Water Under Gel Coat?

[sludgeguy68]

1985 Checkmate - it's got some scratches and spider cracks, but not too bad looking from far away. This blister-thing appeared over the summer near the gas cap, and water seems to seep underneath the outer coating; I can push it around. It disappears when it dries out and comes back in the rain. It seems to be getting larger as well which is worrisome. Can this be fixed easily? I've never worked with fiberglass/gelcoats before.
Thanks!

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Water Under Gel Coat?

That looks like water under paint, and not gel.

 

[tpenfield]

Re: Water Under Gel Coat?

That Checkmate has a 'metal flake' finish (right)?

Looks like it might be from an impact of some sort. Probably not an easy fix to grind out and re-coat to match the rest of the finish, but that is what probably has to be done. Not a thing that an amateur could do, best for a professional that has some experience with metal flake finishes.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Water Under Gel Coat?

It does look like paint.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Water Under Gel Coat?

if it is paint (and it looks like paint) - quick and easy base-coat / top coat repair

flake off the pealing top coat paint (clear), scuff with 400 grit, spray area with clear, let dry for a while, then wet-sand area, buff and polish.

your looking at about $30 worth of materials (rattle cans of clear from your local automotive paint pro) and about 4 hours of labor.

The great thing about clear coat is that it makes the undercoat shiny. the bad about clear coat is that the paint is clear and there is nothing in it to protect it from UV, etc. so it breaks down in sunlight. because your starting to have delamination issues now, eventually the whole top coat will peal off.