Need advise fixing a crack in Gel Coat
#1
Hi I need some advise to fix this crack in the gel coat which is on the top gunnel. I was thinking about dremeling it out a little bit and then using Adtech P14 or West Systems to fill the crack. Then spry some Gel Coat on top of the repair. Your advise is appreciated. Thanks
#2
fixing the gel is not a problem...figuring out what caused it in the first place is the bigger question....if its de-laminating underneath you will need to grind deeper to get to the void....if the glass is too thin in that area and its flexing you may need to re-enforce under/behind there. If something just fell on it and cracked it then its a straight forward fix.
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-Wally
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy horsepower. And I've never seen a sad person hauling a$$!
-Wally
Money can't buy happiness, but it can buy horsepower. And I've never seen a sad person hauling a$$!
#3
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,228
Likes: 772
From: Wichita, Kansas
oooohhh...yeah, that is a bit more than a 'stress crack' like I recently had to repair. That's well into the mat; Is there any way to get to the back side and lay up several layers of resin/cloth prior to making your topside repair?
#5
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 1,228
Likes: 772
From: Wichita, Kansas
Years ago on my 208 I caught a rogue wave coming into my slip and the dock went up, the nose of the boat went down, and then both came together to just knock the crap out of the nose...similar damage to yours but luckily the underlying mat was somehow miraculously not crushed...but I still resined up a couple of pieces of heavy cloth and used a broomstick to help get it into place, after thoroughly wiping down (with broomstick again!) the inside with MEKP. Dremeled out the fractures using an angled rotary bit but still had some large chunks missing...and on a really curved surface! Built up the missing areas with light cloth and resin, leaving about an eighth of an inch for the final layer of gelcoat.
Took several attempts to match the color (white is not white is not white in some cases...) but finally got it done. Then started with 400 paper and worked down to 2000 paper to get a near-invisible repair. Take your time and the results should be good.
Took several attempts to match the color (white is not white is not white in some cases...) but finally got it done. Then started with 400 paper and worked down to 2000 paper to get a near-invisible repair. Take your time and the results should be good.




