SX195 - Hit a low spot at 1-2 mph, hull scratches/gouges – how bad is this + gelcoat color ID help?

[kpaul17]

Hey everyone,

I had a minor incident with my SX195 yesterday. I was cruising in a new lake and went into a cove, got depth warning so immediately went down to 1-2 mph and hit a low spot. I actually ended up getting stuck, had to get out and pull, and reverse out - the jet pump looks fine after inspection, but the hull took some scratches and gouges on the blue gelcoat (lower hull area). I’ve attached several photos from different angles, including close-ups.

A couple of specific questions for the group:

1. How bad does this look to experienced eyes? Any structural concerns, or is it mostly cosmetic gelcoat damage?
2. Can anyone help identify the exact gelcoat color name/code on this SX195? (It’s a blue, but not the common “Yacht Blue” I initially thought.)
3. For repair - any recommendations on products or methods that have worked well on similar Yamaha jet boat hulls? I’m leaning toward DIY with patch paste if possible or would you go with paying someone?

Appreciate any thoughts or experiences.

 

[Dirk]

Hi Kpaul, welcome to forum. I am still somewhat new around here as well, and not an expert you're looking for by any means.

What I have heard is that if you're seeing fiber, and it appears in one of your deep scratches we do ( image 2594 & 2677) its worth seriously getting oters to chime in, which they will.. You may also want to look into your policy to weigh out if it makes sense to initiate an accidental damage claim if serious.

My gut says you can heavy cut, polish and wax the majority of this out but you'll likely have a few areas to sand, fiber repair, then paint as well.

Youre in the right place to get started

 

[Hot2Go]

You could probably wet sand most of the shallow scratches out with a 2000 grit wet sand sponge and a spray bottle with a drop of dish soap mixed in it. You’ll need to polish and re-wax afterwards. You’ll obviously need gel coat repair on the deeper ones.

Plenty of YouTube videos online about gel coat repairs on deep gouges and scratches, so you can see if you’re comfortable with it. If not just do an insurance claim.

It takes time doing gel coat repair so if you do it yourself just have some patience!

 

[kpaul17]

Hi Kpaul, welcome to forum. I am still somewhat new around here as well, and not an expert you're looking for by any means.

What I have heard is that if you're seeing fiber, and it appears in one of your deep scratches we do ( image 2594 & 2677) its worth seriously getting oters to chime in, which they will.. You may also want to look into your policy to weigh out if it makes sense to initiate an accidental damage claim if serious.

My gut says you can heavy cut, polish and wax the majority of this out but you'll likely have a few areas to sand, fiber repair, then paint as well.

Youre in the right place to get started

Thank you for the kind message! I was hoping to hear from more folks, especially experienced ones. I don't think I caused anything that prevents me from using it further, but probably best to get a professional to look at it at least.

 

[kpaul17]

You could probably wet sand most of the shallow scratches out with a 2000 grit wet sand sponge and a spray bottle with a drop of dish soap mixed in it. You’ll need to polish and re-wax afterwards. You’ll obviously need gel coat repair on the deeper ones.

Plenty of YouTube videos online about gel coat repairs on deep gouges and scratches, so you can see if you’re comfortable with it. If not just do an insurance claim.

It takes time doing gel coat repair so if you do it yourself just have some patience!

Do you think I did "deep" damage that prevents me from using the boat for now? I kept going about my day after that happened and nothing further happened. I think the insurance claim is probably the right move considering my deductible is 250.

 

[biffdotorg]

as others have said, a majority of it will wet sand and buff out. But as far as Deep damage, yes, you can see fiberglass.

Deep damage is a relative term, as the damage is yet to come in my eyes. You didn't hit it hard enough to cause structural damage to it that would allow it to perform any different. But you caused enough exposure to the fiberglass, that further use exposes that fiberglass to dirt and water. Water is what will rot the fiberglass over time and then ruin the structure underneath. So did you do deep damage... not yet.

That needs to be filled, and only if it is dry inside and free of dirt/sand. Heck, you could fill it with gelcote, marine tex and epoxy, it's all in how you want it to look afterwards. The true fix is a color matched gelcote and that will need a professional or a call to Spectrum color for a filler kit.

