate the existing gelcoat prior to starting the repair filling.

I used a basic cone shaped grinder dremel attachment. This is the BEFORE pic. I grooved out the entire gel coat surface crack and this is the end result. The ski hit a piece of wood right on the top front of the hood causing a rainbow shaped crack. I didn't want to go too deep since it was basically a surface crack in the gelcoat. I was just wondering if this looks ok to apply the gelcoat or if I need to groove it deeper into the fiberglass?

 

[SeaDooGood]

It doesn't have to be perfect, but I want it to look and blend as close as possible.

 

[SeaDooGood]

Here is an example of what I did to my '97 GTI. It had severe cracks that went thru the hood by the gauge cluster. So I built up the underneath side with some new mat and resin. The yellow gelcoat was a challenge. As you can see, I really routed out the cracks, and then started the repair. At the end of the day, the blend/color of the yellow was not perfect...drove me nuts...so I painted it black, lol! Came out okay, the main thing is the hood is super strong now.

Did you use the Seadoo OEM yellow from Gelcoat Int or a different brand?

 

[racerxxx]

Did you use the Seadoo OEM yellow from Gelcoat Int or a different brand?

He could have used pink, he painted it black where the repair was.

How bad were your cracks? Can you post a before pic? Well, I guess it doesn't really matter, your past the point of no return now. Were they just hair line cracks, cause it didn't look all that bad. Like some guys say " A well placed sticker could cover that", meaning slap a sticker over it and call it a day. I guess what I'm saying is, I probably would have just let it go. I am anxious to see how the repair turns out, I'm pulling for ya!

 

[SeaDooGood]

He could have used pink, he painted it black where the repair was.

How bad were your cracks? Can you post a before pic? Well, I guess it doesn't really matter, your past the point of no return now. Were they just hair line cracks, cause it didn't look all that bad. Like some guys say " A well placed sticker could cover that", meaning slap a sticker over it and call it a day. I guess what I'm saying is, I probably would have just let it go. I am anxious to see how the repair turns out, I'm pulling for ya!

It was actually a rainbow crack all the way through the gelcoat with a few hairline cracks branched off of the main crack. I ordered the repair kit already and plan on working on it the next few days, just taking my time on the sanding, wet sanding, compounding, etc. Like I said before, it doesn't have to be perfect, just better than it was with no crack and the color pretty close. I can live with that. I think the key is taking my time on the sanding portion of it. I was mainly concerned about making sure I grooved the crack out deep enough for the gelcoat to set in and adhere to good.

 

[bajaman123]

I used one of the EVERCOAT brand repair kits. Hopefully you'll have better luck with the OEM but...the problem is the gelcoat on the hoods and the like isn't all that thick...so by the time you do your blending, you'll find that you've penetrated PAST the gelcoat into the substrate in another area, which shows up as a dark or grayish smear. Unlike the white gelcoat, which I've taken literally .060 - .090 off of to get deep pits out, the colored gelcoat isn't very thick...I'd bet it isn't much more than .020 thick. Tough to work with.

Good luck!

 

[SeaDooGood]

Two questions for you guys:

1. Can I use Nail Polish Remover (says acetone on the bottle) to clean the surface/crack before I apply the gelcoat? If not, would rubbing alcohol work?

2. Should I apply the gelcoat as one layer that covers ALL the cracks (like one big oval) or should I do the top left crack, big middle crack, and small bottom crack each covered separately?

 

[racerxxx]

Home Depot or Lowes, buy a small container of acetone. Some nail polish removers contain moisturizers so womens fingers don't dry out as bad, not good for bonding to have a moisturizer in there. I have a customer who makes nail polish remover, there are several different types. I would mix a batch of gel and do them all, keeps your color consistent.

 

[SeaDooGood]

Home Depot or Lowes, buy a small container of acetone. Some nail polish removers contain moisturizers so womens fingers don't dry out as bad, not good for bonding to have a moisturizer in there. I have a customer who makes nail polish remover, there are several different types. I would mix a batch of gel and do them all, keeps your color consistent.

So one coat that covers all the cracks instead of three smaller separate coated areas?

