How to fix scratches in the gel coat from docking/slipping. Should I fix or just deal with it.?

Question

I bought a new boat about a year ago and I've put a few scratched in the gel coat from pulling up to the dock and the slips. When I first got it I wasn't that great at getting it in, but now I'm much better, but sometimes when the wind is blowing its still hard to avoid rubbing the dock where I don't have a fender.

I have navy blue top coat so when it gets scratched the white shows through and is highly visible.

I'm a very handy person, so can I buy something and repair this my self?

And more importantly should I care? I walked around the marina my last trip out and saw most boats have scratches at the dock line.

Does every boat owner scratch their boat once in awhile?

This is my first ocean boat and first experiences pulling in and out of slips. Especially with a 25' cabin cruiser.

Answer 1

To simplify this answer, yes, everybody gets some scratches, and yes, its fine to want to fix it and care about your boat.  Plus, scratches that are just left there can cause more peeling in the gel-coat, and even let blisters develop from moisture getting under the gel goat.  Go to a boat store near you, or search online, for small gel-coat repair kits.  There are lots of different kinds, get the simplest one.  I just use a small tube of gel-coat scratch repair, but it only comes in white and off-white.  They do sell kits that come with tiniting colors.

P.S.  It sounds like you should add 1 or even 2 more fenders to the docking side of your boat.  Or, what I do, is have extra fenders hung over the side of the dock, that I hung horizontally for extra protection.  They also sell long bumper strips that you s***w into the side of the dock.

Answer 2

God...talk about DOWNLOAD DIARRHEA......

From what you describe you have a PAINT scratch. The Gelcoat is under that.  For sure...for a gouge you have to fill the gelcoat...since you have to topcoat to match the blue paint, I would just use epoxy putty. Try to find out what paint is on your boat...that may be hard.

If it is super Dark Blue...it's a good chance it is Flag Blue Awlgrip. It could also be Interlux Brightside or Imron or Sterling....

Basically do a flush repair...spot paint and wet sand locally through the grits finishing with 2000 then a compound buff.

I suggest dock strips....cushion rails for your dock. At my slip, I leave the fenders attached to my dock. And practice more with friends at the dock to assist.

Good luck.

Answer 3

I downloaded this for myself , hope it helps. Gelcoat Scratch Repair

by Don Casey

Surface scratches can be buffed out of gelcoat with polishing compound, but deep scratches must be filled. When the gelcoat surrounding a scratch is in good condition, the filler of choice is gelcoat paste, which provides both filler and finish in a single application-but not a single step. Because the surface of the cured paste will be uneven, sanding and polishing are required to smooth the repair and blend it with the rest of the hull. Except for color matching, gelcoat repairs are easy and straightforward.

Gelcoat Choices

You will find gelcoat available as both a resin and in a thicker putty form called paste. For scratch repair you want paste. Repair kits comprised of a small amount of gelcoat paste and hardener, a selection of pigments, mixing sticks, and sealing film can be purchased for less than $20. Buy a flexible plastic spreader if you don't already have one. You will also need sheets of 150-, 220-, 400-, and 600-grit wet-or-dry sandpaper. A single sheet of each will be more than ample to fair all the paste in a repair kit.

If you are repairing several scratches, add a small bottle of styrene to your list of supplies. Wiping each scratch with styrene just prior to filling it partially reactivates the old gelcoat, resulting in some chemical bonding between the old gelcoat and the new. Otherwise the bond between old and new is strictly mechanical-like a coat of paint. A mechanical bond is normally adequate, but the more extensive your repair, the more certainty you want.

Color Matching

The hardest part of a repair to the surface of a fiberglass boat is matching the color. Professionals who do gelcoat repairs daily still have difficulty getting a perfect match. Even "factory" colors don't match exactly after a boat has been in the sun for a few years.

White has the significant advantage of being fairly easy to match, and once a small repair is buffed out to a gloss, shading differences will be unnoticeable. Matching colored hulls is somewhat more challenging.

