Chipped gel coat

[JASinIL2006]

Hi all, I have a recently purchase used boat (Larson 186 SEi bowrider) and I was underneath it last night working on the trailer. I noticed two chips in the gel coat and fiberglass below the waterline along one of the chines. I took a couple of pictures (one with my fingertips for scale).



One chip (on the left) is fairly small, but the other is about a quarter of an inch deep. It looks like the boat was bumped against something and the chip came out of the sharp edge of the hull. I don't see any other cracks or damage in that area (or any other part) of the hull.

I assume this really should be fixed and since the boat has been dry for a while, it would probably makes sense to do it now. I am not sure what to use; on other threads, some folks have recommended Marine Tex epoxy, while others suggested touching it up with gel coat.

I'm not terribly concerned with how the repair looks, as I don't think it will be visible unless someone is on their back under the boat trailer. I do want to make sure the repair protects the hull and prevents any water from getting into the fiberglass, etc.

Thanks!

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Chipped gel coat

Gel coat repair kit will do the trick . . . an easy job.

 

[oops!]

Re: Chipped gel coat

for the deep gouge.....you will need to build up the fiberglass before gellcoating.....the glass has been damaged.

grind away the gellcoat, (the white) and fill the area using structural thickened resin. add a layer of .75 oz csm.
then re gellcoat.......those little kits as suggested will do fine

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Chipped gel coat

So would something like Bondo Fiberglass Resin Jelly work for a small area like this? Or is 'structrual thickened resin' something else?

Sorry if it's a dumb question, but I'm a first time boat owner... haven't done any of this kind of repair before.

Thanks!

 

[oops!]

Re: Chipped gel coat

click the link in my sig....

look in the index for oops sooper dooper peanut butter

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Chipped gel coat

That stuff looks pretty cool, but I need, at most, about a tablespoon (probably more like a teaspoon) of the stuff to fill the chipped area. Given the size of the damaged area, is it going to make much of a difference? I was really hoping to be able to use some sort of a small kit for the patch...

 

[oops!]

Re: Chipped gel coat

just mix a wee bit in the bottom of a coffee cup
....that bondo carp does not like marine application

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Chipped gel coat

I can get it without buying gallon tubs of the ingredients? Any recommended online places? I Googled a couple of the ingredients and didn't see any places that sell it...

Thanks!

 

[oops!]

Re: Chipped gel coat

where are you?....cannces are really good you can get it local....

but us comp is one that the guys go to here....

also a local boat builders or repairer will sell you all that stuff for about 10 bux

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Chipped gel coat

I live in a small town in West Central Illinois in the U.S. No boat places in my neighborhood... the nearest marina is an hour away or more. That's why I look for stuff online... I'll see what I can find. Thanks for your help!

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Chipped gel coat

for the deep gouge.....you will need to build up the fiberglass before gellcoating.....the glass has been damaged.

grind away the gellcoat, (the white) and fill the area using structural thickened resin. add a layer of .75 oz csm.
then re gellcoat.......those little kits as suggested will do fine

Well, I ordered some Cabosil and some polyester resin and hardener and some fiberglass, so as soon as it's here I think I'm ready to make some peanut butter.

In your instructions above, what do mean by "add a layer of .75 oz csm." after I fill the area with the peanut butter?

Also, how hard will this be to sand? Do I want plan on over-filling it and sanding it down, or would I be better off under-filling and making up for indentations, etc., with the gelcoat layer?

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Chipped gel coat

When you say you ordered fiberglass, what did you order? .75 oz csm IS fiberglass. You can get it at Lowe's or Home Depot. It is a very light weight glass material that looks like this...


Mix the PB to the consistency of thick mayonaise and then tear some of the fibers from the CSM and mix into the PB and then fill the spot leaving it a little low. Then Mix up some resin with hardener only and lay a piece of the CSM over the patched area. Let it all dry for 30 minutes then sand it down and mix up your gelcoat and apply.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Chipped gel coat

I think the 'fiberglass' I'm getting might be a woven mat type of fabric (it's part of a repair kit). If the CSM is readily available, I can just pick up some of that. I'm not sure how much I can layer it... the chipped area is only about a quarter inch deep. Do I want the the last coat (csm plus resin) to fill the chipped area flush with the surrounding gel? Then the gel coat would overlap both the patch and the existing/surrounding gel coat?

Thanks for helping to explain this.

 

[Woodonglass]

Re: Chipped gel coat

Yeah you will sand the area around the patch so its a shallow valley and then use the PB and the CSM to fill the valley to just shy of the finished height. The gelcoat paste will do the rest and then you will sand and buff to finished height. 3" diameter should be about right. This drawing might help you viusalize what I'm saying...

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Chipped gel coat

That helps a lot! Thanks!

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Chipped gel coat

Gel coat repair kit will do the trick . . . an easy job.

Just to let you know.. tpenfield is correct..

You could spray gel after your repair is faired out to make it better .. but grinding 2" around that thing and lamming glass is a bit over kill IMO ..

Simple gel paste repair..

Good luck.

YD.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Chipped gel coat

So, given that the place I need to repair is on the underside of the boat, and on a surface that slopes down from the chine to the keel, how much will I need to worry about sagging? And if it does sag, what's the remedy? Sand it down and maybe do an additional coat? After reading some of the fiberglassing threads, I'm not thrilled about laying under the boat trying to work with this stuff above me...

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Chipped gel coat

So, given that the place I need to repair is on the underside of the boat, and on a surface that slopes down from the chine to the keel, how much will I need to worry about sagging? And if it does sag, what's the remedy? Sand it down and maybe do an additional coat? After reading some of the fiberglassing threads, I'm not thrilled about laying under the boat trying to work with this stuff above me...

The gel coat repair kit will (most likely) have a few pieces of clear plastic . . . that is for covering the patch area while the gelcoat hardens. You secure the plastic sheet on either side of the patch area (another of the millions of use for duct tape). It will hold the gelcoat in the patch area and form a smooth surface that is even with the hull surface. Since the chips are along the chine, you would be best served to bend the plastic sheet to the shape needed ahead of time. You won't have to be under the boat. Then, after it has cured, you will have some light sanding (800 - 1200 grit) just to finish it off.

Keep in mind that this patch, being about the size of your thumb nail, is wicked easy. If the damage area were more the size of your fist, then it would be a more involved repair as described in some of the previous responses. You might be able to find some videos on you tube that would be helpful.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Chipped gel coat

The kit Im thinking of is a patch paste. Sagging would not be an issue in this case.

YD.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Re: Chipped gel coat

The kit Im thinking of is a patch paste. Sagging would not be an issue in this case.

YD.

Are you referring to something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000XBF7ZO/ref=pe_175190_21431760_cs_sce_3p_dp_1

Or something like this?

http://www.amazon.com/Fiberglass-Ev...=sporting-goods&ie=UTF8&qid=1331932950&sr=1-1