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First gel coat ding—repair advice?

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:20 pm
by Rgodfrey914
Got my first gouge the other day. Only my second time taking the boat out! :( The good news is that it seems to be very repairable, and I’ve got the first ding out of the way as well. I had just launched at a new ramp. It’s one that doesn’t have a proper dock—rather, it has a concrete pier that runs alongside the ramp. I pulled to the left of it to pick up my truck driver and saw a few rocks near the shore. I made every effort to stay well clear but there were some submerged and I bumped one hard enough to cause a ding. Obviously won’t use that ramp again! Anyway, I was advised to order a repair kit from Spectrum and try that first so that’s what I’m going to do. Any advice for a gel coat repair first timer?

Re: First gel coat ding—repair advice?

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:41 pm
by Big Block Power
It happens. You want to tape around the edges and grind and bevel the edge. And use a popsicle stick or a bondo spreader to smooth out the gel. It will shrink so do a couple of layers. Then sand it down and buff it shinny. 48hrs she will look like new again. Ask Jeef Nauti how easy it is to gel 😂😂

Re: First gel coat ding—repair advice?

Posted: Thu Apr 29, 2021 9:56 pm
by rabiddawg
From what I’ve read, the nice thing about gel coat is it stays the same color as it cures.

Re: First gel coat ding—repair advice?

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:26 am
by capn272
I just did a pretty substantial keel gouge repair on mine last weekend. I got the evercoat gel patch kit.

I've unfortunately had to work long days this week so I haven't had a chance to sand it down, but the process is easy enough. I recorded it on my phone to put together a decently amateur youtube video. Now, whether youtube needs more amateur boat repair videos or not is up for debate, but I'm gonna throw my entry on the pile..

Re: First gel coat ding—repair advice?

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 5:19 pm
by Rgodfrey914
capn272 wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:26 am I just did a pretty substantial keel gouge repair on mine last weekend. I got the evercoat gel patch kit.

I've unfortunately had to work long days this week so I haven't had a chance to sand it down, but the process is easy enough. I recorded it on my phone to put together a decently amateur youtube video. Now, whether youtube needs more amateur boat repair videos or not is up for debate, but I'm gonna throw my entry on the pile..
Please drop a link when you're done, I'll give it a look!

Re: First gel coat ding—repair advice?

Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2021 5:49 pm
by Big Block Power
Rgodfrey914 wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 5:19 pm
capn272 wrote: Fri Apr 30, 2021 9:26 am I just did a pretty substantial keel gouge repair on mine last weekend. I got the evercoat gel patch kit.

I've unfortunately had to work long days this week so I haven't had a chance to sand it down, but the process is easy enough. I recorded it on my phone to put together a decently amateur youtube video. Now, whether youtube needs more amateur boat repair videos or not is up for debate, but I'm gonna throw my entry on the pile..
Please drop a link when you're done, I'll give it a look!
Evercoat is different then spectrum paste.
That stuff gets hard as a rock. Much harder to work with if it's the same stuff I used in diff spots on my boats.

Re: First gel coat ding—repair advice?

Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 10:08 am
by Bratcho
Good point, BBP. The spectrum patch kits also dry up/go bad in a month or so once opened.

Re: First gel coat ding—repair advice?

Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 10:55 am
by Big Block Power
Bratcho wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 10:08 am Good point, BBP. The spectrum patch kits also dry up/go bad in a month or so once opened.
I've used spectrum a year later and it's been fine. I like spectrum better just because I think it's easier to work with and it matches dead on.

Re: First gel coat ding—repair advice?

Posted: Sat May 01, 2021 8:47 pm
by Rgodfrey914
Big Block Power wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 10:55 am
Bratcho wrote: Sat May 01, 2021 10:08 am Good point, BBP. The spectrum patch kits also dry up/go bad in a month or so once opened.
I've used spectrum a year later and it's been fine. I like spectrum better just because I think it's easier to work with and it matches dead on.
Kit came in today. Gonna fix it up tomorrow or Monday—I’ll post pics when I’m done!