Deck spots

[Dhmosier]

I have a early 70's Catalina 25. I am just starting to work on some of the cosmetic issues. I was hoping for some input on the attached pictures.

1. What are these? I am thinking that they are blisters that should be easy to repair. Am I correct?

2. What is best way to repair. Since I do not believe the glass underneath is comprised I should be able to just do a basic gelcoat repair. Again, am I correct.

I am currently reading many of the old threads but wanted some input on my pictures.

As always thanks!

[David M]

The gelcoat has thinned from its original thickness. You either need gelcoat replacement or paint. If the blemishes cover large areas then the most practical thing to do is to have an LPU sprayed on, that's if you want a really nice professional looking job.

White is nearly impossible to match, so you want to do a large area anyway.

A less than perfect job would be to brush on paint. An LPU ideally, a one part paint less than ideally.

[Dhmosier]

David,

I have spent much of my life restoring old mustangs and have a very good compressor/sprayer set up that I used for everything other than body work ( I painted interior, engine compartments, etc). Do you think I could spray the entire deck if I took a week off work for prep to finish?

[Cheechako]

A hard work week maybe. Depends on if you are going to remove all hardware etc or just tape around it. A lot of work for a boat not worth too much. How many are there? could you just tip ingel coat in each dot with a mini bursh?

[HopCar]

I agree with David M on this. It looks like the gel coat has gotten thin. Not a surprise in a boat of that age. The easiest cure is a good Awl Grip or other LPU job. With your experience spray painting it shouldn't be beyond your skills. My boat had similar problems. I just lived with it until I got a soft spot in the deck. I had the yard repair the bad area in the deck and then Awl Grip the whole thing. It looks better than new.

[minaret]

That looks like alligation in a previous repair to me. If you look carefully at the first pic I think I see a blend line/poor color match. Easy fix if so. Is it just one spot or are similar spots everywhere?

[David M]

Originally Posted by Dhmosier

David,

I have spent much of my life restoring old mustangs and have a very good compressor/sprayer set up that I used for everything other than body work ( I painted interior, engine compartments, etc). Do you think I could spray the entire deck if I took a week off work for prep to finish?

If you are already experienced spraying car paint then yes, I think you could do it and do a really good job at it. Just don't use Bondo for your filler. I would use an epoxy filler intended for boats, Interlux makes a good one.

The only concern left is spraying in a place where nobody is going to object. Many boat yards and marinas do not allow owners to spray paint. You might have to shop around for one that does allow spraying.

You might also want to find something to practice spraying before you spray your boat. Getting Awlgrip just right can be tricky.

[barnakiel]

Aesthetics. Practically just fix the gelco. If you get the perfect color match now it will show up in the future anyway.

b.

[Dhmosier]

Thanks Everyone!

Yes finding a place to spray is going to be a problem. Asked and the sail club says no.

I would like it to look nice but does not have to be perfect. Anything would look better than the measles look.

These are the worst spots but there are many more around the boat.

If I can not spray are there other good options?

I am worried that the deck will get soft if I do nothing to reseal.

Yes I understand that I am way underwater on this boat already. The new outboard did that in spades. However, it is my first project so I am willing to write off extra expense to education.

Thanks for all of the help!

[minaret]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

Aesthetics. Practically just fix the gelco. If you get the perfect color match now it will show up in the future anyway.

b.

This is not true. The common belief that patched gelcoat ages differently than the gel around it is a falsehood. I have done hundreds of gelcoat repairs which cannot be seen after twenty years or more. I believe that this urban legend has been created by people color matching to the oxidized surface instead of sanding back to the original color and polishing before color matching. Then once the repair oxidizes as well the match is off.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by minaret

This is not true. The common belief that patched gelcoat ages differently than the gel around it is a falsehood. I have done hundreds of gelcoat repairs which cannot be seen after twenty years or more. I believe that this urban legend has been created by people color matching to the oxidized surface instead of sanding back to the original color and polishing before color matching. Then once the repair oxidizes as well the match is off.

With hundreds of gelco repairs behind you, you qualify as a specialized pro.

I was talking from the perspective of a typical boat owner doing the job with their own hands.

b.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by barnakiel

With hundreds of gelco repairs behind you, you qualify as a specialized pro.

I was talking from the perspective of a typical boat owner doing the job with their own hands.

b.

Me too. A typical boat owner can do this job with their own hands perfectly well, as long as they are well informed and not mislead by falsehoods. That's the point of the forum, is it not? To spread good info, not bad? That particular belief is one I have heard from all sorts of people, many pro's included. But it's just not true, in most cases. There are many ways to create an effect that might cause you to believe it's true, over catalyzation and poor prep for matching being the most common, but it's not. Anyone can do perfect gelcoat repairs that last with determination and practice.

[barnakiel]

Originally Posted by minaret

Me too. A typical boat owner can do this job with their own hands perfectly well, as long as they are well informed and not mislead by falsehoods. That's the point of the forum, is it not? To spread good info, not bad? That particular belief is one I have heard from all sorts of people, many pro's included. But it's just not true, in most cases. There are many ways to create an effect that might cause you to believe it's true, over catalyzation and poor prep for matching being the most common, but it's not. Anyone can do perfect gelcoat repairs that last with determination and practice.

You must be right. I must try harder next time.

My job seems to hold up all right but I can clearly see where I fixed things. Our gelco is cream (lighter shade than IP but sort of similar color). After a couple of years in the tropics the color difference between the original and the repair is obvious (to me, visitors do not seem to notice).

b.