Gelcoat on R5

[Jim O]

I found a used 2017 R5 that is reasonably priced and I am considering instead of buying a new one as it is 45k less that new, boat is dark blue in color and has some minor scuffs, scratches for the most part but does have a poor repair to the gel coat on the port side that is roughly 2 feet by 2 feet, owner said boat was scratched by the boat docked next to him and the person that tried to pair it did a poor job, looks like someone took sand paper to spot paint is faded and cracked, can someone give me an idea what this will cost to fix and is it a big deal

[AsLan7]

I found a used 2017 R5 that is reasonably priced and I am considering instead of buying a new one as it is 45k less that new, boat is dark blue in color and has some minor scuffs, scratches for the most part but does have a poor repair to the gel coat on the port side that is roughly 2 feet by 2 feet, owner said boat was scratched by the boat docked next to him and the person that tried to pair it did a poor job, looks like someone took sand paper to spot paint is faded and cracked, can someone give me an idea what this will cost to fix and is it a big deal

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Do you have a pic?
If there are just a few scratches you can get 1500 grit wet sand paper. Sand for about 5-10 minutes as you lubricate with water.
Then use 3M cutting compound and a wool pad on a high speed buffer for another 5 minutes. It will look almost brand new. Icing on the cake will be a light polish and wax.

The damaged repair could be anywhere from $250 to $1250 depending on damage. Again a pic will help diagnose.

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[dustinm]

I would be very leery of whats underneath that shoddy repair. Gel coat isnt like auto paint and takes people that care about what they are doing. Lots of bodyshops' mainstays are fixing 6-9 year old cars that will be at the end of their service life in a few years, so they only use products that last that long. Then the problem on a boat is these products get accelerated wear from the marine environment and look like crap even sooner.

If you have a reputable shop, I would have them inspect the current repair before purchase.

[Big Block Power]

I just don't know. I think who ever fixes this you will always see this spot. But really without pictures hard to tell. Where are you from? OK CT I don't know anyone that way. If you were in Missouri then that's a diff story.
But there are some really good gel people out there.

[dustinm]

Im with BBP and kind of what I was eluding to above. In this price range I would steer clear of a boat like this, but like I mentioned if you find a good gel coat person they may make all the difference.

[CobaltDeadHead]

Out of curiosity, is it possible to have the gelcoat stripped and completely redone? Obviously would be quite expensive.

Just curious what people do with older boats and full restoration projects.

[Big Block Power]

To sand off all of that gel would be a ton of work.
You really need to see if you have a good glass shop by you and see what they do. You could spray over old gel. You can paint over old gel. We do have a body shop owner on here he may chime in.