Fiberglass Gel Coat Repair

Follow along as I attempt to repair a damaged section of our boat's gel coat.
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[@chevyda8070]

Mate for a first time and not knowing how to do it i would take this as a win. All you know all people out there get a life. No one is perfect and he clearly said through out the video it is his first time.

[@kthorn71]

Good job. We all start somewhere, and thanks to you I get to start a notch higher than I would have before your video. Ignore all the negative, we all learn and experience at different rates. Looks good, and if it breaks out again, I bet it is even better next time. Exactly why some of us enjoy doing things ourselves, we learn and improve. Thanks for sharing.

[@ttlkamd]

A lot of haters commenting, I think you did a decent job for first time. Better than my first time. Some commenters don't realize a fiberglass shop may not want to take on your $40 dollar jobs. Plus can you get your boat to a shop that will do it (size issues)? And then, how long will it take to get your boat back while you lose time on the water.

[@christopherfegett3763]

I would fix it in one day with a minimum charge of $100

[@johnkornachuk9672]

Thanks for sharing. Ignore the negative people; you did a great job, especially for a first attempt.

[@scottydubs]

Keyboard warriors abound on this video. We boat people are an eccentric bunch for sure. Nice job. Ive got a few spots I need to hit on my rig myself.

[@karisgarbonkus7648]

Awesome vid man! Thanks for helping all of us who don't know a thing about Gel Coat repair.

[@kennyw871]

I think you achieved an excellent cosmetic and structural outcome, not to mention the money you saved. Thanks.

[@sonofnorth666]

Legit nice to see someone actually apply a fix to a problem, instead of shelling out hundreds to thousands of dollars then call it DIY. Looks good!

[@davidharlem6824]

Good job buddy. As my old neighbour used to say, “A blind man would be glad to see it.”

[@joeyb8727]

"It's not awful" lol That's code for turned out better than expected

[@ChrisLawley43]

Looks really good, no one else is going to see it unless you actually point it out.

[@Pause4Life]

That is exactly what I was going for. Thanks!

[@theinvade1197]

Don't listen to the haters brother. Why pay 1,000 bucks when you can pay 50!

[@jacolen3791]

Good job for doing it the first time. I have a few dings on my boat that I have to repair. Thanks for posting!

[@markshort6049]

Looks like a pretty good job to me! I have a couple of small nicks like this just above the water line from dock dings and I am going to try this type of repair over the weekend.

[@Pause4Life]

Practice makes perfect. Let me know how it goes. Thanks for watching!

[@knobbiesshreaded3137]

I bumped a rock and damaged a strake. About the same size as your repair except under the boat. Thanks for boosting my confidence. My boat is in rack storage, so it is dry. Will need to buy red gel coat to match the hull.

[@jimhfurlong]

Thank you for this. Now I feel more confident to tackle my repair!

[@footballcoach1495]

I know this is an old thread but I just came across it. Bottom line is if you like it that is all that matters. Your boat, your repair so if you can live with it then good for you. Everyone is an expert and everyone has an opinion on how to do things. Lets take a look at their boats. Nice repair.

[@derekwallace8825]

Great job. Very neat and I learnt a lot from watching you tape off, mix and sand etc. Very nice job. Thank You,.

[@ricerneon399]

Needed to sand it first to get the new jelcoat to adhere

[@RockwithAj]

@Joel Campen lol that’s funny 😄.

[@bunkman64]

Looks REALLY good man! Far better than it was. Only you will notice it. Don't worry about small scratches on your boat man, consider them "battle scars". BADGES ON HONOR!

[@Jassman3536]

good job..very helpful. Turned out better than I thought it would.

[@n95home]

Get yourself over to boat works today channel and learn how to do it properly. You should have ground out the area slightly first then filled with something such as watertight below the water line filling compound, allowed to hard sanded back. Then put gel/top coat over the top with a brush reasonably thick. Once it had hardened you then sand it back flat cut and polish job done no dark bleed through spots.

[@robertcain3426]

For real damage yes but this was just a little cosmetic ding to the gel-coat. Should have sanded first or drevil'd it a bit. But it's only cosmetic, so it will be okay.

[@markfreedman2470]

Good job. I can't see people coming up to your boat and criticizing your work, if they ever noticed it. Which they won't unless you point it out to them. Don't. It looks great.

[@berniealbrecht7588]

Nice job for your first time. I like using 'JB Weld for Marine Repair' for the small jobs that don't go to deep, cheaper than the West Marine kit.

[@londomaho]

i think you did a pretty good job there. Looks really good on our end.