 

[racerxxx]

I was just thinking more of consistency to keep the color the same. I'm pretty sure how ever you'd like to slice it will work. Read the instructions on how thick you can lay it on. Check the mfg's website, follow their guideline, they're the aficionados.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Nail polish remover contains oily buffers and skin moisturizers, so will leave the surface contaminated and will soak into the existing gel coat to inhibit bonding.

Follow directions to the "T", use the materials and methods specified to obtain the best result possible.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

So one coat that covers all the cracks instead of three smaller separate coated areas?

I use wax paper over the wet epoxy to smooth and blend the repair, might have to sand but not always. For white, it's not so easy to see the repair.

But follow your directions, you can wet block sand smooth with the fine 800/1200 paper I'm sure it tells you this?

 

[SeaDooGood]

I use wax paper over the wet epoxy to smooth and blend the repair, might have to sand but not always. For white, it's not so easy to see the repair.

But follow your directions, you can wet block sand smooth with the fine 800/1200 paper I'm sure it tells you this?

Going get pure acetone now. Yes I have 320 sanding sponge, 600 wet sandpaper, and 800 wet, then plan to use rubbing compound and finally wax.

 

[jammin777]

+3 on acetone, try looking up gel coat repair on you tube. good info there.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

The sanding sponge is okay but also remember to give the hard wood block a shot to really help level the surface imperfections, depending on if it's got a high spot the hard block can take it down level. I like the sponge after that and/or alternate.

I also use a drywall scraper in some cases, for reshaping an epoxy patch over/around sharp corners like the edges and chine corners with a deep gouge or broken out section for instance. This is like a cheese grater kind of thing and removes high spots in the material pretty quickly good for for shaping (sorta like sculpting, but I'm no artist, lol).

Let the gelcoat cure completely as per instruction, before attempting to work it. You don't want it to be soft.

I think the biggest concern is color matching, block sanding it out smooth is the easy part IMO. Hopefully it works out okay.

 

[SeaDooGood]

It's curing now, the repair kit calls for a 2 hour wait time but I'm gonna let it cure a little longer than that. Got the wax paper over it and smooth it out as best I could since it is in an odd place. The color maybe not be 100% identical, but it will be a extremely close match from the looks of it.

 

[Sportster-2001-951C-Stock]

Sounds good. Wait for that rock-hard cure and you might have to add more. You can tape that waxed paper to hold flat.

 

[bajaman123]

Hmmmm...I've never had much luck with wax paper, frankly. You must create an air-tight seal for the best/proper cure...polyethylene is best. But sounds like you've already made the move, so...good luck!

Cover the area around the repair with Frog tape, that way when you start sanding you aren't immediately getting into the adjacent (non-repaired) area. You'll find that despite your best efforts, you more than likely have some voids to go back and fill as the gelcoat shrinks somewhat as it cures. Just remember to re-activate the repaired gelcoat with acetone (after lightly scuffing it for a good bond) prior to adding MORE gelcoat.

 

[SeaDooGood]

Hmmmm...I've never had much luck with wax paper, frankly. You must create an air-tight seal for the best/proper cure...polyethylene is best. But sounds like you've already made the move, so...good luck!

Cover the area around the repair with Frog tape, that way when you start sanding you aren't immediately getting into the adjacent (non-repaired) area. You'll find that despite your best efforts, you more than likely have some voids to go back and fill as the gelcoat shrinks somewhat as it cures. Just remember to re-activate the repaired gelcoat with acetone (after lightly scuffing it for a good bond) prior to adding MORE gelcoat.

So it went ok, that stuff is a PIA to sand down though. I'll have to go back over it once more in a few spots with the gelcoat again. How do you feather the edges without taking some of gelcoat off the surrounding good area? When I sanded it down starting with 180, then 220, and then 320, I noticed the surrounding area was becoming a different color but that's is bc that is the area where the new gelcoat meets the regular gelcoat so I'm not sure how to feather the edges without causing some fading to the good area??? I wish I could post a pic, but for some reason it won't let me now.

 

[jammin777]

as long as it is not too much the old gel should be ok once you finish sand with 1000 grit then buff and wax.