Well, today must have been my day to do that stupid thing you can't believe you did. We were going under a very familiar bridge at high tide, and the clearance is always close, but doable. The admiral got overly nervous; thinking we would hit the anchor light or the arch, so I threw it in reverse (while commited to the bridge). At no time was I going faster than idle speed, but it was enough to have me bounce off the concrete support, then the piling on the exit. For the most part, I have 3 to 4 one foot scrathes in the same area, with a few speckles where the black fiberglass is coming through, plus another 6-8 inch surface scratch by the stern, lastly, a section of the rubrail buckled 1/8 inch off the swim platform. I'm sick and so frigin annoyed at myself for doing this, but time will fix my head. Should I have the boat pulled to fix, or should I live with it until the end of the season? The lowest scratch is a good foot from the water. Does the exposed dark fiberglass need attention ASAP?
Sick with gelcoat damage...fix or wait?
- Thread starter NY Weasel
- Start date
Thanks Pascal, I'm so pi$$ed at myself. 5 hours later, and I'm still saying to myself, "what the hell were you thinking!" Worried about a stupid anchor light, and now the side of my boat is screwed up. Is it better to fill the scratches with over the counter gelcoat repair kits, or wait for the professionals?
- Joined
- Mar 3, 2006
- RO Number
- 20406
- Messages
- 1,584
Gelcoat is damn near impossible for the DIY'ers to match! I've tried many times. The frustration and subsequent poor job isn't going to be worth the money you think you'll save. Not to mention what a poor patch job will do to your resale value. Leave it to the Pro's. They've got the eye and that special touch.