Gel coat chip / spider crack repair

[fparkell]

I have recently obtained a 28 ft. 1974 Silverton. In examining the hull I have found very small chips or loose gelcoat about the size of red pepper flakes on the sides not the bootom. Observed closely, I can make out fiber. In one area on the starboard side near the transom there are about 8" to 10" spider cracks. I have never worked with gelcoats and fiberglass before and was wondering what the best repair process / cosmetic repair would be. I will be coating the bottom of the boat as the boat will be in a slip from May to October. Additionally there are spider cracks on the deck and was wondering if a good non-slip paint would work on that area. Any information would be extremely helpful!

[jcsercsa]

Hi there fparkell and welcome your in the right place , were all here to help ,

Your question is petty loaded on , can you load some pics up for us and we could help better ???

you see you just might have to fix with glass from the inside or even if you do paint they will come back !! I am fixing mine right now , you can also just grind them out and fill them with Marine tex is a great fix for this !!! check out the last few pages of my thread for some pics of it !!
[ pic of work so far]

Ok some pics will really help us out !! John

[fparkell]

Thanks for replying. I can get some photos but they are not readily available. The blemishes appear to be surface only, I do not suspect the boat to be structurally deficient, however, I am not in favor of allowing moisture to enter the areas so I would like to repair for cosmetic/preventative reasons.

Is applying marine tex similar to working with bondo?

[scipper77]

Chipping and spider webbing near the transom does not sound very encouraging to me. I would want to be sure that there are no problems with the transom before making any repairs or the problem will just come back. And if you do have a rotted transom you have bigger problems then a little paint work.

Sorry to be all doom and gloom here, I really am trying to help.

[fparkell]

No problem. I have seen no sign of rot anywhere. The problems I have observed appear to be gelcoat wear. Just looking for suggestions on how to improve appearance and ensure moisture lock out.

[danond]

Rot can be sneaky and you sound like you're making assumptions and want a quick fix. Do your homework and make sure you don't have it or your gelcoat repair is a waste of time (it'll crack the first time you take it out). Check my website under the "identifying rot" and "repairing stress cracks" section for a couple pictures.

Most cracks in gelcoat that I've seen come from the gelcoat being flexed. If your transom skin is moving, you have rot.