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Hull repair?

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oct6454

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hi

I own a 99xpl and after many years of use the keel of the whole has no more paint on it. The fiberglass is showing through and visible. I don't think that this is a problem but i'm wondering if you guys know of any way to keep it from doing anymore damage. It was bought about three months ago and we will be running it up on the beach allot so i'm looking for some ideas on what to do? Or should i just leave it be.
 
i'll try to get my camera back. But unitl then its about 2 inches wide strip going straight down the center of the hull.
 
Is it possible to not run it up on the beach? Like jump off when the water is shallow and pull it up gently onto the beach? THis would prevent any furthur damage!

Matt
 
1-to fix it get some gelcoat (colour match it the best you can) and use a brush to apply it to the worn down area.

2-let cure/dry then apply more and repeat this till its built up enough

3-then block sand with 80-120 grit toget the excess off

4-after you sand if any low spots then repeat steps 1,2,3

5-now that you have the low areas filled and ruff sanding done, sand with 400

6- finish off with a scuffing using a purple scotch pad

7-now all you need to do is buff and wax your repair area and hull.

If you have an air compressor you can use a spray gun instead of a brush, repair will go quicker if you use a spray gun.
 
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gelcoat?

i went to our local west marine to look at the gelcoat and the salesman said that i wouldn't be able to aplly it here in the winter and he also said it was a very complicated process. Is there a certain kind of gelcoat that you are talking about or was he wrong?? i trust you guys more than them ahahah
 
oct6454 said:
i went to our local west marine to look at the gelcoat and the salesman said that i wouldn't be able to aplly it here in the winter and he also said it was a very complicated process. Is there a certain kind of gelcoat that you are talking about or was he wrong?? i trust you guys more than them ahahah
Click to expand...


At one time, there was a great google or youtube video that was all about GELCOAT. I myself would wait till its warmer so that it can cure properly. I guess if you had a heated shop it would not be an issue.
 
Gelcoating is not an easy process at all. It takes lots of time and patience to do it right. I am not sure there are really any other options to fix your problem....so you will have to bite the bullet and try it out....you would need a heated area to do it if its cold. Google it...there are videos around!

Matt
 
OK they use gel coats on boats for a reason. Gel coats are very durable and have exellent gloss retention & shine stability and UV pertection and sealing qualitys. if you use an epoxy it will go dull and become porous over time witch is bad. if you choose to go with epoxy you will need to seal it using a urathan.
 
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Your really never susposed to re-gel coat on a crack unless you have the exact gel coat from the exact barrel it came from, not just the color, no two barrels of gel coat match. Even if their the same color and batch. Most use Non-swelling plastic filler for small repairs. Grid and layup fiberglass on the bigger repairs. Bondo and paint and then use clear coat blender.
You can use a color gel coat thats close to the color and substitute that as filler and then paint to match, but never fill it with gelcoat and expect it to match perfectly.

I work with repairing boats all the time, its the only way to make it look like it was never wrecked.

oct6454,
try looking into what bass boats put on the front leading edge. It acts like a rub rail but it takes away the brunt of the blow from the boat itself. that would give the paint a fighting chance also.

PM me if you have anymore problems with repairs you may have.
 
if you want to go the automotive paint route,
Dupont makes a primer called Nason, its their cheap brand, but their primer is thick so it works really good, its the color manilla, and it sticks to plastic fantasticly. If its a high stress area, we add some Dupont flex aditive, you could wrap it around a tree and it not flake or crack off, its pretty amazing stuff.
Then go on as regularly, primer, block,touch up spots where theres no primer,block again,base coat, sand with 1000, clear coat, sand with 2000 and buff,
sould come out clear as day, and look better than from the factory.
 
Omygosh3629 said:
try looking into what bass boats put on the front leading edge. It acts like a rub rail but it takes away the brunt of the blow from the boat itself. that would give the paint a fighting chance also.
Click to expand...

I think you are talking about keel guard check out this link. http://www.keelguard.com/

3M makes something similar....I just can't remember what it is called. That would defn help to make sure no more damage is caused!

Matt
 
Omygosh3629 said:
Your really never susposed to re-gel coat on a crack unless you have the exact gel coat from the exact barrel it came from, not just the color, no two barrels of gel coat match. Even if their the same color and batch. Most use Non-swelling plastic filler for small repairs. Grid and layup fiberglass on the bigger repairs. Bondo and paint and then use clear coat blender.
You can use a color gel coat thats close to the color and substitute that as filler and then paint to match, but never fill it with gelcoat and expect it to match perfectly.

I work with repairing boats all the time, its the only way to make it look like it was never wrecked.

oct6454,
try looking into what bass boats put on the front leading edge. It acts like a rub rail but it takes away the brunt of the blow from the boat itself. that would give the paint a fighting chance also.

PM me if you have anymore problems with repairs you may have.
Click to expand...
Nice contradiction to your self you say not to use gel coat to fix the gelcoat but instead use a diffrent product to fix it? you make no sence. A good friend of mine has been building boat for over 30 years and my dad work for ICI witch stands for Imperial Chemical Industries they make any chemical coating you can possibly think of. The best way to fix you gelcoat is with gelcoat.
 
Hey guys
I would first check wear area for exposed strands of glass. If so I would then repair with a product available at NAPA which is a fiberglass jell ( strange label - blue and white and is called just that- fiberglass jelly). Works awesome and builds great not to mention waterproof. It is like a thick gel coat and applies similar to bondo. I have repaired many hulls with this stuff and it is great. I will finish the repair with gelcoat. Keep in mind what gelcoat you purchase. Some will cure air dry and some need to be covered / sealed off to air. They actually sell a rattle can of water based liquid mask which works great. You spray a coat over the repair area and just wash off with water after cure. I never prime or paint with any product containing isocynate below waterline. Iso's absorb moisture and ultimatley fail longterm. Hope this helps.
 
sporsterjoel,

Its just the way we do it at our shop.
Im not saying that you cant fix it, but you'll never be able to match it unless you have a specialized gelcoat mixing machine, then yes, you could, but its far easier to glass it up if its bad enough, sand it flat, bondo in the low spots and paint.
Just the way we do it,
different strokes for different folks.
 
No doubt on the different strokes thing!
I am always cautious about using any product that will absorb moisture on anything that goes in the water. All bodyfiller absorbs moisture and then will lose adhesion, crack, then the top coat delams. I have seen a bunch of repairs gone bad with body fillers and "skim" coats of two part spot putty that chips, absorbs and then falls apart. That fiberglass jelly at NAPA is the bomb. It is a jellied resin which is water proof. I am also against using basecoat for color on a boat below water line. Basecoat even catylized is soft in a sense. If using automotive grade paint use singlestage to blend color, allow to cure, scuff and apply clear coat over that. Repair is good for many years if boat is not kept in water all the time.
 
I went to west marine before posting this and they gave me a brochure on the west system. I'm looking into that. Is there any major damage that could occur if i leave it as is with just a black spray paint over the fiberglass to cover it? What west system should i use? (which number?)
 
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Not familiar with the west system. I ran a Yamaha all last season with the kids beaten it on the bank and all I had on it was that fiberglass jelly from Napa. It held up fantastic! Run by your local Napa dealer and look into this stuff. I promise you wont be sorry. PM me if you want any more info. Hope this helps.Later
 
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