A color-sample card from your local paint store that matches your hull can provide valuable help. Ask the store clerk the formula; they custom-mix the color by adding tints to a white base. The formula may call for a half-dozen different tints, but the important ones are those specified in the largest quantities. You can use the tints in your repair kit to approximate the formula.

Always color gelcoat paste before you add the catalyst. Put exactly one ounce of paste into a mixing cup and add the tints a drop at a time. Keep track of the number of drops of each tint. When the color looks close in the cup, touch a drop of the mix onto the hull. Make needed adjustments until you are satisfied with the match-don't expect perfection-then write down the formula so you can duplicate it for the rest of the paste.

Preparing the Scratch Never try to repair a scratch by simply painting over it with gelcoat. Gelcoat resin is too thin to fill a scratch and gelcoat paste is too thick. Instead of penetrating scratches, gelcoat paste will bridge them, leaving a void in the repair. To get a permanent repair, draw the corner of a scraper or screwdriver down the scratch to open it into a wide vee.



This is the time to wipe the open scratch with styrene to reactivate the old gelcoat.

Catalyzing

The hardener for gelcoat is the same as for any polyester resin-methyl ethyl ketone peroxide, or MEKP. Gelcoat resin usually requires 1 to 2 percent of hardener by volume (follow the manufacturer's instructions). As a general rule, four drops of hardener will catalyze 1 ounce of resin at 1 percent. The mix shouldn't kick (start to harden) in less than 30 minutes. Hardening in about two hours is probably ideal. Always err on the side of too little hardener. Also be certain to stir in the hardener thoroughly; if you fail to catalyze every bit of the resin, parts of the repair will be undercured.

Spreading Gelcoat Paste

Work the gelcoat paste into the scratch with a flexible plastic spreader. Let the putty bulge a little behind the spreader; polyester resin shrinks slightly as it cures, and you're going to sand the patch anyway. Just don't let it bulge too much or you'll make extra work for yourself.

Scrape up any excess paste beyond the patch area.



Covering the Repair

Gelcoat will not fully cure in air. To seal the surface of a scratch repair, cover it with a sheet of plastic film. The kit may include sealing film. Otherwise a section of kitchen "zipper" bag works especially well because it tends to remain smooth and the gelcoat will not adhere to it. Tape one edge of the plastic to the surface just beyond the repair, then smooth the plastic onto the gelcoat and tape down the remaining sides.

Sanding and Polishing

After 24 hours, peel away the plastic. The amount of sanding required will depend on how smoothly you applied the gelcoat.

A 5 1/2-inch length of 1 x 2 makes a convenient sanding block for a scratch repair. Wrap the block with a quarter sheet of 150-grit paper, and use the edge of the block to confine your sanding to the new gelcoat. Use short strokes, taking care that the paper is sanding only the patch and not the surrounding surface. Never do this initial sanding without a block backing the paper.



When the new gelcoat is flush, put 220-grit wet-or-dry paper on your block and wet sand the repair, this time with your block flat. Use a circular motion and keep a trickle of water running on the sanding area. Feather the repair into the old gelcoat until your fingertips cannot detect a ridge. If the hull is curved, take care not to sand the repair flat.

Abandon the block and switch to 400-grit wet-or-dry paper. Wet sand the surface until the repair area has a uniform appearance. Follow this with 600-grit wet-or dry. Wear cloth garden gloves-the kind with the hard dots-to save the tips of your fingers.

Dry the area and use rubbing compound to give the gelcoat a high gloss. Swirl a soft, folded cloth over the surface of the compound to load the cloth, then rub the compound onto the repair area. Buff it with a circular motion, using heavy pressure initially, then progressively reduce the pressure until the surface becomes glassy. If the gelcoat shows swirl marks, buff them out with a very fine finishing compound.

Finish the job by giving the repair area a fresh coat of wax. If your color match is reasonably good, the repair will be virtually undetectable.