gelcoat repair

[firstlight]

I have a 31 ft. 1993 Tiara with a 16" deep scratch on the hull. how difficult is it to repair and match color.

 

[muddkatt]

Matching the color is the hard part. I am doing repairs now. Actually waiting on it to cure. Proper prep is the key. For just one scratch, I might get someone to repair it for me. On my boat, I did a lot of things, so it made sense to buy all the extra materials that was needed.

 

[Leviathan1]

Check out Spectrum Gel coats. They have factory matched patch kits.

 

[Gregory S]

Problem with the Spectrum kits is that they will match the gel coat as when it was new, not the 14 year old gel coat you have on the boat now which has oxidized and faded. If you have tape graphics on your hull, lift one and you'll see what your gelcoat used to look like!

 

[blueflew]

Go on YouTube and search for Gel coat repair. Their are a few videos showing you how to repair gelcoat. To color match, first compound the area where the repair will be. If your hull is white, start with white gelcoat..about a pint, make sure the repair area has the sun on it..if in the shade, the color will look different. Dip your finger in the gelcoat and smear it on the repair area (of course no catalyst added to the gelcoat yet) and try to determine the color difference. You will need small tubes of pigments and gradually add a drop of what ever color you think you need and mix well and smear the gelcoat on the hull again. Keep doing this until it looks like a match. Then pour a small amount of the gelcoat into a paper cup or on a piece of cardboard and add a few drops of catalyst. Put the rest of the gelcoat away for future use. Very few boats are pure white. Most have some brown or yellow pigment added. Color matching is somewhat of an art and this is what the professionals get paid for.