Jan 21, 2020 gel coat must cure without presence of air. My friend pete shows us how to make a fiberglass paste to repair stress cracks in gel coat. Small cracks forming, especially at the surface of the fiberglass. Fiberglass boat repair, gelcoat repair, boat blister repair.
How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating. How to repair spider cracks in fiberglass boatlife. Magicezy hairline fix is a onepart, pretinted available in 10 colors sealant that allows you to complete the repair in seconds without having to grind out the existing damage. Make sure you over fill the repair and that the gelcoat goes outside the edges. The highest quality iso npg marine finish gel coat to permanently repair or replace original, highglass finish. If more is required, we have the repair expertise to get the job done.
Step 2 then toughen the laminate that contains the crack or cracks by solidifying it, either by thickening with more. Gel coat is easy to use and looks great when finished. Finally, apply a coat of highquality marine polish and your repair is complete. Gel coat is semirigid and fiberglass has some flex under impact. Crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks, plagues countless boaters. All about fiberglass boat stress cracks fiberglass boat repair.
It penetrates deeply into the pores of even the finest of cracks for ultra tough adhesion and durability. If your boat is more than a few years old, youll probably be surprised at the number you find. The gel coat doctor can make your damaged, scratched, or weather worn boat have that showroom shine again. Using sandpaper, you should be able to sand thoroughly into the depths of the crack so that the edges are smooth. Magic fix for hairline cracks in gelcoat practical sailor. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating magazine. Use a marine grade fiberglass resin, and be sure to keep it in a separate container until its ready to apply. The tape will help to ensure that your fresh layer of resin doesnt go too far across the surface.
Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat magicezy. How to fix cracks in fiberglass gel coat using fiberglass resin. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for. Extend each coat farther than the previous one, with the last coat out to the tape line. You should have about 10 to 15 minutes of working time after adding the catalyst before it starts to harden and is no longer fluid. Before you add the gelcoat to the cracks, you will need to protect the area around them. Mar 26, 2019 once the gelcoat has fully cured, sand the repair smooth wet sanding works particularly well with gelcoat. Another option is to add wax to the final coat of gel coat. Once youre sure youre dealing with these types of cracks in the outer gel coat of the fiberglass, your fix can be limited to the fiberglass exterior. How to fix crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks which plague countless boaters.
The next time youre cleaning and waxing your boat, take the time to look for small cracks, scratches and chips in its gel coat. A fiberglass boat can be repaired to its original state with fiberglass fabric, a lot of skilled work, and some resin. Boatus magazines mark corke shows you how to easily repair those pesky spider cracks that show up in your boats fiberglass gelcoat. Two additives will help with a desired final finish. How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat. You want to be very careful not to sand through the gel coat and you probably wont be able to remove a deep scratches or gouges. Just grinding out the surface and laying up light cloth may do the trick. Use to fill gouges, chips, scrapes and deep scratches in the fiberglass gel coat. Match the color for current boats, your dealer might be able to supply matching gelcoat. After masking off the area with painters tape, use a paint brush to apply gel coat.
When all the cracks are gouged out, theres no magic, mystery, spraying or anything else fancy just fill the grooves with gel coat using a small artists paint brush. Try not to remove any of the fiberglass resin or cloth. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat west. Confining work to the immediate repair area, continue wetsanding with 600grit paper until nearly even with surrounding gelcoat. One quick and easy way to repair gelcoat stress cracks yourself is by using magicezy hairline fix a purpose built diy repair solution for stress cracks in gelcoat and fiberglass. Prep the area removing all of the damaged gel coat keep the repair as small as possible. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and although it usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen, and eventually threaten your boats. Gel coat repair series cosmetic scratches or cracks.
But due to weathering on your boat, it may not match. How to fix spider cracks, hairline cracks, and crazing in boat. Painting over cracked and chipped gel coat moderated. Cultured marble repair procedures multitech products. My plan is to remove the many coats of antifouling paint below the waterline, then apply three coats of the west system epoxy and repaint it. The gel coat is in pretty rough shape cracked, chipped and pitted. Using sandpaper, you should be able to sand thoroughly into. When you get a gouge or a scratch in the gelcoat of your fiberglass, you will have to clean it up by grinding or sanding. A fiberglass and gelcoat repair is mostly needed for mending the surfaces of boats. A thin layer of gel coat isnt structurally strong enough to prevent itself cracking off. Now that the cracks are ready, mix your gelcoat repair kit and the hardener together. Step 1 figure out what caused the cracks to begin with. Used this product to make a repair to boat gel coat after fixing some minor fiber glass damage. Surface scratches can be buffed out of gelcoat with polishing compound, but deep scratches must be filled.
Gelcoat can also be rolled or applied by foam brush in patch areas, but spraying tends to yield best results with the least amount of followup sanding. Either deepen the scratch using a small blade or grinder, or leave it. You can also add pva after the gel coat starts to cure. Gel coat repairs and star cracks skuk sea kayaking uk. Step 3 now, once youve removed all hardware, toerails, and. Next, gouge out small, narrow cracks and scratches that are too deep to remove with rubbing compound until they are wide enough to fill with gelcoat paste. In this report, they offer the magic fix for hairline gelcoat cracks. Aug 18, 2011 the problem with stress cracks in gel coat is that polyester gel coat and the underlying fiberglass have different coefficients of expansion. Sometimes, they go deeper and threaten an underlying. Magicezy hairline fix is a revolutionary precolored fiberglass and gelcoat repair product that fixes and colors fine stress cracks spider cracks, and hairline fractures fast in one application. Once the surface is clean and dry, mark off the repair area with masking tape. Gel coat cracks 1996 javelin 400 te bass boat page. The other repair for spider cracks involves a little more work.
