Marine Tex?

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Why make a 5 minute job into a 60 minute job.

1) Just rough up the surfaces
2) Clean with acetone
3) Put a dab of gelcoat in the holes
4) Cover with clear tape
5) Smooth out with finger or squeegee on top of clear tape
6) let dry
7) Remove clear tape
8) Wonder where the hole was

Oh oh, this is gonna cost the pro's a couple of customers now that the secret is out

I wonder if the tape method also works with MarineTex and if that could be thinned a bit with acetone... Time for experiments

[ronbo1]

MarineTex is so good it's been around for more than 50 years!

Ronbo

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Why make a 5 minute job into a 60 minute job.

1) Just rough up the surfaces
2) Clean with acetone
3) Put a dab of gelcoat in the holes
4) Cover with clear tape
5) Smooth out with finger or squeegee on top of clear tape
6) let dry
7) Remove clear tape
8) Wonder where the hole was

As a pro gelcoat repairer, I seriously doubt I'd wonder where the hole was. If you don't wet sand and buff to finish, how are you getting rid of the prep sanding halo? What happens when your dab is too much and it comes out from under the tape? Or you get wrinkles for the same reason? I've done many thousands of gelcoat repairs, and you just can't get a pro repair like this. No reason it should take longer to spray a touch up either. I often use a Preval for shooting gelcoat repairs, no compressor and often no masking, only costs a few dollars and is disposable. If there was a faster better method for pro repairs, we'd be using it.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by minaret

As a pro gelcoat repairer, I seriously doubt I'd wonder where the hole was. If you don't wet sand and buff to finish, how are you getting rid of the prep sanding halo? What happens when your dab is too much and it comes out from under the tape? Or you get wrinkles for the same reason? I've done many thousands of gelcoat repairs, and you just can't get a pro repair like this. No reason it should take longer to spray a touch up either. I often use a Preval for shooting gelcoat repairs, no compressor and often no masking, only costs a few dollars and is disposable. If there was a faster better method for pro repairs, we'd be using it.

Just stating my facts.

You do not have to be a pro gelcoater to do a pro job.

Don’t believe everything you think, because eventually even logic will not make sense to you.

Try my method and if you’re not 100% satisfied I will retract my post.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

Just stating my facts.

You do not have to be a pro gelcoater to do a pro job.

Don’t believe everything you think, because eventually even logic will not make sense to you.

Try my method and if you’re not 100% satisfied I will retract my post.

It's not like its a method I haven't tried before, with refinements. Have tried it with heavy Mylar instead of tape, etc. etc. the problem is that the dab must be exactly the right size, or you will get a high or low spot. And hard edges don't blend well. Occasionally it works out for very small chips on a fairly flat spot, but generally not worth trying, as a Preval will give guaranteed pro results in no time. Perhaps you should try a Preval? For repairs that are actually impossible to find...

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by minaret

It's not like its a method I haven't tried before, with refinements. Have tried it with heavy Mylar instead of tape, etc. etc. the problem is that the dab must be exactly the right size, or you will get a high or low spot. And hard edges don't blend well. Occasionally it works out for very small chips on a fairly flat spot, but generally not worth trying, as a Preval will give guaranteed pro results in no time. Perhaps you should try a Preval? For repairs that are actually impossible to find...

The OP has a gelcoat hole that no sprayer is going to fill.

My tape method would make that hole vanish in 5 minutes and just remove the tape a few hours later and your done.

It works great on flats and corners and you can go sailing the same day.

[Exile]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

The OP has a gelcoat hole that no sprayer is going to fill.

My tape method would make that hole vanish in 5 minutes and just remove the tape a few hours later and your done.

It works great on flats and corners and you can go sailing the same day.

I know I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, but I didn't think you could achieve a long-term fix by using gelcoat alone on a repair as deep as the one down to the laminate in the pic. Wouldn't this require some filler material, e.g. epoxy, poly-based fairing material, marine-tex, or perhaps gelcoat paste at a minimum? I thought that gelcoat alone -- whether sprayed or not -- on a repair this deep would wind up cracking, etc. in fairly short order.

Cotemar -- what do you have in mind for clear tape? The non-reinforced packing tape, for e.g.? What about wax paper?

[Sandero]

Filling a hole of whatever shape/form/depth with new material so the surface blends and is continuous requires that the new material be the precise volume of the hole/crack you are attempting to fill. If you use too little you will have a dimple or depression... too much and it will be a pimple or a bump. The raised fill can be sanded and polished and made flush and almost invisible if the color matches.

Shiva has a vanilla white gelcoat with 27 years of UV exposure... matching the gelcoat is not easy to begin with and a professional mix will sell you a gallon for several hundreds of dollars... much more than needed for a few small scratches dings.

I think perhaps the solution is use marine tex, sand flush and over spray with some custom enamel paint. It's not gel coat but probably a decent compromise. I have a dozen blemishes or deal with... low on the list of boat projects.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

The OP has a gelcoat hole that no sprayer is going to fill.

