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Author Topic:   MarineTex

Sinclair7 posted 04-18-2002 02:44 AM ET (US)
When MarineTex is used for a repair, does it need to be covered with gelcoat? I read that epoxy is sensitive to sunlight. What kind of tint is used to change the color of MarinTex? What exactly does sunlight do to epoxy? Thanks for any responses.
Sinclair7
Cpt Quint posted 04-18-2002 09:22 AM ET (US)
I believe that it will turn amber in color but i seriously doubt that it will effect its strength. You can use any coloring agent to try to match an area but will have the most luck using the marine tex to repair the area and then cover over it so its not exposed to sunlight(paint,gelcoat..etc). Its not really meant to be on the surface of a cosmetic repair.
jimh posted 04-19-2002 08:53 AM ET (US)
Abou five years ago I used WEST System epoxy to fill several holes in the transom of my 1976 15-Sport. (The holes were left after replacing an aging depthsounder transducer that had a gigantic mounting bracket.)
This was in my pre-FORUM and pre-LHG days of Whaler ownership. So I just used tinted epoxy for these repairs, no gelcoat topcoat.
At first the color match I obtained with my tinted epoxy was very good, but after several years the epoxy hue has shifted. It is now more yellow, and the small hole patches are visible. In as much as they are on the transom and mainly underwater, I have not redone them.
If you are filling a hole which will remain visible and is in a prominent area, it is probably wise to leave room in your repair for a top layer or two of gelcoat. I used this technique for repairing some holes in the gunwales and deck, and there has been no sign of color shift in the gelcoat. It matches about as well as it did when applied--which was close but not perfect!
If your gelcoat is Whaler DESERT TAN or similar, I have found that white gelcoat can be tinted with just a speck of the "brown" pigment (sold specifically as gelcoat tint) to get a decent match. When I did this I ended up mixing brown tint to white gelcoat, creating a beige mixture. Then I used small amounts of this mixture to tint another batch of white gelcoat to a DESERT TAN shade, it being easier to control the tinting this way than adding the dark brown molecule by molecule.
lhg posted 04-19-2002 03:38 PM ET (US)
BW has always recommend that small screw holes, in areas of smooth gelcoat, simply be filled with matching paste gelcoat. If the hole is deep or larger, they recommend adding chopped glass fibers, to make a gelcoat "mash", and pack that in the hole first. Then paint plain gelcoat on the surface, sand, etc.
I have found that enlarging a screw hole with a counterink bit makes a nice tapered hole in the glass, and leaves rough edges, to receive and bond a gelcoat patch. If one is still going to fill a hole with Marine-Tex or other brand of Epoxy, then clean up the hole at the surface with this countersink bevel, and gelcoat it over.
For repairing stripped out holes for rail bases in the wood pads, drill out the holes twice the diameter of the screw, all the way through the wood pad (about 3/4" deep) pack in with Marine-Tex right to the surface, and sand and polish flush. The different color will always be covered by the rail base. Then re-drill new holes for the self-tapping screws. These will hold like a rock, and not let any water into the wood pads or hull.

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Author	Topic: MarineTex
Sinclair7	posted 04-18-2002 02:44 AM ET (US) When MarineTex is used for a repair, does it need to be covered with gelcoat? I read that epoxy is sensitive to sunlight. What kind of tint is used to change the color of MarinTex? What exactly does sunlight do to epoxy? Thanks for any responses. Sinclair7
Cpt Quint	posted 04-18-2002 09:22 AM ET (US) I believe that it will turn amber in color but i seriously doubt that it will effect its strength. You can use any coloring agent to try to match an area but will have the most luck using the marine tex to repair the area and then cover over it so its not exposed to sunlight(paint,gelcoat..etc). Its not really meant to be on the surface of a cosmetic repair.
jimh	posted 04-19-2002 08:53 AM ET (US) Abou five years ago I used WEST System epoxy to fill several holes in the transom of my 1976 15-Sport. (The holes were left after replacing an aging depthsounder transducer that had a gigantic mounting bracket.) This was in my pre-FORUM and pre-LHG days of Whaler ownership. So I just used tinted epoxy for these repairs, no gelcoat topcoat. At first the color match I obtained with my tinted epoxy was very good, but after several years the epoxy hue has shifted. It is now more yellow, and the small hole patches are visible. In as much as they are on the transom and mainly underwater, I have not redone them. If you are filling a hole which will remain visible and is in a prominent area, it is probably wise to leave room in your repair for a top layer or two of gelcoat. I used this technique for repairing some holes in the gunwales and deck, and there has been no sign of color shift in the gelcoat. It matches about as well as it did when applied--which was close but not perfect! If your gelcoat is Whaler DESERT TAN or similar, I have found that white gelcoat can be tinted with just a speck of the "brown" pigment (sold specifically as gelcoat tint) to get a decent match. When I did this I ended up mixing brown tint to white gelcoat, creating a beige mixture. Then I used small amounts of this mixture to tint another batch of white gelcoat to a DESERT TAN shade, it being easier to control the tinting this way than adding the dark brown molecule by molecule.
lhg	posted 04-19-2002 03:38 PM ET (US) BW has always recommend that small screw holes, in areas of smooth gelcoat, simply be filled with matching paste gelcoat. If the hole is deep or larger, they recommend adding chopped glass fibers, to make a gelcoat "mash", and pack that in the hole first. Then paint plain gelcoat on the surface, sand, etc. I have found that enlarging a screw hole with a counterink bit makes a nice tapered hole in the glass, and leaves rough edges, to receive and bond a gelcoat patch. If one is still going to fill a hole with Marine-Tex or other brand of Epoxy, then clean up the hole at the surface with this countersink bevel, and gelcoat it over. For repairing stripped out holes for rail bases in the wood pads, drill out the holes twice the diameter of the screw, all the way through the wood pad (about 3/4" deep) pack in with Marine-Tex right to the surface, and sand and polish flush. The different color will always be covered by the rail base. Then re-drill new holes for the self-tapping screws. These will hold like a rock, and not let any water into the wood pads or hull.