screw holes in gelcoat

[jesters420]

What should i use to fill holes in the gelcoat? Something that will match as close as possible without repainting.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: screw holes in gelcoat

You can buy gelcoat repair kits at West Marine, etc.. They work great and contain instructions and colors. You'll also need wet sanding paper (220,400,800,1000, 1500) and polish.

 

[jesters420]

Re: screw holes in gelcoat

Thanks for the help. I will check them out this week.

 

[Plainsman]

Re: screw holes in gelcoat

Are the holes all the way through? If so you may want to use Marine-Tex.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: screw holes in gelcoat

Careful with epoxies. Gelcoat won't stick to them...

 

[jesters420]

Re: screw holes in gelcoat

Some of the holes go thru and some do not. I do not plan to paint this boat at all. the gelcoat needs to be worked over to a nice shine. I just want a fix that will look as good as it can without painting. I guess that the hardest part will be trying to match the paint I have.

 

[bjcsc]

Re: screw holes in gelcoat

Hmm...is it painted or is the gelcoat colored? I would mix up a color with the gelcoat repair kit. Then take a small amount, activate it and let it set up on something clean (plastic scraper, whatever). Then compare the color to your color. Make whatever color changes to the base you think you need, take a small amount of that, retest, etc. until you are satisfied that you're close enough. Activate your mix. Slightly overfill your holes (too much is better than too little). Gelcoat will not cure in the presense of air, so you have basically two options 1) PVA - polyvinyl alcohol - sold at West Marine, etc., dilute with water, spray on the gelcoat. Makes a thin purple film over the repair and washes of easily with water after the cure time. 2) Plastic - the kit will come with a little plastic sheet, or you can use plastic wrap I use the PVA because it's easy and one bottle will do all the repairs you'll ever do (hopefully!) Anyway, once it has set up, carefully block sand it (wet, lots of soapy water), working up to 1500 grit. You could probably stop at 1000 if you going to be compounding the rest of the boat.

Note: In my experience, you can always see the slight color difference in the repair, esp. with colors other than white, right after you do it. However, you will "lose" them in time and the will always look better than holes.

 

[Plainsman]

Re: screw holes in gelcoat

I am just a novice, so please take with a grain of salt, but this is waht Marine-Tax told me:



Good afternoon Eric.
Thank you for your interest in our Marine Tex products.
Marine Tex will adhere to old epoxy without any issues. Please make
sure
the area is scuff sanded and thoroughly cleaned.
I have attached an informative paragraph from our website that you may
find
very helpful.

How to apply gelcoat over epoxies (Marine Tex):
-Applying polyester resin (like gelcoat) over epoxy is very tricky and
must be done extremely carefully. The smaller the repair, the easier
it
is to coat epoxy with gelcoat. The larger the area, the polyester
will be
more difficult to work with and more likely to malfunction (not cure).
-Mix and apply the epoxy to the surface to be repaired. Be sure to
use
the correct proportions and keep the application at a minimum of 70?F.
-Let the epoxy cure for a minimum of 48 hours. Leave more time for
curing
if temperatures are between 68? - 60?F. (At least 72 - 96 hours.)
This
time for curing allows the amine blush (a waxy surfactant) to come to
the
surface.
-Clean the surface with a quick wipe of solvent. (please wash with
warm,
soapy water)
-Check to see if the blush is completely removed.
-Lightly sand with 120 grit sandpaper, clean again.
-You will now be ready to apply the gelcoat.




Please feel free to contact me directly if you have any additional
questions or comments.

Sincerely,
Kristy Redstreake
Rec. Marine Sales/Customer Service
ITW Philadelphia Resins
Phone: (215)855-8450 ext. 113, Fax: (215)855-4688
http://www.marinetex.com/

 

[jesters420]

Re: screw holes in gelcoat

If I have not started to remove the oxidation on the surface then should I wait until I am done filling the holes since I still need to sand. Just clean around the holes before filling? Can I take a dowel and fill part of the hole?

 

[bjcsc]

Re: screw holes in gelcoat

Yes I would wait. It would be easier to do all at once. Clean the holes out with acetone and make sure they're clean of debris. Regarding the dowel comment, what kind of screw holes do you have? I was thinking #10 or #12 screw holes. What do you have big enough for a dowel?