Repairing Gelcoat Ding

[DFreedom]

While cleaning the hull of my boat last weekend, I noticed 2 dings in the gelcoat. One is on the bottom on the edge of one of the steps (stepped hull) and he other is where the side of the hull and bottom meet. I don't know a lot about fiberglass so wanted some expert opinions. Should such a "ding" be repaired and if so, how would I go about doing this? It looks worse than it is (I think) because the photo is a close up. In actuality, the biggest ding is only about 1" x 1".

Any words of wisdom would be appreciated.

[Headshake]

I am also not an expert with gel coat repairs, but I have seen dings of a simliar size that go down to the glass become larger and more expensive as water seeps under the gel coat. This is particularly bad if the dings are under the waterline.You would want this type of ding fixed as soon as possible. They will probably need to cut out a larger area to properly repair it. Get a price and then ask them to fix all your superficial dings. It shouldn't cost much more. If money is a big issue, at least seal them with Marine Tex after the dings are totally dried out.

[jack14]

It may be the photo but that looks like more than a ding to me. I would have that repaired ASAP. Like you, I am not a fiberglas guy so I'd be looking for someone that knows what they're doing.

[DFreedom]

Damn, now ya'll got me scared. Guess that will be my project this weekend. Thinking about it now, I can see where water may eventually seep into and under the glass and cause delamination. Thanks guys!

[geronimo]

Dfree.. the top picture needs to be repaired,, its not a big job at all,, cant really see the second picture,, but this repair wont cost much now,, dont take a chance with the gel coat chaffing more and chipping away from the original ding any further,,, not sure if water intrusion will become an issue,, while its small fix it..

[gerrys]

Go here for instructional video. It's very informative. http://www.tapplastics.com/info/video.php

Scroll down to where you see Gelcoat repair Parts 1 & 2.

[DFreedom]

I used Marine Tex, let it dry, started sanding with 150 grit down to 800 wet and it looks almost as good as the surrounding hull. That stuff is pretty cool.

[kingair]

I used Marine Tex, let it dry, started sanding with 150 grit down to 800 wet and it looks almost as good as the surrounding hull. That stuff is pretty cool.

I saw a repair today using "cabisel" (sp) and gelcoat. It was made into a paste, and then sanded down.

[geronimo]

Marine Tex is fine,, just take a good look at it after a day out in the water,, see if it really adhered to the fiberglass roving that was exposed, should be fine,, how did the color match ?