Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Repair or modification of Boston Whaler boats, their engines, trailers, and gear
rashidychem7
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Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2023 3:54 pm

Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Postby rashidychem7 » Wed May 03, 2023 5:45 pm

My 2008 OUTRAGE [of unspecified length--please include the length designation of any boat you wish to discuss] has series of cracks with delamination and peeling of gelcoat on the gunwale. When I bought this boat in 2021 a surveyor told me these defects were cosmetic and caused by the boat hitting a dock.

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Fig. 1. Overall view of some damage areas which are circled with large violet markings on the image.
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Fig. 2. Damage to the hull in the gunwale area.
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During heavy use of the boat, no further cracks have developed, but the existing cracks are becoming delaminated from the hull. When I push on the cracks the gel coat breaks. I want to repair these cracks. I have the Spectrum gel coat kit.

Q1: should I repair the cracks in the same manner as a gel coat spider crack?

Give me advice for repair.

rashidychem7
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2023 3:54 pm

Re: Gelcoat cracks in gunwale

Postby rashidychem7 » Wed May 03, 2023 10:21 pm

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Fig. 3. Enlarged damage after using Dremel too.
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I used a [Dremel] tool to clean up the bigger crack.

Q3: does this damage need glass work?

Q4: should I continue until all voids are exposed and fill with gel coat resin?

jimh
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Re: Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Postby jimh » Thu May 04, 2023 8:28 am

Gel coat resin cannot be used to deep fill in voids in the laminate structure. You should fill the voids with resin mixed with a filler. Then top coat the repair with gel coat resin. Gel coat resin is brittle and will be easily cracked again if you just put globs of gel coat into a void. I prefer epoxy resin for repairs because epoxy resin is a stronger bonding agent than laminating resin (polyester resin). If you use epoxy resin you must thoroughly wash the cured resin to remove amine blush on the surface. Amine blush will inhibit the curing of gel coat resin if it is left on the surface of a repair. Gel coat resin will not cure to a hard surface unless the surface is prevented from exposure to air, so gel coat patch resin contains a wax. Or poly-vinyl alcohol can be used to cover the gel coat while curing.

Read more about repairs in the FAQ at

Q5: how is damage to a Unibond hull repaired?
https://continuouswave.com/whaler/reference/FAQ/#Q5

Read all the recommended articles linked from the FAQ.

Also, the damage probably was caused from hitting a dock. They could also have been some forward motion on the boat when it hit the dock, the damages seem to be in a line, as if the boat was moving forward somewhat at the time of impact. I would not call the damage just cosmetic because it exposed the underlying laminate layers and creates an opening in the hull where water could enter. Cosmetic damage would he damage that was limited to just a scratch into the surface of the gel coat layer. This damage has clearly broken away the entire gel coat layer and exposed the laminate layers.

There may have been some voids in the hull in the original manufacture, and that is why there appears to be an air gap between the gel coat layer and the laminate, or the gel coat layer has moved away from the laminate after the impact. The gel coat layer should be strongly bonded to the underlying laminate layers, and that bond does NOT seem to appear in the close-up images.

These areas appear to be in a high-visibility part of the boat, so you will want to make the repairs blend into the hull as much as possible. Using the Spectrum gel coat patch kit resin should give you a good color match. If you are not skilled in using resins to make repairs, you should first attempt a repair to a not-so-visible area of damage.

The damage shown in Figure 3 looks rather deep, but it may be just the photograph is a very extreme close-up view. In that image the gel coat looks like it did not have a good primary bond to the underlying laminate layers. The laminate layer looks very dry.

rashidychem7
Posts: 4
Joined: Fri Apr 28, 2023 3:54 pm

Re: Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Postby rashidychem7 » Thu May 04, 2023 2:12 pm

jimh--thanks

Q6: What epoxy is recommended?

Your article mentions one with silica thickeners.

Q7: can WEST System Six10 epoxy be used?

Q8: does the fiberglass laminate need to be wetted with a thin epoxy?

Q9: after the fiberglass laminate is wetted with a thin epoxy can Six10 epoxy be added?

Q10: can I use the newer Six10 only?

Q11: do I need to pre wet the glass base with thin epoxy first and then add Six10?

Q11: do the Spectrum gel coat patch kits resins have added wax?

Q12: with Spectrum gel coat there will there be a need for tape or alcohol or other additives to prevent [exposure to] Oxygen?


The boat is 2008 Outrage 190. dfThe rest of the hull gel coat is in perfect condition. No bottom paint, no scratches, no spider cracks. There is no practice area for me. I know I am going to mess it up on first try but that's the way we learn.

jimh
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Re: Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Postby jimh » Fri May 05, 2023 7:33 am

rashidychem7 wrote:Q6: What epoxy is recommended?
I have used the WEST System repair kits with very good results. Get the WEST System literature on how to make repairs to fiberglass boats with WEST System epoxy. This small booklet used to cost $3 and is filled with good information. Contact WEST Systems or check on-line for where to buy their literature on how to use their products to repair fiberglass boats. Follow the procedures as described in the WEST System literature if you are going to use their products.

jimh
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Re: Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Postby jimh » Fri May 05, 2023 7:33 am

rashidychem7 wrote:Q7: can WEST System Six10 epoxy be used?
I have no experience with the WEST System Six10 product.

jimh
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Re: Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Postby jimh » Fri May 05, 2023 7:34 am

rashidychem7 wrote:Q8: does the fiberglass laminate need to be wetted with a thin epoxy?
Yes.

jimh
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Re: Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Postby jimh » Fri May 05, 2023 7:35 am

rashidychem7 wrote:Q9: after the fiberglass laminate is wetted with a thin epoxy can six10 epoxy be added?
I don't have any experience using the Six10 resin.

jimh
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Re: Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Postby jimh » Fri May 05, 2023 7:36 am

rashidychem7 wrote:Q11: do the Spectrum gel coat patch kits resins have added wax?
Yes.

jimh
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Location: Michigan, Lower Peninsula
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Re: Repair of Gel Coat Damage

Postby jimh » Fri May 05, 2023 7:37 am

rashidychem7 wrote:Q12: with Spectrum gel coat there will there be a need for tape or alcohol or other additives to prevent [exposure to] Oxygen?'
I don't know exactly what chemical reaction occurs if the gel coat resin is expose to the air. Air is mostly Nitrogen. It may be the Nitrogen in the air that prevents the hard cure. You will have to consult a chemist who is familiar with epoxy resins to find out exactly what chemical reaction is occurring that causes the resin to fail to cure to a hard surface if exposed to the atmosphere.

The best advice is to follow the directions included with the Spectrum gel coat resin patch kits. If they say no need to cover with polyvinyl alcohol, then do not cover with polyvinyl alcohol.