Gordo

I am about to do some minor gelcoat / hull repair. These vary from minor nicks and scratches on the hull to a few chips of missing gelcoat and a few minor chunks on the keel from beaching, trailer damage, (bad roller) etc. I have looked at stuff from Land N Sea such as Interlux, West Systems, Evercoat, and 3M. Is there such a thing as a small "kit" or do I need to order 5 different cans of 5 different products?
I've done minor gelcoat repair in the past, ( small scratches, air bubbles, etc. on my own boat), and have done very minor fiberglass repair before using mulch<?>, but someone else set me up and got me started with their materials while looking over my shoulder. ( ok, a fiberglass repair guy allowed me to fix a crack on a junkyard boat for fun, once).
So, advice? suggestions? do it yourself starter kit?
Anyone? Bueller?

Audiofn

Check out www.minicraft.com they have some good info.

Jon

Gordo

Thanks Jon.
I checked out the site. Lots of stuff, but I think I need to know more of what I am looking for. Such as, Can I just buy resin and hardner, mix it up and putty into place?

jvschlegel

I went to Boat.u.s, and told them what I was doing, and they gave me the phone to call West systems. I explained I was filling in holes in the transom, and they told me what I needed. Their fiberglass starts with one epoxy, and then you add different harderners to it.

I am by no means a glass person, but in my limited experience, that is what I have done. Might help you out.

jon

Gordo

Jon,
Thanks for the advice. Did just that. I Pick up all the stuff from West Systems through Land N Sea tomorrow.

Thanks to everyone for all your help.

FX10

Call Mini craft. Give them you boat model and year. They will send you the gelcoat you need. it's that simple. Don't go with West Systems.

Rick

Gordo

Ok. Just out of curiosity, is there something wrong with West System stuff?

viol8or

Hey Gordo- there isn't anything wrong with the west systems stuff at all, the matching of the gel coats color on the other hand can be a real pain. This is what makes the difference on a good or bad job. If you can contact your boat manifacturer to get some gel coat from that years line by all means do so , but understand that your gel is no longer matching that color,( oxidation,and wax can affect color) but it is close. If you get a tinting kit for gel you should be in business. I would also recommend you do this repair in daylight/ outside to get the color right- you can then pull the hull in to finish filling the scratches and gouges. To do the repairs sand the scratches and gouges back about 2 -2 1/2" on all edges if possible- to make the blend of gel. go to 200 on the feathered edge only , the middle should be 150- nothing finer as the gel needs some tooth to stick to. If the scratches don't need to be filled just do the feathering. For west systems, get some resin- 105, some "clear" hardener- 207, some colloidal silica- to thicken the gel, some spreaders and acetone. Once you have the color right- put about 1/3 aside and seal up,with the other 2/3s I mix in a little silica- it looks like tiny bits of cotton to the desired consistancy to spread, then a little thicker, add a bit of resin to be just a little thicker than you'd like- this depends on how much you are making (filler). then after everything is mixxed add a bit of hardener- resin hardener, this will "kick" everything off. Start spreading. Let it harden up and sand flat again to 200 grit, wipe with a fast swipe of acetone in a rag- let that dry while doing the top coat. Take the 1/3 you put to the side and mix some resin but not as much, in again and stir- you want this thin to spray. put in little a bit of acetone- yes acetone to thin this out more, your looking for a consistancy where the gel is a solid color but drips off of the stir stick, like a light "food" oil would look. Add a bit of hardener to kick it off and grab a preval sprayer- (disposable) and spray the areas. The acetone will make the gel flow out, with little to no orange peel, and will evaporate quickly when sprayed so thin, in other words it will not eat the gel. Any overspray will land on the still waxed or oxidized surface which you'll be buffing out anyway so no big deal. After it hardens sand with 400 to 1200 wet (depends on orange peel- you might start with 600 or 800)and you should be able to hit it with a buffer with a finishing liquid- I use 3m finesse-it II - which is white, as colored- tan will leave a tint to the finish. If you matched the color , which has undoubtedly changed with age, you shouldn't even see the repair. In doing this whole repair the color match is essential and crucial, so take the time to get that right. Good luck- Viol8or

glassdave

iTrader: (1)

nothing wrong with it at all, i use tons of 406 and 407. you do hafta be careful though. there are incompatibility issues when using a polyester gel coat over an epoxy repair.

frenzy

The West System is the way to go. For gel match, I have always found that going directly to the manufacturer of your boat is the key (unless you have a really good eye for color). You also have to consider that the color will darken when it cures. Looks like you're getting some good advice here and you should be ok.