Gelcoat missing
 

I have a 2000 Baja and I noticed the other day when getting the boat ready for the season that there was a 2x3 inch area on the bottom of the hull were the gelcoat is missing. What struck me as being odd is the gelcoat appears to have been very thin in this area maybe a 1/16 and the now exposed area feels almost to have a cardboard texture. There is no delamination in this area and only maybe a 1/4 inch delam in the surrounding gelcoat. Can I feather back into the solid gelcoat and re-gelcoat the exposed area or is there something else that needs done to repair this correctly. Any recommendation would be appreciated. Thanks

you should be fine with sanding it back till you hit a solid bond and shoot the area, just make sure the exposed glass if in good shape and not de lammed. Can you post a pic?

I have the same issue on the very back of the stern hull on the very bottom of the "V". Local shop said likely cavitation pulled or "burned" it off. ??

Glassdave I'll get a picture before I repair the area, thanks. Brapp mine is mid hull, so I'm not sure about the cause in my case. You have yours repaired already?

Most gelcoat is only 15 mills thick to begin with and every time the hull is buffed, the gelcoat will get thinner, then add in water friction, sand etc that's that….. Use a die grinder and grind out the area, make sure there isn't any water under the glass. Then sand around the area with 220 grit sand paper. Mix some polyester resin with mill fiber to make putty, fill the cavity and when dry, sand again… Area should be slightly lower than the gelcoat around the repair. Clean the area with acetone and prep the area to spray. Add wax if needed and styrene to the gelcoat and spray with preval. If the area is too low, wait until gel is tacky and re-spray, you can lightly use a heat gun to speed up drying time. Once dry, mix a little blue dyekem with acetone and wipe over the area with a dry rag. Lightly block sand with 320, then 800, dye again if needed and finish with 1200 wet. Buff with 3M imperial and done.

I have not got mine fixed yet. Plan on doing it this weekend though