Wetsand the cured gelcoat with 320grit wetdry paper on a soft sanding block. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and although it usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen, and eventually threaten your boats structural integrity. When the gelcoat surrounding a scratch is in good condition, the filler of choice is gelcoat paste, which provides both filler and finish in a single application but not a single step. Gel coat hardened too quickly or with improper curing temperatures and conditions can also promote stress cracks in the gel coat itself. Start by wiping down the area with acetone and sanding the damaged gel coat down to the fiberglass. For more details on some of the things that can go wrong in the fiberglass during the manufacturing process please refer to the blistering article. Widening is done because most topcoats new gelcoat, primer for paint, epoxy overlay, fairing compound wont wick into the extremely thin cracks, they only bridge them. Sometimes, theyre merely cosmetic, meaning they dont penetrate the gelcoat. Gel coat cracks 1996 javelin 400 te bass boat some of the pics look like the cracks are coming from your rubrail install others look like its coming from stress points you should grind and fill the cracks with a glass filler. A prior owner had fixed a few with evercoat gel coat scratch patch gel coat repair, with ugly results. Fill the repair slightly higher than the surrounding surface to allow for sanding. The doctor is a fiberglass specialist who removes annoying spider cracks, restores and repairs dents, dings, and chips even in flake metal finishes, and has an artists eye for color matching. To maintain your gel coat and your hulls integrity, follow this simple gel coat repair guide.
Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat. It can also be used for patching up chips, scratches, cracks and even holes in different kinds of vehicles. Sep 05, 2012 how to repair a gelcoat scratch, cracks or hole when looking at a scratch in the gelcoat, you need to determine whether it is a surface scratch or a deep scratch. The wax rises to the top to create an air tight barrier. Before you can start to fix crazing, clear the area of any obstructions and. Our test boat has had a few spider cracks since a few months after she came out of the mold. Gel coat is easy to use from application to sanding. May 27, 2009 repair involves either widening each crack line in preparation for a new top layer or wet sanding down past the crevice to unweathered gelcoat. Surface scratches in gelcoat can often be buffed out by an experienced professional.
The reason being is that surface scratches can easily be buffed with a rubbing compound as opposed to deep scratches which take a couple more steps. Thin hairline cracks star cracks present a bigger problem. You can carefully cover the repair area with plastic film, such as saran wrap, to prevent this tack. When applicable, cracks can be repaired using mtp procedures outlined in the bathtub crack repair procedures. There are kits from companies such as evercoat with pigments to add to the resin for a match. Magicezy hairline fix is a onepart, pretinted available in 10 colors sealant that allows you to complete the repair in seconds without having to grind out the. Ive looked through your site and am wondering if it is spider cracks in. If the underside is accessible, laying up heavy glass to a well ground surface is the surest path to a repair which will not recrack. You can start with 220grit sandpaper and, for a really slick surface, finish with at least 400 or 600grit. Feb 24, 2014 my big worry would be having it grab and dance over the adjoining areas of gel coat. Gelcoat is the protective coating that covers the fiberglass of boats and other watercraft. A surface area at least a quarterofaninch wide including the crack itself will need to be. May 23, 20 if your gel coat already shows signs of aging, its time to repair it or to reapply a fresh layer to revitalize your boats look.
Your gel coat may be tough, but it will succumb to the constant battering of the marine environment over time. Once the gel coat has reached a full cure, progressively sand the area to a polish. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for spraying. Use a nail, dipped in the gelcoat, to scratch around in the repair assuring good adhesion and filling all the voids. Use a small wood or plastic putty knife to spread the gelcoat smoothly over the gelcoat repair. Here you can learn about what is needed to apply a gel coat. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and although it usually starts off as a matter of cosmetics, in severe cases these surface cracks can grow, deepen. Hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. Cracks from larger issuesa winch, for example, that was inadequately mountedwill need to be fixed before cosmetic repairs begin. Jun 23, 2006 if the gel coat is thick in this corner as is often the case, the gel coat is more prone to cracking. Fiberglass gel coat repair seattle hull damage boat. Jun 10, 2017 hairline spider cracks must be opened wider and filled with an epoxy filler to be permanently repaired. If the surface is oxidized, restore it with a rubbing compound so youll be able to match its color accurately. Wax in the gel coat rises to the surface when it is sprayed, rolled, or brushed, creating a film and barrier that enables the curing to.
Unless the scratch goes through to the glass matting it wont harm the boat. Cracks spreading out from the center, much as you would see in a spider web. Take care that they are completely mixed together, otherwise the hardener and gel coat will not set properly, and you will be left with a sticky mess for weeks. Cultured marble has a clear top coat called a gel coat just like fiberglass and its purpose to protect the relatively porous marble from stains. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat. Under impact the fiberglass moves and the gel coat does not, hence the spider web cracks.