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Gel Coat Repair
- Thread starter 260DA
- Start date
yes it can. the secret to a good repair is color match. If the boat is not too old, and you can get some gelcoat from searay, that will probably be the best match you can make. If the boat is a couple of years old, it has faded and new factory gelcoat will not match exactly anymore. In any case you can fill the gouges with gelcoat and wet sand starting with #320,400, 500, and then 600. then use 3m heavy duty rubbing compound and then finesse-it, you should have a shine comprable to the rest of the area.
I don't know if Searay sells a "repair kit", but most dealers always have some gelcoat on hand for minor repairs. All you need is a baby food jar and ask Searay to pour some gelcoat into the jar for you. Put some gelcoat the size of a silver dollar on a piece of cardboard and let it sit for 20 minutes so it gets a little thicker. While you're waiting, take a razor blade and chip away any loose gelcoat from the gouge. Use #80 sandpaper and sand the inside of the gouge and taper the edge of the gouge. Clean with acetone. when you're ready to apply the gelcoat, add 1 drop of MEKP catalyst and mix it well. Take an artist brush and apply the gelcoat to the gouge building it up above the surrounding area as it will shrink as it cures. wait about 20-30 minutes and then spray PVA mold release on top of the gelcoat. You must do this or the gelcoat will not totally cure. Leave it overnight. then wet sand as I mentioned previously, compound/polish with machine (not by hand)