Gel Coat Repair with Spectrum Color Match

[bgood188]

I had originally posted about my first gouge on my new boat at Sick to my stomach - Need guidance and thought I would follow up with the repair process and some photos. So, below is the steps I took with comments.

Thanks @Glassman and others for the coaching and part numbers. In the last photo the gouge is below the "W" in the word Twin. I'm happy with the end results.

1) Clean the scratch/Gouge and remove any loose pieces. Below is what I started with. It's about 2 inch long and .5 to .75 inches in height.

2) Mask off the repair area

3) Sand with 400 Grit to prepare for paste

4) Mix paste according to directions. This stuff is nasty and will get on everything so be careful.

5) I used a putty knife to apply. I left a hump of paste so I could sand down to my liking.

6) Use a hair dryer to move along the process and remove the tape. You will need to let it stand for 4-6 hr’s before it’s hard enough to sand. I left mine overnight. (Pic below is with tape removed and no sanding done.
7) Wet sand. I used 400 grit followed by 800 grit. take your time as this can be a long process if you leave a large hump of paste like I did.

8) High speed buffer used for final gloss. I used rubbing compound and buffer to get the final look below.

 

[The Wanderer2]

Looks damn good to me.

 

[steined]

Nice work! Congratulations on taking that job on.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Great work! What a great color match.

How well does it blend it when looking on an angle? In terms of being able to see the new patch not a color difference.

 

[ToddW850]

Oh wow! Very nice!

 

[Gym]

What scratch?

 

[Glassman]

Hey, great job. And the added benefit of a good workout!

 

[txav8r]

The boat looks great! Nice work! Did you get the fender clean?

 

[Bruce]

Looks perfect.

 

[Lspeedss]

Awesome job . Unbelievable.. I' ll bet your blood pressure has dropped back to normal levels, hair stopped falling out.. Wow.. For curiosity sake, could you get a new close up of the repair area and one on angle to see texture..

 

[Magic]

Don't let that get out to Redondo, @Glassman 's business will go down the tubes! Seriously, GREAT job!!!

From feeling sick to feeling accomplished in just a few days! That's another cool part of doing your own work, you feel so much more in control and accomplished!

 

[bgood188]

Great work! What a great color match.

How well does it blend it when looking on an angle? In terms of being able to see the new patch not a color difference.

@Murf'n'surf the color match is pretty close. You can see it at an angle and I will try to get a better photos up close. In the end I will always know and see it. But the casual person looking at the boat day to day will not notice it.

 

[bgood188]

Don't let that get out to Redondo, @Glassman 's business will go down the tubes! Seriously, GREAT job!!!

From feeling sick to feeling accomplished in just a few days! That's another cool part of doing your own work, you feel so much more in control and accomplished!

So true. The fact I know this will not be the last time I do this. Knowing what is needed and how hard (not hard at all) I won't be as upset as the first time.

 

[bgood188]

Awesome job . Unbelievable.. I' ll bet your blood pressure has dropped back to normal levels, hair stopped falling out.. Wow.. For curiosity sake, could you get a new close up of the repair area and one on angle to see texture..

@Lspeedss I will try and grab a pic later and post. Like I said earlier it is noticeable up close to me. But the casual person will struggle to find it.

 

[bgood188]

The boat looks great! Nice work! Did you get the fender clean?

@txav8r Yes, the fender was cleaned after that pic.

 

[bgood188]

Below is a pic from an angle and close with a flash, The flash really makes the color match stick out! I'm happy with the results knowing that I will mot likely be doing more patching by the end of the summer :-(

 

[Lspeedss]

Still awesome.. hopefully this is your last time...

 

[tdonoughue]

Excellent write up and results. Very nice job.

 

[Murf'n'surf]

Looks great for your first go-round! Only if Glassman could email Emanuel to members in need!

 

[ScarabMike]

Awesome results!! I had the same thing happen to my red gel coat on my old Sea Ray and it cost me $250 to get it repaired.