dock rash repair...

[sailhog]

After a long Father's Day sail that included a wicked electrical storm and a 35Kt-plus wind over the stern as I docked the boat.... well, I came in a little hot and chipped a 1-inch diameter circle of gelcoat from the bow, about a foot above the waterline and just behind the bobstay. The 29-year-old C30 suffered a few surface scratches as well. Any ideas as to how to repair the chipped surface? There are no cracks in the glass (it was a fairly gentle collision, especially considering the circumstances). I'm thinking that the chip could allow for some water intrusion and want to get her fixed ASAP. Is this a gel coat fix? Thanks much....

[sailhog]

If I get a crack in my ass, I'll know who to call...

[sailortjk1]

I'm surprised the Dog has not been around to answer this.
Dan, where are you?

[smackdaddy]

Heh-heh. Welcome to the wonderful world of ignore Hog!

It's just a gel coat fix. Get some 5200 and Dow celzine underliner. Mix a thick compound and season it with paprika. Then use a bratton-style spatula to apply the compound and sand with Scotch mono-ply 20000 grit paper until perfectly smooth.

Melt a white crayon and mix in some of the oxidized paint from the rest of your hull, then paint the substance over the new patch for a perfect match.

Good as new.

(Of course, you may want to get a second opinion.)

[sailingfool]

Patching gelcoat is a simple repair, buy a tube or bottle of gelcoat patch at West marine and apply. Fill and wet sand a second time, then compund and polish.

The challenge is getting a good color match which is very difficult for the DIYer to do. You can practice with the color tints to try to find your own match, good luck with that, or you can pay a professional to get it reasonably right. If you don't want an off-color circle on the hull for the remainderr of your ownership experience, hire a pro.

[sailhog]

Thank you, Sailingfool... the rest of you... well, I'm rescinding any offers of assistance with regard to pleasuring your wives and girlfriends. You're going to have to figure it out on your own.

[arf145]

Originally Posted by smackdaddy

It's just a gel coat fix. Get some 5200 and Dow celzine underliner. Mix a thick compound and season it with paprika. Then use a bratton-style spatula to apply the compound and sand with Scotch mono-ply 20000 grit paper until perfectly smooth.

Melt a white crayon and mix in some of the oxidized paint from the rest of your hull, then paint the substance over the new patch for a perfect match.

Man, that's freaky--I use the same method! Mostly. The bratton-style spatula is a little cumbersome for me, so I switched to to a confectioner's spoon. And I substitute dried school paste for the crayon. Otherwise, spot on. The paprika is key.

[sailingdog]

MarineTex or thickened epoxy for the deeper scratches and dings and then sand fair, then gelcoat. Getting the color to match will be a copper-plated biatch...

Originally Posted by sailortjk1

I'm surprised the Dog has not been around to answer this.
Dan, where are you?

Was on the boat working.... on the boat..