So how do I fix blemishes or repair scratches on my boat?

[Brian_]

Hello all,

I have a 1982 Bass Cat bassboat that has some flaws. I thought i had it figured out after a little research but now am more confused than ever. My boat is white with red metal flake on the hull. The boat has some screw holes on the white i wanted to patch properly and some scractches on the red metal flake i wanted to repair. I thought i could just get the west system kit and then gelcoat but now i've read the gelcoat wont stick to the epxoy. The transom on this boat feels super solid and the boat overall is in pretty good shape so i wanted to basically have it looking new. I also read on the internet that if a boat has been gel coated the paint (metal flake) won't be raised above the surface of the base coat but this is not the case with my boat, if i run my fingers across the metal flaking i can feel a raised surface.

My question is how do i go about getting this boat looking sharp? Also, the motor has been changed and there is an extra set of holes on the transom. I wanted to make these disappear what is the best way? I've done a lot of research but it seems it just goes in circles.

 

[jigngrub]

Re: So how do I fix blemishes or repair scratches on my boat?

Polyester resin and gel coat won't stick to epoxy... but your boat isn't made out of epoxy, it's made out of polyester resin and gelcoat.

You can make up a polyester resin based filler to fill your holes with, they call it peanut butter here. Or you can buy some of this stuff:
Bondo? Bondo-Glass? Fiberglass Reinforced Filler, Automotive & Boats Qt 272 on eBay!

Your metal flake gel coat will be difficult if not impossible to fix. You can try wet sanding it.

 

[Georgesalmon]

Re: So how do I fix blemishes or repair scratches on my boat?

Everything above is right. The metal flake is suspended in a clear gelcoat. Be carefull if you wet sand that you don't go through the clear and sand the flake which is really polyester and not metal. Good metalflake jobs start with a clear coat (against the mold) and then a clear with flake for a second coat and then the backup color. With luck you should have 12ish mils of clear to sand but if the scratches are deeper than that it is a problem.