gel coat worn through to metal flake

[jhardesty]

My skeeter bass boat , the gel coat has worn down to the meatal flake on the fiberglass.....is there anything that i can apply on this to get the shine back....I am thinking of re-gelling it ....but wondered is there another product that is easier to spray on....or apply? Thank you

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

You are either going to apply clear gel coat or clear automotive spray over everything.

Metal flake is the WORST (near impossible) to repair while retaining the flake.

 

[jhardesty]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

Thankyou, the metal flake is in good shape , the clear gel is just gone down.....What auto paint? Should I use enamel, acrylic, acrylic enamel, or the base clear cote... I was worried about future peeling or yellowing... Thank you for the info...

 

[westexasrepublic]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

bump for more information...I have the same questions

 

[tdrudd87]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

I have no experience with it, but I would think clear gelcoat would be the way to go.

Terry

 

[westexasrepublic]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

I guess what I keep coming back to isn't what kind of product fixes the problem, but what brand or method has been proven by the good folks on this board, to work......like this product?

http://www.iboats.com/Protective-Cl...8733424--**********.357463837--view_id.484737

or is there a common Marine clear coat that works best?

 

[westexasrepublic]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

or Vertglas?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

I don't have the time right now, but will get to this, its a somewhat long answer.

 

[westexasrepublic]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

Ok, does anyone else have an explanation of what he might be thinking?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

It depends on exactly how much clear is gone from the surface. Dull with no shine...sand and buff, if the surface is rough and you can feel the flake it gets more complicated. If you sand into the flake for any reason, or the flake is exposed, then sanding into it may make any repair look blotchy or different from the surrounding area when clear is applied over it.

Clear coats over metal flake tend to fail and start to peel over time, frequently its because of poor prep work. Although good paints tend to bond very well to gel coat, you need to be very careful to not sand into the flake, so if the clear gel coat is thin you don't want to remove it and expose any flake, this leads to the failure when not enough scuffing of the surface is done. Gel coat typically needs better surface prep, or I should say just more aggressive prep work with a coarser paper, which will remove more of the surface, which can more easily expose the flake.

The look of the finished product will also be affected by the color, size, concentration and thickness of the flake layer, sometimes sanding into the flake isn't as noticeable depending on these variables. You can also add some pearl to the clear you apply, this will hide some of the defects and bring back some of the color of the faded flake and/or gel coat.

 

[westexasrepublic]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

although I appreciate your input, the title explains the situation. There is no more clear coat in most places.

I don't know about the OP but I know im going to have to redo the clear coat, I was wanting to know what product is a best DIY.

Obviously professional would be better, but if I was gonna go that route I wouldn't be on this board, I would just have loads of cash laying around for shop repairs.

Please do not get my wrong, the information you (and others) provided so far is relevant, just a bit redundant for the topic.

Look at the console for a good example.***

ALSO port and starboard sides in this pic***

 

[ondarvr]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

although I appreciate your input, the title explains the situation.

Actually it does not describe your situation, what I discussed as a common failure in my post appears to be taking place on your boat, at least from what the pics show.


It looks as if someone has already sprayed your topside with an automotive clear and its now peeling off, if this is the case you have a couple of possible options.

One is to remove the clear coat and re-spray it, the other is to remove it and possibly sand and buff the original clear gel coat if there is enough left so you don't sand through.

 

[westexasrepublic]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

I feel like I'm being argumentative, and I apologize if I am. If I touch the boat and can feel the flakes that would mean that there is no clear coat in those spots, right?

If so then I would need to apply a new clear coat and was wondering what have people used that works before I waste my money on a lame DIY clear coat that everyone already knows doesn't work.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: gel coat worn through to metal flake

There is no one product that gets used, high end 2 part clear coats (pick one), or clear gel coat. If you ask 5 people you'll get 6 answers.

None of the clear coats are going to last very long, they will again peel like you see now, so it really doesn't make a huge difference.

Feeling rough doesn't necessarily mean you're feeling the flake, and to do the correct type of repair you need to identify the problem and know what the pro's and con's are of each possible course of action.