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Author Topic:   Repairing Gel Coat Non-skid

ebwalk posted 07-12-2015 10:43 PM ET (US)
I wanted to repair damaged non-skid gelcoat in my 1973 whaler. I used some liquid rubber to make a mold of a good area, prepped the damaged area, spread color-matched resin, and laid the mold on top. It came out pretty good. If I do it again, I would use more catalyst--the thin layer did not cure as well as I would have liked, but the technique worked well. If you view these pictures as a slide show, you can read the captions that explain the whole thing.
-Bob
http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/ebwalk/slideshow/GelCoatRepair?sort=6

AZdave posted 07-13-2015 12:53 AM ET (US)
Your repair looks great, and the slide sequence is beautifully produced. Did you mix wax with the layer of gelcoat. As I recall, the last layer of gelcoat needs wax to float up to the surface and keep away air. There are a bunch of people here who know more about fiberglass and composites than I do. Thanks for posting.
jimh posted 07-17-2015 10:19 AM ET (US)
Many thanks for posting your slide show.
The method of casting a mold from an existing area of non-skid has been mentioned previously, but your demonstration of the method is excellent and gives readers a wonderful example.
Jeff posted 07-17-2015 12:30 PM ET (US)
Great DIY how-to. Thanks for sharing!
ebwalk posted 07-25-2015 09:33 AM ET (US)
Thanks for the comments, I appreciate them. It was a fun project.
AZ Dave: To answer your question on getting a cure on gelcoat. I knew nothing about working with fiberglass and resin and this whaler had many gelcoat cracks that I wanted to fix. I read a few books then found a journeyman Andy Miller of Boatworkstoday. He has great instructional videos on youtube. I don't have a lot of time for my projects, so I actually hired him to consult with me and put together a materials list, talk me through the process and be on call (from 1000 miles away) to help when I got stuck. Did not cost me much and was well worth it. He did not help me on this part of the project which I did at the end. This is his approach. He never uses gelcoat with wax in it. Without wax, it is a laminating gelcoat and for regular repairs, you can build up multiple layers of gelcoat till it is just right. Each layer gets tacky and firm, but not hard. A fingernail will dent it easily. Then, to get the cure, you need to exclude oxygen. Without the wax that is done by spraying (difficult), wiping, or gently brushing a layer of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) on top of the repair. The PVA forms a skin and the gel coat cures. After 24 hours, wash off the PVA with warm water and sand the repair to blend into the surrounding and shine. Lucky for me, on this pattern repair, no sanding!
I got all my fibreglass and resin supplies via mail order from a place called Express Composites. They don't have a great web site, but I had a shopping list and their prices seemed good.

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Author	Topic: Repairing Gel Coat Non-skid
ebwalk	posted 07-12-2015 10:43 PM ET (US) I wanted to repair damaged non-skid gelcoat in my 1973 whaler. I used some liquid rubber to make a mold of a good area, prepped the damaged area, spread color-matched resin, and laid the mold on top. It came out pretty good. If I do it again, I would use more catalyst--the thin layer did not cure as well as I would have liked, but the technique worked well. If you view these pictures as a slide show, you can read the captions that explain the whole thing. -Bob http://s1337.photobucket.com/user/ebwalk/slideshow/GelCoatRepair?sort=6
AZdave	posted 07-13-2015 12:53 AM ET (US) Your repair looks great, and the slide sequence is beautifully produced. Did you mix wax with the layer of gelcoat. As I recall, the last layer of gelcoat needs wax to float up to the surface and keep away air. There are a bunch of people here who know more about fiberglass and composites than I do. Thanks for posting.
jimh	posted 07-17-2015 10:19 AM ET (US) Many thanks for posting your slide show. The method of casting a mold from an existing area of non-skid has been mentioned previously, but your demonstration of the method is excellent and gives readers a wonderful example.
Jeff	posted 07-17-2015 12:30 PM ET (US) Great DIY how-to. Thanks for sharing!
ebwalk	posted 07-25-2015 09:33 AM ET (US) Thanks for the comments, I appreciate them. It was a fun project. AZ Dave: To answer your question on getting a cure on gelcoat. I knew nothing about working with fiberglass and resin and this whaler had many gelcoat cracks that I wanted to fix. I read a few books then found a journeyman Andy Miller of Boatworkstoday. He has great instructional videos on youtube. I don't have a lot of time for my projects, so I actually hired him to consult with me and put together a materials list, talk me through the process and be on call (from 1000 miles away) to help when I got stuck. Did not cost me much and was well worth it. He did not help me on this part of the project which I did at the end. This is his approach. He never uses gelcoat with wax in it. Without wax, it is a laminating gelcoat and for regular repairs, you can build up multiple layers of gelcoat till it is just right. Each layer gets tacky and firm, but not hard. A fingernail will dent it easily. Then, to get the cure, you need to exclude oxygen. Without the wax that is done by spraying (difficult), wiping, or gently brushing a layer of PVA (polyvinyl alcohol) on top of the repair. The PVA forms a skin and the gel coat cures. After 24 hours, wash off the PVA with warm water and sand the repair to blend into the surrounding and shine. Lucky for me, on this pattern repair, no sanding! I got all my fibreglass and resin supplies via mail order from a place called Express Composites. They don't have a great web site, but I had a shopping list and their prices seemed good.