Gelcoat gameplan?

[chille51]

Hey all, I have virtually no experience maintaining or restoring gelcoat, and looking for advice on a general game plan for my boat. I have some light oxidation below the rub rail, and a bit heavier above the rub rail I think. Also have plenty of war wounds from the previous owner (and a few of my own). Dock rash mostly, scratches some surface some deep. A few dings and pinholes down to the mat. Interested in how you guys with more experience would approach this?

This past weekend I tried a pass on the sides of the boat with my 6"dual action buffer and 3M Perfect It Medium. You can see the difference between the sides of the hull I did, and the stern that is so far untouched here.


And here is a wider shot to get a overall feel. Below the rub rail to lower chine was done. Bottom of hull and deck above the rub rail not touched yet.


Here is a close up of an area post compounding. It is pretty representative of the types of imperfections that exist on this hull.


So I guess looking for advice on order of operations here to not make things worse, and avoid redoing work or unnecessary steps. What is the least aggressive approach to dealing with the lighter scratches in the above pick (sanding or compounding?) And when do I need to get into filling and colour matching gelcoat? And little tricks of the trade I am probably not aware of? I've been reading up and watching YouTube, Boatworks today etc but hands on experience is theoretical at this point.

 

[JWS]

I’m just gonna follow this one…

 

[chille51]

I’m just gonna follow this one…

I thought you were going to offer the show me how it's done? ;p

 

[scott craven]

Pic 3 looks like my gel coat

 

[searun]

I go over my hull every season and complete repairs on any chips in the gell coat - which serves to protect the underlying fiberglass. Not repairing the chips can (in extreme cases) lead to water ingress into the underlying glass causing eventual delamination - again, in the worst case. Not suggesting that the small chips in your pics are problematic at all - just good that you are being proactive and completing repairs to prevent further damage.

"Delamination is when the layers of fibreglass cloth and resin separate from each other or from the core sandwiched between the layers. It is usually caused by physical stress to the fibreglass surface which splits the surface skin and allows water to enter the laminate and travel into the core."

This video is quick and easy watch showing a significant repair to gell coat - might help:

 

[chille51]

Pic 3 looks like my gel coat

It probably looks like a lot of gelcoat on a lot of people's boats. Especially if they are 37 years old like mine is. And if I fix it all up, my current proficiency level with handling around the dock will probably have it looking similar again in a year or two!

 

[chille51]

I go over my hull every season and complete repairs on any chips in the gell coat - which serves to protect the underlying fiberglass. Not repairing the chips can (in extreme cases) lead to water ingress into the underlying glass causing eventual delamination - again, in the worst case. Not suggesting that the small chips in your pics are problematic at all - just good that you are being proactive and completing repairs to prevent further damage.

"Delamination is when the layers of fibreglass cloth and resin separate from each other or from the core sandwiched between the layers. It is usually caused by physical stress to the fibreglass surface which splits the surface skin and allows water to enter the laminate and travel into the core."

This video is quick and easy watch showing a significant repair to gell coat - might help:

Thanks I'll give it a watch. Definitely not interested in delamination. Boat lives on a trailer and is only moored for 5 days or so max, if we go on a trip... but still.

What is your seasonal routine for upkeep?

 

[Rain City]

It probably looks like a lot of gelcoat on a lot of people's boats. Especially if they are 37 years old like mine is. And if I fix it all up, my current proficiency level with handling around the dock will probably have it looking similar again in a year or two!

My Commander was a 92 and didn't have a scratch on it. This would drive me mental. But I guess that's a me problem

Honestly though I had a gelcoat guy go over it all once a year when we polished it. It was easier to maintain after the first year of major minor fixes

 

[chille51]

My Commander was a 92 and didn't have a scratch on it. This would drive me mental. But I guess that's a me problem

Honestly though I had a gelcoat guy go over it all once a year when we polished it. It was easier to maintain after the first year of major minor fixes

Investing in the services of a pro is definitely not out of the question. There was a significant amount of work done by Extreme Fibreglass when I bought the boat last year, but I had them focus on the below the water line area. Which they did a great job on. This stuff I am looking at now is primarily cosmetic. And an opportunity to hopefully pick up some new skills so I don't feel the need to bring the boat to the shop for every little imperfection in the future. I get a certain level of satisfaction out of picking up the skills and doing it myself. That said, right now I basically am a rank amateur- hence the advice seeking.