[@eclipser2004]

Seems like a good job to me. Whatever way it turned out, it's better than what it was. I just bought a 2001 Stingray 180 LX with a few gouges in it, so I'll be trying this soon. Thanks for posting

[@prepperelite3206]

Actually a very helpful video. Thank you for letting us tag along

[@Pause4Life]

Thanks! Glad you enjoyed it.

[@tommycheshire5508]

Good job. Great first attempt. Your approach was was just like I see the pros.

[@simonjandrell5897]

fabulous idea putting the clear plastic sheet over the Gel Coat Repair.. gotta repair my board this year

[@rogerhupp3115]

At first, when you started picking at it, I thought it was going to turn into a shit show.. It actually turned out pretty nice! Nice job. I'll give ya a thumbs up on this one.

[@RockwithAj]

Yeah I was worried he was going to peal it out right away. I’m like stop stop just start sanding lol but I think it turned out not to bad at all for a first timer.

[@Savsal12]

That looks awesome! Compared to what it looked like before

[@getnautical9579]

I like this method for spot repairs. Usually use gelcoat with west systems filler but this is great. Nice job

[@Pause4Life]

Thanks!

[@gassanchaptini618]

Thx for sharing . Looks good for first time mate but made some pros angry 😂😂😂👍

[@EthanMondy]

Looks good to me, and you learned a new thing. Way to go!

[@Pause4Life]

Exactly, thanks for the good words!

[@kegcreek9103]

Good video / job. What is the the name of the kit that you purchased?

[@thewalloby]

Man that looks sweet. Good job for first time try.

[@denpepp4342]

Two years ago? How's it now?

[@jetfunidf2784]

Excellent travail pour un débutant, bravo Guys

[@silvanomoreira5407]

Hello, I am thinking to have a small sauna in the after cabin of my glass fiber sailboat? May this project go well if I investering in a proper isolation? Or is that just an insane idea?

[@mikefogle5874]

Nice work. Looks good.

[@maxcraig466]

Certainly looks good from here... Great for a first timer ! My takeaway... “Best Latrine” Still laughing at that one ! 😂🤣

[@ericpierce4510]

If I'm not mistaken the piece of plastic in the kit isn't to smooth the gelcoat, but to lock the air off the Gelcoat so it will completely set and not be tacky on the surface when it's set. The exact same thing the wax works. This is why the manufacturers spray the Gelcoat into the mold first then apply the resin and glass. The Gelcoat then cooks completely and no tacky on the outside. That's my understanding anyway.

[@azcharlie2009]

You could be right. But, I've also heard of using wax paper.

[@henrygonzalez1201]

What was the name of the product you used? do you have a link you could share?

[@mileshurst7359]

Thank you. Nice job. Good video. "Looks better than it did.", was a good quote. I like, "ever what works", as well. boat on man. boat on.

[@stevenicholson7755]

Great Job, thanks for sharing the video

[@markgauvain2991]

I just saw this, thanks! good info. I have a crack just like after hitting a metal dock ladder with my swim platform a few years ago, but it's probably 3x in size. I will try to fix it using this same method come spring when the shrink wrap comes off. By the way the Dealer quoted me $700 to repair it. I said no way!

[@jonathansimmonds5784]

Don't, it's wrong.

[@Pause4Life]

3x that size is pretty big. For me, if my attempt to fix it failed, there's really no significant consequence. You'll need to decide if you are ok with the consequences of a failure from a DIY job. Mine was purely cosmetic and I wanted to try. Good luck.

[@deplorablechump8758]

I consider buying a jet ski that has a smaller gel coat damage. This video helps a lot. Thanks.

[@Mounirdoc]

Hello, can you please send me all the names of the products you used. Thx

[@motorbikemike7145]

Have to do a few nics on mine got kit but no instructions with it glad to see not to bad would’ve left a little longer but thanks for posting it

[@pamatt1965]

Good job. Thanks I have a similar dock boo boo to fix. Now I know how.

[@cwilson1227]

I’m about to do this today. Thanks for sharing. Looks great from my house!

[@jeffpotter7656]

A lot mentioned sanding before applying to chip. It’s best to use a razor blade to take the edge off the chip. It saves a lot of sanding. Just make sure you apply enough gel coat. Then you can sand to 600 grit.

[@wethepeople3170]

Unless that’s a new boat I would leave it alone. It looks good. I getting ready to do same on my nitro,if mine turns out as good as yours did then I’m happy

[@Miami543210]

I see you have an Element too. Thanks for the advice. Your video, plus the comments, as rude as some may be, together were incredibly helpful. Looks good enough. Inevitably, you will have more damage in the future. One day you can have a repair shop fix all of them. They can make those spots disappear completely. Boat ownership is expensive. But so worth it. How is the quality of your Element?

[@johncollins3022]

Good Job.Very helpful.

[@joebloe1401]

You will be the only one to ever notice that repair job!

