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Author	Topic:   Gel Coat Preparation with Soda Blast
gsparkman	posted 08-17-2009 09:19 PM ET (US)         I just purchased a 1985 Boston Whaler 13 Standard. It has a lot of spider cracks in the gel coat. I would like to redo the gel coat. Will it be okay to soda blast the gel coat smooth as preparation prior to re-applying gel coat? Will this work?
Chesapeake	posted 08-17-2009 10:33 PM ET (US)             Yes. [Soda blast] will remove the old paint. Unfortunately, [soda blast] will not leave your bottom smooth. The soda leaves a marbled and pinholed finish in the existing gel coat. You must re-apply gel coat to get a smooth finish.
gsparkman	posted 08-18-2009 08:28 PM ET (US)             Thank you, I take it there is alot more prep than I'm aware of. I will take the boat to a refinisher to get it evaluated .
daveweight	posted 08-19-2009 02:55 AM ET (US)             I saw a boat that had been soda blasted badly, it looked like it had sat in an acid bath with most of the gel coat gone. Not a pretty sight. Dave Weight

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