Marine Tex?

[Deepdraft]

I'm looking at Marine Tex to repair a few cracks / dings / holes on the boat. I'm not sure if its the proper fix. Any advice is appreciated. Repairs in the pictures were done by the PO. Thanks.

[sy_gilana]

Fantastic stuff, go to their web page for detailed instructions.

[neilpride]

Asuming is Gelcoat dings and dongs , i sugest to mix some whitegelcoat and add to the mix a bit of Silica , this made the Gelcoat thicker, like a paste, but before you need Dremel in hand open the cracks a bit and prep the spots, acetone etc.. tape it , nothing wrong with marine text , but i prefer use same material, gelcoat, Good Luck!!!

[McGinnis]

Great stuff.

Tip: Before it dries, put a bit of water on your finger and smooth it out. It lessens the sanding and can sometimes prevent any further finishing.

[Cheechako]

Originally Posted by McGinnis

Great stuff.

Tip: Before it dries, put a bit of water on your finger and smooth it out. It lessens the sanding and can sometimes prevent any further finishing.

Marine tex might be great for the deeper stuff. another tip, if possible, tape wax paper over it to make it nearly flush. Comes right off when hard.

[belizesailor]

Marine Tex is great stuff, handy for minor repairs, but it won't match the color and texture of gel coat (if that's a concern).

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by belizesailor

Marine Tex is great stuff, handy for minor repairs, but it won't match the color and texture of gel coat (if that's a concern).

That depends on the color of the gelcoat

You can use pigments with MarineTex just like you can with gelcoat. For whiteish color gelcoats.

[Deepdraft]

My goal is to seal / strengthen followed by paint. Thanks for the information and application tips.

[Jesse]

If you use gelcoat instead it will be much easier to sand and finish. Marine tex is very hard and tough when it sets up.

[minaret]

I hate MT. Those stress fractures will come back if you just grind them out and fill them. They need to be glassed.

[s/v Jedi]

Originally Posted by minaret

I hate MT. Those stress fractures will come back if you just grind them out and fill them. They need to be glassed.

Not when they are only in the gelcoat. I know you want to reply that they always go deeper, but I checked a couple on my boat and another one and they didn't. Old gelcoat (20 years plus) or gelcoat that was applied too thick can just crack with intact laminate underneath.

[bstreep]

Originally Posted by Jesse

If you use gelcoat instead it will be much easier to sand and finish. Marine tex is very hard and tough when it sets up.

It's a perfect product for it.

OK, not really perfect:

It will get EVERYWHERE. Seriously, it's like the bathtub ring in The Cat In The Hat.

But, that being said, it works great. It's UV stable, so you don't have to worry about covering it right away (unlike epoxy). As noted, it cleans up and smooths with water. Great stuff - we used about 10lbs doing our decks:

http://www.cruisersforum.com/forums/...ion-96573.html

[Cotemar]

Cotemar’s Gelcoat small chip & hole DIY repair
It works on holes, corners and flat areas and takes about 5 minutes for each small repair.

Items you would need
1) Acetone to clean areas and white paper towels to apply it with
2) Unwaxed Gelcoat and catalyst
3) Scotch clear tape 1 or 1-1/2 inch wide
4) 3M Scotch Brite hand pads
5) Piece of cardboard and a mixing stick
6) Disposable gloves to protect your hands
7) Plastic Bondo spreader
8) Plastic epoxy syringe for deep holes

Gelcoat chip & small hole repair process
1) Put on your disposable gloves
2) Rough up the repair surfaces with 3M Scotch Brite hand padsto remove any dirt and residue
3) Clean repair area’s with Acetone and clean white paper towels
4) Mix ½ teaspoon and 2 drops of catalyst thoroughly on the cardboard with a mixing stick
5) Put mixed Gelcoat into a small repair, cover all the chipped area. Just guestimate as you fill the chip with gelcoat. You will get close by eye. I tend to go a tad over, so it’s done in one shot.
6) Apply the Scotch clear tape to one side of the wet Gelcoated area, sticking it to old Gelcoat and making sure it is smooth with no wrinkles.
7) With a plastic spreader on top of the Scotch clear tape, you smooth the tape over the mixed Gelcoat and stick the loose end of the clear tape to the old Gelcoat on the other side of the repair, making sure to remove any air.The trick is to get and airtight smooth squeeze.
8) The clear tape should stick to the old Gelcoat all around the wet Gelcoat like a blister
9) You can see everything through the Scotch clear tape, so if you do not like what you see, then remove the clear tape and start over. It just takes a minute to redo.
10) Leave the Scotch clear tape on for a few hours until the Gelcoat repair is hard.
11) Remove the tape from the repair area and you’re done.Go sailing the same day

Note: Unwaxed Gelcoat is designed to be a laminate which will remain tacky unless air is inhibited from coming in contact with curing gelcoat. This is why we cover all around the wet gelcoat with Scotch clear tape and remove any air bubbles.

Have used this method many times and it work’s great for the DIYer. As you get better, you will not be able to see the repair from the surrounding surface.

A Gelcoat Pro will bill you 2 hours for a chip repair.
At $100 usd per hour you can save yourself $200 per chip repair.

[minaret]

Originally Posted by Cotemar

For small repairs like that I use gelcoat and just put a piece of clear tap over it. Smooth it out with your finger or a squeegee over the clear tape. In a few hours just pull off the clear tape and you will wonder where the chip was. It really makes an invisible repair. If I showed you pictures of some repairs I have done this way you would not be able to find the repairs, because I cannot find them. Works on corners and flat areas.

Why wouldn't you just spray it?

[Cotemar]

Originally Posted by minaret

Why wouldn't you just spray it?

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