Chips in the gel coat on hull. Is it an issue?

Chadbud

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Aug 13, 2016
Messages
80
Hey all!

I purchased my boat last year and have had no issues. It’s a 1989 Celebrity 208 SE.

Here is my question.. there are many chips in the gel coat along the bottom of the hull. I smoothed them out with my Dremel and you can see the fiberglass in some. I have some pictures linked in post.

My mechanic who's been in the business for 30 years said it's just cosmetic. None of them puncture deeper than the outer gelcoat layer. Another mechanic that does gel coat work said he can patch them but he charges around 100$ an hour.. and there are probably well over 20-30 spots. They’re only noticeable when the boat is trailered. My worry is that they are letting water up into the boat hull. I dont know if this is the case but I'd like to keep this old boat in good running condition for at least another 5-10 years! What is my best move here? If I have to address it and make repairs I'd like to keep it under 1000$ since the value of the whole boat is about 5k anyway.

What do you guys think? Should I have these repaired? Are they an issue? What is the cost effective repair? I don't currently dock the boat.. I trailer it everywhere I want to ride. Would it be an issue if I were docking it?

I trust yall and appreciate any input. Thank you for taking the time to read my post!
 

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Chadbud

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Aug 13, 2016
Messages
80
Yes, repair them
Hey Scott!

Okay.. budget wise, what is my best move here? I've heard of filling them with "Marine-tex" would do the trick as far as sealing the hull. Also of course there is the option of me hiring a guy in my area to repair it with an actual gel coat.

Sorry, I'm quite young and new to this kind of job. It's my first boat at the young age of 29.

Thank you!!!
 

JASinIL2006

Vice Admiral
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
5,559
Buy this and repair them yourself. It’s easy!

 

tpenfield

Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Jul 18, 2011
Messages
17,732
Buy a gelcoat patch kit, and even a half pint can of gelcoat if you have many spots to repair. Watch a few YouTube videos on gelcoat repair/patching and pay yourself the $100/hour. (y):D
 

Scott Danforth

Grumpy Vintage Moderator still playing with boats
Staff member
Joined
Jul 23, 2011
Messages
47,641
mix up some gel, cabosil and mekp, spread it on with a bondo spreader
 

racerone

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
36,418
Easy fix I say.-----You pay $100/hr because the shop hopefully does flawless / can not see the repaired area.----But working for yourself is different.
 

Drivewayboater2

Petty Officer 1st Class
Joined
Aug 21, 2019
Messages
273
I agree with all above!
Easy fix..... buy the kit (I’m on my second purchase).....follow instructions.
Toughest part will be to match the color...try and do some color testing before you put it on the boat... dried gelcoat looks different than wet. Good luck.
 

Chadbud

Petty Officer 3rd Class
Joined
Aug 13, 2016
Messages
80
I agree with all above!
Easy fix..... buy the kit (I’m on my second purchase).....follow instructions.
Toughest part will be to match the color...try and do some color testing before you put it on the boat... dried gelcoat looks different than wet. Good luck.
Is the dried color lighter? I actually already have a gel coat repair kit but I can’t seem to match the brownish/off white color of my hull!
 

JASinIL2006

Vice Admiral
Joined
Feb 10, 2012
Messages
5,559
The kit I bought had tubes of color and instructions for color matching. The resulting color isn't perfect, but it's quite close and since it's below the waterline, who cares?
 

racerone

Supreme Mariner
Joined
Dec 28, 2013
Messages
36,418
You mix up a wee batch -----make notes on the amount of color added.----Let it cure and see how it matches the hull.----When you are happy start the patching on the hull.
 
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