 

[Rain City]

Investing in the services of a pro is definitely not out of the question. There was a significant amount of work done by Extreme Fibreglass when I bought the boat last year, but I had them focus on the below the water line area. Which they did a great job on. This stuff I am looking at now is primarily cosmetic. And an opportunity to hopefully pick up some new skills so I don't feel the need to bring the boat to the shop for every little imperfection in the future. I get a certain level of satisfaction out of picking up the skills and doing it myself. That said, right now I basically am a rank amateur- hence the advice seeking.

I always wanted to learn as well. But there always seemed to be multiple things that needed my attention so it was nice to delegate half of the work to get back on the water ASAP. that's one of the hard parts about not having a trailerable boat, you can't take your time when you're in a boat yard on blocks.

 

[chille51]

I always wanted to learn as well. But there always seemed to be multiple things that needed my attention so it was nice to delegate half of the work to get back on the water ASAP. that's one of the hard parts about not having a trailerable boat, you can't take your time when you're in a boat yard on blocks.

Oh yeah, this is all off season work or days where weather prevents me from going out. I'm lucky enough to have a space that is workable - though it's a lot easier on clear days. My boat parking spot has a cover, but not a lot of working room in there for exterior work and the bow still pokes out a bit. It isn't climate controlled either so I'll probably take it as far as I can before the weather makes it unworkable, then pick it up again in the spring.

 

[searun]

Thanks I'll give it a watch. Definitely not interested in delamination. Boat lives on a trailer and is only moored for 5 days or so max, if we go on a trip... but still.

What is your seasonal routine for upkeep?

I'm very fortunate in that I have a full size heated shop for my boat and can work on her when I have the time and motivation. Basically my approach is to do a walk around looking for any damage and placing tape beside each chip or damaged area as I find them. Once they are all marked, its easy to simply move from one to the next in a process of systematically completing repairs in small sections that I can tackle easily.

Then depending on how large the chip is, it can be anything from just mixing and applying coats of gell coat, sanding each then buffing at the end to polish the surface. For deeper chips, that may require some slight grinding out to establish a good surface for the gell coat to adhere to. Larger holes you may need to thicken up the gell coat to prevent running. I'm by no means an expert, simply self taught. The real trick is having an eye for mixing a batch that perfectly matches your hull colour - which is tricky. If I had a larger repair that might stand out with a bad colour match, I would hire a pro. Speaking of pro's, heard good things about Extreme FIberglass - anyone have experience with their work? Would be interested in hearing about the quality of their repairs so I have a good go to pro in future should I need that.

Once all the repairs are complete, I apply a ceramic coating to the entire hull called Polly Glow - available at Industrial Plastics. It provides good UV protection and when applied correctly (careful to follow instructions explicitly) will leave your boat with a just waxed and washed finish that lasts all season and doesn't get chalky through UV exposure after a month or so in the sun. My boat is on the water from May until September full time, so I'm looking for something that protects it under extreme conditions.

 

[Rayvon]

^^^ Very good info from "Searun".I've done lots of repairs over the years and I would say to you to leave it to the pro's if you want your boat to look like it hasn't been repaired.There are a lot of different materials needed to do it right and their all very expensive these days.The final color match is the hardest part to achieve,so you could fill and sand to get it to the point where a pro can spray a final coat and cut polish etc..A repair done wrong can look worse than the marks you want to hide.

 

[chille51]

I'm very fortunate in that I have a full size heated shop for my boat and can work on her when I have the time and motivation. Basically my approach is to do a walk around looking for any damage and placing tape beside each chip or damaged area as I find them. Once they are all marked, its easy to simply move from one to the next in a process of systematically completing repairs in small sections that I can tackle easily.

Then depending on how large the chip is, it can be anything from just mixing and applying coats of gell coat, sanding each then buffing at the end to polish the surface. For deeper chips, that may require some slight grinding out to establish a good surface for the gell coat to adhere to. Larger holes you may need to thicken up the gell coat to prevent running. I'm by no means an expert, simply self taught. The real trick is having an eye for mixing a batch that perfectly matches your hull colour - which is tricky. If I had a larger repair that might stand out with a bad colour match, I would hire a pro. Speaking of pro's, heard good things about Extreme FIberglass - anyone have experience with their work? Would be interested in hearing about the quality of their repairs so I have a good go to pro in future should I need that.

