[Paddlewise] How the Gelcoat Repair Turned Out

Hi, 

About a month ago I asked for some advice regarding gelcoat repair, and
I thought I'd let you know what I ended up using and how it turned out.


Materials I used:
SeaFit Gelcoat Patch, 2 oz tube
Marine-Tex putty, small jar with liquid catalyst, white
Sandpaper in 180, 400, and 600 grit
I bought all the materials at West Marine in Woburn, MA. 

During my launch on a trip to Thatcher island just of the coast of
Rockport, MA, I put a divot in the prow of my kayak just below the seam.
I was launching from the boat ramp at Granite Pier, and after getting
myself into the boat, I was distracted trying to put my sprayskirt on
the coaming and drifted into the pier.  Crunch!  I just didn't think I
was going fast enough to cause any damage, but the pier's enormous,
rough granite blocks can cause damage even at low speeds. 

Because the damage was at the prow of the boat, it seemed to me that the
"hole" made by the cracking of the gelcoat was deeper than it might have
been on a flat part of the bottom of the hull. 

First stage:

I used the SeaFit gelcoat patch, white.  This comes in a tube and
doesn't require any hardner or anything.  It starts out as liquid, and
then swiftly approaches the consistency of slightly warm marshmallow
Fluff.  I found that it kept flowing towards the bottom of the divot,
leaving a gap at the top.  I tried to remedy this with a second coat
where I used masking tape and waxed paper to hold the material in place.
I still ended up with unfilled portions at the top.  

Of course, gelcoat shrinks as it cures, and overall, while the new
gelcoat patch covered and sealed the fiberglass patch underneath, it
wasn't near even with the original gelcoat`.  

Second stage:

I decided to try Marine-Tex putty.  I had had experience with Bondo on
cars, and it seemed similar to me, except unlike Bondo it wasn't
single-stage, it needs a hardener (which comes with it).  I found the
Marine-Tex putty pretty easy to work with.  It filled the hole handily
and sanded well.  As a listmember warned, it did dry darker -- it was
slightly gray when finished.  Just to see what would happen, I roughed
up the MarineTex with some of the rougher sandpaper I had on hand and
painted on a very thin layer of the gelcoat patch material.  This worked
like a charm, and after sanding, I don't think you can see the repair
unless you know where it is and put your face up right next to it.  


Things I would do differently next time: 

I'd get more spreaders/mixers (little popsicle sticks would do fine) and
a set of small plastic putty knives.  Otherwise, I think the
gelcoat/MarineTex/gelcoat formulation is a good one.  I think it's a
good idea to put an initial layer of gelcoat into a hole, because it's
less likely to have air bubbles than the putty, even if the initial coat
flows or is uneven.  Then you can cover the uneveness with MarineTex and
do some cosmetic finishing with gelcoat patch material if you want to. 

Lisa

______________________________
lisa_at_cadence90.com
bikes, books, internet radio
 


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