Gel Coat Question

ugadawg187

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Aug 18, 2007
Messages
165
My boat is fairly old an 89 model. When i bout it the boat had been sitting in the water for the past 2 yrs. Now thats ive got it out the gel coat is badly oxidized and has blisters below the water line. Ive found some expoxy gel coat that said all you have to do is clean the boat and apply with a roller. I need to know what direction i need to go with this cause i know nothing about redoing a gel coat. Thx:confused:
 

erikgreen

Captain
Joined
Jan 8, 2007
Messages
3,105
Re: Gel Coat Question

Hmm, I think you're mixing terms here.

Short answer first: You can't just paint on more gel coat... it's either part of the original hull or it's not. Anything applied later is a paint. Also, for best results with any coating, most of your time will be spent doing prep work. Just "getting it clean" isn't enough.

"Gel coat" strictly speaking is a variant of a polyester resin material.. it's usually used as the first or closest to the mold layer on a boat made of the stuff, because it provides a nice smooth, durable surface.

An epoxy "gel coat" is probably (I'm guessing) some sort of clear epoxy paint which might make a good surface coat if it's good quality stuff but only with proper surface preparation. It won't look like the original hull did, in any case. It's a different material.

You also say your gel coat is "blistering" below the water line..that seems strange to me. I've read about moisture getting below the outer layer of the hull layup and causing blisters, which is delamination, but I've never seen it in real gel coat. Are you certain the hull has never been painted?

In any case, what you'll need to do is to clean and prep the hull first.. make sure you remove all those blisters and loose material, probably sand with a fine grit sandpaper, fill with fairing compound as necessary, and then paint on your "gel coat". Probably 95 percent of the total time to get it painted will be in doing the prep work. Check out advice posted here on "tip and roll" or visit the interlux web site to get an idea on how exactly to apply the epoxy based paints.
 

TilliamWe

Banned
Joined
Dec 21, 2004
Messages
6,579
Re: Gel Coat Question

As stated above you have to get rid of the blisters before you do anything else. Below waterline blister can happen to boats left in the water without a protective epoxy bottom paint. That's because gelcoat is a porous material, and the gelcoat on your 89 model has absorbed water. If they are really small, don't be surprised if they disappear over the winter. But they won't go away completely if they are of any larger size. You have to "open them up", and then get the hull REALLY dry. Depending on the humidity in your area, this could takes weeks or months.
If you search on here for "blister repair" I'm sure you'll find someone that knows FAR more than I. You have a job ahead of you.
As far as faded deck, well, there are lots of "oxidation removers" or gelcoat restorer products out there. It's rubbing compound, basically. And if it's real bad, wet sanding may be needed. Search that too, it's on here. Good luck, you have some good hard manual labor ahead of you.
 
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