gelcoat refinish?

[Nitro_boy]

My 97 Nitro has a burgundy bottom with some gouges and scratches on the bottom. Should I use the gelcoat repair kit I have and try to match color or fill in major chunks then gelcoat repair over? I also want to sand down and buff bottom and top what products and equipment are needed?

 

[Nitro_boy]

Re: gelcoat refinish?

anyone?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: gelcoat refinish?

Burgandy may be difficult to match with a normal patch kit, heck, almost every color is hard to match, so just remember that you'll only get close.

Patching either way works, using a filler or gel coat does about the same thing.

Do a search here on buffing and you should have a weeks worth of reading.

 

[renovatorbill]

Re: gelcoat refinish?

I would reccommend that you go to West Marine and get their "High Strength Filler" for the large problems as it is vinylester and will not shrink when cured. You can sand smooth and gelcoat over. Best thing to do is also get a Pre-val sprayer for gelccoat application. Get some sanding aid(wax additive) to eliminate stikyness upon cure. Reds' are impossible to match but your original kit will come close. Sand after spraying with 600 - 800 grit paper before buffing. Find some Aquabuff 2000 or equivilant from your local automotive or fiberglass store for buffing. The whole bottom can be sanded with 800- 1000 grit before buffing to really bring out the luster.
Good luck

 

[Nitro_boy]

Re: gelcoat refinish?

Ok here is an update: I started skimming entire bottom of hull with the gelcoat repair kit and realized the entire bottom is heavily scratched and there are several epoxy patches which it won't stick to.and the gelcoat repair stuff is a mess. I don't care what color what is my best bet for overall groove filling and skimming with several small chips to fill as well? I plan on paintint the bottom eventually but keeping the hull protected is my priority.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: gelcoat refinish?

Not sure what you mean by keeping the hull protected.

On trailered boats scratches and chips are only a cosmetic concern.

 

[Nitro_boy]

Re: gelcoat refinish?

The bottom of my hull looks like it was beached daily it has serious grooves,chips and scratches. I just want to fill it all smooth and sand it down and paint the bottom. What epoxy filler can I use for this? I'm new to this will I need matting or if I'm just filling do I just skim and sand? There are places where holes were through the hull along the keel and were epoxied well but I want to build them back to original thickness.

 

[Starcraftguy1]

Re: gelcoat refinish?

What I use is Duraglass,it is made by Bondo.Make a golfball size on cardboard,stir it up real good first with a paint stick,so all the oils go back down through it,and use maybe a half inch of the white hardner that comes in a tube.You have to move quick,well here in Arizona you do,and make sure you get a new spreader,just a 3" er.Don't stir the stuff together with hardner instead use the spreader and mix it like pie dough,spreading it in,over turning the whole glob until all the hardner is mixed thoroughly,then use small amounts on the spreader and wipe it with the gouge very tightly against the boat,you only want to fill in the gouge,you don't want a big glob of stuff on there that you have to sand for 3 days,understand?I'm a bodyman,I use the stuff everyday.Just try a little tiny bit until you get what you have to do.PM me if you have questions,I am on here a lot.Make sure you stir the can first,that is what Imeant by the oils.Make sure you have a rag there so that you can clean your spreader when you are done,before it gets hard.