Then I would listen to the advice above and wet sand, buff and polish till the scratches are worked out. Then do yourself a favor and buy a keelguard or keelshield. it will not only protect it, but possibly cover what scratches you could not get out, or a bad gelcote match, if it is down the centerline of the keel.

Good luck.

 

[YamaHog]

@kpaul17 ,

I had a similar experience on a local lake and beached my 2020 195S a few years ago on a flat. I wasn't able to push my boat off and had to get towed off and replace my impeller as I sucked up rocks! Totally not fun. I don't recommend it!

If you haven't already done so, and your planning to do the repair yourself, or you want to learn for the future, basic gelcoat repair is a good skill to have. The Gelcoat Patch paste kits from Spectrum work really well. I have to use them twice to repair minor scratches from a dock (white gelcoat) & some that were a bit deeper on the bottom of my hull from the beaching incident mentioned above (gray gelcoat). If you have patience and follow the instructions it actually a pretty easy process. You basically spread the paste like peanut butter, allow it to fully dry/cure and then wet sand it. The wet sanding is the longest part as you have to work your way to finer grits. Finally, polish the dull sanded areas out fully glossy again with an rotary polisher tool and something like Meguiars 100 polishing compound. It will require you to buy some tools if you don't already have them but it's a satisfying experience to say you fixed it yourself and gain confidence that if you have another minor mishap down the road, your comfortable tackling it.

You can check out one of my past threads here where several of the long-time folks around here gave me some good advice.

Thread 'Gelcoat Repair Kit Supplies?'

Sep 17, 2020

I gave Spectrum Color in St. Augustine, FL a call today to verify what color gelcoat patch kit I need to order for my 2020 Yamaha 195s. They were able to confirm the correct color, but for retail orders, their site links to iBoat.com. I'm able to order the Gelcoat patch kit from iBoat, but they don't seem to have the repair kit bundle here:

PATCH PASTE BUNDLE KIT

Does anybody know of another kit like this i can order? Or am I going to have to buy all of these supplies separately and piece it together? Kind of frustrating a...

• YamaHog
• Replies: 25
• Forum: General Discussion

To find out what the correct Blue gelcoat is for your boat you'll probably need to actually call SpectrumColor via phone with your year/make/model. When I called they were super friendly and helpful.

 

[kpaul17]

Th

@kpaul17 ,

I had a similar experience on a local lake and beached my 2020 195S a few years ago on a flat. I wasn't able to push my boat off and had to get towed off and replace my impeller as I sucked up rocks! Totally not fun. I don't recommend it!

If you haven't already done so, and your planning to do the repair yourself, or you want to learn for the future, basic gelcoat repair is a good skill to have. The Gelcoat Patch paste kits from Spectrum work really well. I have to use them twice to repair minor scratches from a dock (white gelcoat) & some that were a bit deeper on the bottom of my hull from the beaching incident mentioned above (gray gelcoat). If you have patience and follow the instructions it actually a pretty easy process. You basically spread the paste like peanut butter, allow it to fully dry/cure and then wet sand it. The wet sanding is the longest part as you have to work your way to finer grits. Finally, polish the dull sanded areas out fully glossy again with an rotary polisher tool and something like Meguiars 100 polishing compound. It will require you to buy some tools if you don't already have them but it's a satisfying experience to say you fixed it yourself and gain confidence that if you have another minor mishap down the road, your comfortable tackling it.

You can check out one of my past threads here where several of the long-time folks around here gave me some good advice.

Thread 'Gelcoat Repair Kit Supplies?'

Sep 17, 2020

I gave Spectrum Color in St. Augustine, FL a call today to verify what color gelcoat patch kit I need to order for my 2020 Yamaha 195s. They were able to confirm the correct color, but for retail orders, their site links to iBoat.com. I'm able to order the Gelcoat patch kit from iBoat, but they don't seem to have the repair kit bundle here:

PATCH PASTE BUNDLE KIT

Does anybody know of another kit like this i can order? Or am I going to have to buy all of these supplies separately and piece it together? Kind of frustrating a...

• YamaHog
• Replies: 25
• Forum: General Discussion

To find out what the correct Blue gelcoat is for your boat you'll probably need to actually call SpectrumColor via phone with your year/make/model. When I called they were super friendly and helpful.

Thanks so much for this reply! Sorry for my delay. This made me feel better and help me figure out what’s next.