Gelcoat repair

My knowledge of gelcoat begins and ends with knowing it’s the stuff on the outside of my hull. So please forgive any ignorance in this post. Yesterday I was unloading the boat at a ramp up here in NC in some nasty wind. Long story short, I put a 5 inch long gouge in my hull on the side. It’s not gonna buff out. How hard or easy will it be to get repaired? I’m fairly certain the damage is only to the gelcoat as the damaged portion is still “white” like the color if my hull and I’m not seeing any fiberglass showing through.

It’s not hard at all to do basic gel coat repair. Getting a good color match seems to take some type of special voodoo that some have and some don’t. I don’t. On a boat that gets real use and you’re not concerned with perfect color matching, you can get a gel coat paste kit at West Marine, follow the instructions, and fix that gouge in an afternoon. The basics are to sand and clean/degrease the area for adhesion. Mix carefully and properly. Spread into crack and cover with release film (wax paper). Let set, then sand and/or buff to perfection.
I’m sure some of the experts will weigh in with better detail. But, I don’t think you should be afraid to do it for yourself.


16’ High Tide Flats (Green) w/Yamaha 90
Wilderness Ride 135
Wilderness Tarpon 120

Thanks, I didn’t even know do it yourself kits for gelcoat was a thing.

Check out mini-craft of Florida. They sell color matched repair kits for most makes and models of boats. They are also very helpful on the phone. Search Gel coat repair on you tube. After a few videos you’ll be and expert! Don’t be afraid to tackle this your self gelcoat repair can be rewarding.

Take A Kid Fishing

You may be able to block wetsand the scratch out with 400-600 grit sandpaper. If too deep then you can get gelcoat from the dealer ,as long as boat isnt too old and faded it should match.

Thanks for the info! The hull isn’t faded so I may try this myself.

THEY MAKE A LITTLE TUBE OF GELOCAT REPAIR ITS ABOUT $10 OR $15
ONE PART, SQUEEZE IT OUT LET IT CURE, SAND AND BUFF.
MAY NOT MATCH PERFECT, BUT WILL LOOK MUCH BETTER THAN THE SCRATCH AND NOT COST MUCH.

www.teamcharlestonmarine.com
www.joinrfa.org