Gel Coat Repair?

[Dave D]

I have a very small hole/leak in my gel coat below the water line on my CD25. This occured while trailering the boat and I believe a rock flew up from the tire and hit the hull. I repaired it with a gel coat repair kit that I purchased from West and it worked great for this past season. For the repair I sanded down the hull until I had the gel coat around the area exposed then ruffed up the surface, cleaned and applied the new gell coat. The problem is the yard this fall knocked it off with the pressure wash. Does it sound like I did the repair right and if not what can I do differently? Would a pressure washer do that to most all repairs do to the velocity of the water? I really don't feel like repairing this every year. Thanks for all your help.

Dave D
CD25 R&R



ddsailor25@ureach.com

[Kurt]

Epoxy resins/products are much more suitable for hull repairs beneath the waterline. The secondary bonding characterstic of epoxy is far superior to polyester resins (epoxy sticks real good). Epoxy is more waterproof as well. There's much information available on this site as well as other sources on the subject. Do a little research and you'll find what you need.



kjlgpw@aol.com

[charlie palumbo]

I have a very small hole/leak in my gel coat below the water line on my CD25. This occured while trailering the boat and I believe a rock flew up from the tire and hit the hull. I repaired it with a gel coat repair kit that I purchased from West and it worked great for this past season. For the repair I sanded down the hull until I had the gel coat around the area exposed then ruffed up the surface, cleaned and applied the new gell coat. The problem is the yard this fall knocked it off with the pressure wash. Does it sound like I did the repair right and if not what can I do differently? Would a pressure washer do that to most all repairs do to the velocity of the water? I really don't feel like repairing this every year. Thanks for all your help.

Dave D
CD25 R&R

Dave,
As the gentleman from the prior message stated, epoxy is the way to go. Remove all loose material in the area...a little overkill is better than underkill. Wipe exposed area with acetone. Rinse with water and wipe dry with paper towel. After you feel comfortable that the exposed area is dry, use west epoxy. apply a thin coat of 105 resin to area. After area becomes tacky, apply mixture of 105/205 and filler. The filler I would recommend is 406. It is extremely strong and as close to waterproof as you are going to get. when mixing 105/205/406 you will want to get a peanut butter consistency, to minimize sagging after application. When you apply this mixture,apply it so that you slightly overfill the gap. The reason for this is that you want to fair it down smooth to the hull. After an overnight dry, wet a paper towel and briskly scrub the area. 406 leaves a shiny surface called amine blush.....you object is to remove the shine.
sand smooth with 80 grit, and you should be fine.
good luck.........Charlie



jcp1347j@aol.com

[Hobbster]

Dave:

To answer your question. The repair was not done properly. I have made many gelcoat repairs and when done properly, they will not be blown off by a pressure washer. Below the water line epoxy is the way to go. It is more forgiving and the repair area will be covered with bottom paint anyway.

Good luck
Glen



glen@hobbymarine.com