My tape method would make that hole vanish in 5 minutes and just remove the tape a few hours later and your done.

It works great on flats and corners and you can go sailing the same day.

The OP has a factory void the length of that radius. Obviously filling and fairing must happen first in a void that deep. Which is the only pro way to go anyhow, I'd get fired if I tried to fill a void that size with gel. 2 hours is pretty standard bill time for a perfect chip repair for us, like it was never there. If you'd rather do a poor repair in five minutes, go nuts. That's not me.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by Exile

I know I'll be corrected if I'm wrong, but I didn't think you could achieve a long-term fix by using gelcoat alone on a repair as deep as the one down to the laminate in the pic. Wouldn't this require some filler material, e.g. epoxy, poly-based fairing material, marine-tex, or perhaps gelcoat paste at a minimum? I thought that gelcoat alone -- whether sprayed or not -- on a repair this deep would wind up cracking, etc. in fairly short order.

Cotemar -- what do you have in mind for clear tape? The non-reinforced packing tape, for e.g.? What about wax paper?

I use 1" inch wide Scotch Clear Tape.
The reason I use clear tape instead of wax paper is so I can see the hole through the tape and with the tape stuck around the hole it allows you to get an airtight smooth squeeze with the squeegee.

The airtight smooth squeeze is the trick that makes it smoothly fill the void and surrounding surface at the same time.

I surprised myself the first time I did a gelcoat repair with this tape method. Been using this method ever since.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

I surprised myself the first time I did a gelcoat repair with this tape method. Been this using this method ever since.

But explain to us how you get the exact right amount of gelcoat under that tape?

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by minaret

It's not like its a method I haven't tried before, with refinements. Have tried it with heavy Mylar instead of tape, etc. etc. the problem is that the dab must be exactly the right size, or you will get a high or low spot. And hard edges don't blend well. Occasionally it works out for very small chips on a fairly flat spot, but generally not worth trying, as a Preval will give guaranteed pro results in no time. Perhaps you should try a Preval? For repairs that are actually impossible to find...

I think marine tex for general repairs (that dont have to match or be perfect) is fine. However, Minaret is right on about the amount needed to fill the hole. I use wax paper and have done this extensively. Too much filler and you have excess around the repair, too little and you have a low spot or divit. So what you do is make it low and re do another final fill. Then yes you will have to sand a little. You will now have sanding marks around the repair so need to progressively sand finally polish it out. ... or just fill it close and call it a day. It's apples and oranges. Minaret is doing what you would expect if you were paying someone to fix it and not see it afterwards. Others may just want to fill the hole.

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by s/v Jedi

But explain to us how you get the exact right amount of gelcoat under that tape?

Just guestimate as you fill the hole with gelcoat. You will get close.
If you’re under you can just do it again in a few hours.
If your over a tad, it just fairs our with the squeegee to a smooth transition. I tend to go a tad over, so it’s done in one shot.

If I were on the boat right now I would snap a picture of one of my repairs, but you will just have to believe me until I can get a picture.

When you see the pictures, you will not be able to see the repair from the surrounding surface.

If you do not like how the repair looks through the clear tape.
Pull the tape off.
Wipe off the gelcoat and start over.
It only takes a minute to start again.

[Dave]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

If your over a tad, it just fairs our with the squeegee to a smooth transition. I tend to go a tad over, so it’s done in one shot.

I usually brush some mold release on the surround. After tape, squeegee and cure the overage just flakes off.

Dave L38 #38

[Cotemar]

Here are a few other tips for repairing gelcoat.

I had a few small areas of the deck that had FP non-skid deck bumps chipped off.
I fixed them with the FP factory gelcoat and hardener that was given to us with the boat.
Takes about 45 minutes to fix them.

Items you would need
1) Acetone to clean areas and a clean white rag to apply it with
2) FP Exterior Gel Coat and Hardener
3) PVA Mold Release or Barrier film and an eye dropper or spray bottle to apply it with
4) Small syringe to apply a small uniform bead of Gel Coat
5) Wooden popsicle sticks for mixing gel coat and hardener
6) One foot square piece of cardboard to mix the gel coat and hardener on.
7) Surgical gloves to protect your hands

Process to fill the non-skid deck bumps
1) Put on your surgical gloves
2) Clean area you want to do with Acetone on a clean white rag
3) Mix ½ teaspoon and 2 drops of hardener thoroughly on the cardboard with a popsicle stick
4) Put catalyze (mixed gel coat and hardener) into Small syringe
5) With the syringe. Start filling the missing non-skid deck bumps
6) With an eye dropper or spray bottle. Put a bit of PVA mold release over all areas of gel coat you put on. Do this as you go so you do not miss any and so you can see where you have been.

Note: Gel coat is designed to be a laminate which will remain tacky unless air is inhibited from coming in contact with curing gel coat. This is why we put on PVA mold release to seal out the air.