Once all the repairs are complete, I apply a ceramic coating to the entire hull called Polly Glow - available at Industrial Plastics. It provides good UV protection and when applied correctly (careful to follow instructions explicitly) will leave your boat with a just waxed and washed finish that lasts all season and doesn't get chalky through UV exposure after a month or so in the sun. My boat is on the water from May until September full time, so I'm looking for something that protects it under extreme conditions.

Thanks for the detailed breakdown, that all makes good sense. As for the question regarding Extreme Fibreglass - yes, I have used them and was very happy with the service. When I bought this boat last year, the bottom of the hull was quite scratched and in particular the keel was worn down to the mat. The previous owner's were not fishermen, but rather an older couple that used the boat for exploring and picnicking etc. And they had a habit of beaching it with no keel guard. It was a condition of getting it insured to get that repaired within 30 days. Plenty of other deep scratches, some to the mat, all on the bottom of the hull, and on the back corners of the sponsoons etc. Took it to Extreme and they got me in quickly, despite already being busy, and gave me a quote. As I mentioned in a previous post, I asked them to start at the bottom and work up. When they were done you would never have been able to tell me the keel looked the way it did to start. the rest of the hull from the keel to bottom chine was basically made like new again. The gelcoat match was perfect to my eyes, as was the repair work. I have no doubt they put more hours into it than I was billed for, but they honored the original quote. Had no problem with me coming down and checking on progress throughout. I would definitely use them again for any kind of major repair. I may still even for these cosmetic ones, if I decide I have bitten off more than I can chew.

Before and after:

 

[chille51]

^^^ Very good info from "Searun".I've done lots of repairs over the years and I would say to you to leave it to the pro's if you want your boat to look like it hasn't been repaired.There are a lot of different materials needed to do it right and their all very expensive these days.The final color match is the hardest part to achieve,so you could fill and sand to get it to the point where a pro can spray a final coat and cut polish etc..A repair done wrong can look worse than the marks you want to hide.

I'm not looking to make this almost 40 year old boat look like it rolled off the line yesterday, but I would like to get it looking as good as I can for what it is. Especially any chips all the way through I'd like to deal with. Basically, if I ever decide to try and sell it I'd like it to look like I gave a crap, because I do. Are you saying that with the level of wear a full respray may be in order? That isn't something that had been on my radar before now.

 

[brutus]

Color matching gel coat is hard, fixing little chips and scratch is not bad imo, matching the color of the patch job is next to imposible lol. Extreme are really good at it, top notch work at a decent price

 

[Rayvon]

I'm not looking to make this almost 40 year old boat look like it rolled off the line yesterday, but I would like to get it looking as good as I can for what it is. Especially any chips all the way through I'd like to deal with. Basically, if I ever decide to try and sell it I'd like it to look like I gave a crap, because I do. Are you saying that with the level of wear a full respray may be in order? That isn't something that had been on my radar before now.

No,I didn't mean a total respray,just the final over the patches.

 

[chille51]

Color matching gel coat is hard, fixing little chips and scratch is not bad imo, matching the color of the patch job is next to imposible lol. Extreme are really good at it, top notch work at a decent price

No,I didn't mean a total respray,just the final over the patches.

Temperatures are forecasted to start dropping, so probably not going to be doing any gelcoat patching soon now anyway. I've got all winter to get the colour match dialed in, or die tryin' lol.

 

[Rayvon]

Temperatures are forecasted to start dropping, so probably not going to be doing any gelcoat patching soon now anyway. I've got all winter to get the colour match dialed in, or die tryin' lol.

Did some patching on my boat yesterday,got it all sanded to perfection and it rained on my spray job.

 

[chille51]

Did some patching on my boat yesterday,got it all sanded to perfection and it rained on my spray job.

Crappy. Yes, it is a bit of a catch 22 - when I want to do the work the weather is not conducive, and when the weather is right I want to be on the water. To that end, I am wondering how much time I can take between sanding/cutting/polishing steps and waxing? Like, if I go down one side cutting, sanding, filling etc. can I get all that done first, and then come back with the wax at the end? Or would leaving it unwaxed that long invite new stains and issues, in which case better to go a small section at a time and completely finish it? Maybe a quick spray wax in between as I finish a section, then do a final proper wax of the whole hull at the end? This assuming the boat is not going in the water during the process. My parking is covered from the rain except for just the very front of the bow poking out a bit.