[@gnohn9366]

Major improvement. Thanks.

[@Lack2330]

I have an almost identical chip on the starboard side from the boat kissing the dock an will be using the same method - job well done.

[@JohnDoe-oc7yh]

I promise this is not how to fix it. That's just a bandaid

[@Pause4Life]

Good luck and read through the comments- there are a few really constructive comments here that will help you out. My "bandaid" is still holding up, but I'll post another video if that changes.

[@mariomunoz1785]

Look a good man. What the name of the kit you used

[@kayakexcursions5570]

It looks good! You'll be a pro with a few more dings and scratches.

[@Bblazovich01]

What is the name of that kit you bought?

[@waltherppx6314]

I would sand the repair spot with 80 grit sandpaper first and put some epoxy resin over the fiberglass before applying the gelcoat. I used the same West Marine kit with the mylar film on my Sunfish and it only lasted a year before cracking and chipping out. I hope it lasted longer for you than it did for me. I''m going to re-do the repairs right by sanding out the previous repair spots and using several built up and sanded coats of Evercoat white one step gelcoat over epoxy resin.

[@dancheesman1752]

I suspect the reason for cracking may be to much hardener. It can be a real pain the neck to do sometimes

[@paulbaziuk4455]

thanks for sharing. Now i can do a similar repair on my Boat

[@aztxtransport2776]

What gelcoat kit is used in this video?

[@pakskaratepalmcoast6080]

Hey there, how many drops of Hardener should I use??

[@paulkersey2179]

Thanks for sharing, its a big help.

[@FataLxNinjazZ]

really good video very helpful. thanks!

[@Pause4Life]

Thank you.

[@bwmswrestling5673]

I would call it a win! Not bad, muck better than what you had

[@angelgegege]

Great video. Thank you!!! :)

[@downsey45]

Must sand the Area first before gelcoat application.

[@joelpowzyk5295]

Good job. Thanks Joey B.

[@8LIVIN8]

what kind of watch are you wearing?

[@gapple12]

Great video, i think its looks great, hardly notice it. I have a fiberglass swim platform as well with a few chunks busted out, but noticed you used a gel coat repair kit, not a fiberglass repair kit. Is the gel coat the best way since its white ?

[@Pause4Life]

The white part that I'm fixing is the gel coat. You can see the fiberglass exposed in the bottom of the divot. The fiberglass was fine and needed no repair. So far it's holding up fine and I don't really even think about it anymore.

[@gapple12]

OK, thanks. IM sure mine is the same material as yours, its a Chaparral stock extended swim platform.

[@FAGIN2]

Nice job man.

[@fishydubsfishing6516]

looks good, how many knots were you doing when you hit

[@Pause4Life]

None really. A wake pushed it into the dock and that was it.

[@fahodi23]

nice job , i need to buy one of these kits to work on my boat, good information thanks

[@Pause4Life]

Thanks. The kit is handy to have around for sure.

[@SeanThorne]

nicely done!

[@rosstaddeo3239]

Do you think the damaged area showed thru because there wasn't enough of the white colored material and a large amount of the clear? Leaving it translucent? I have an almost identical chip on my deck where the anchor was dropped going into the locker. This looks like the perfect fix

[@ryandarby3460]

that's exactly what I was thinking

[@Pause4Life]

Yes. Someone mentioned applying a small amount of white paint over the fiberglass before repairing and I think that might help. For a non-structural chip above the waterline, this is simple, effective and turned out really well. I'd recommend giving it a try. Matching the color is a total crap shoot though for us noobs. Good luck!

[@871jamie]

Not bad for a total amateur, but you should have rough sanded and feathered the area before applying the repair. J/s

[@johnnyc4738]

Good call. I tape surgically close to the outside of my patch area, then leave my tape on, when doing my initial sanding... It serves a a depth guide for small to medium patches.

[@bakervinci163]

I’ve never done this and thought the same thing. I was a dentist before I became an oral surgeon, so I have done stuff similar to this at work

[@jeepincentralflgladiatorst7969]

I just did the same thing to my boat almost same spot. What kit was that again you used?

[@Snub123-wh9xf]

What grit sandpaper would you use to rough up the damaged areas before applying repair?

[@funmusic8570]

I agree, it looks great. Most of the after video portion we cant even see where the hole was.

[@desnatao]

Good job !! Do you know how it´s call the transparent film/plastic that the gel coat it doesn´t stick ?

[@vadimkvak1751]

You can use baking paper. Epoxy does not stic to it.

[@toddlehman928]

Mylar

[@davidpowell4601]

Great job for your first time, tough spot to work on!

[@Pause4Life]

Thanks, I learned a little for next time.

[@davevingom3097]

Very good video for the first time DIY person. Would like .to find out where you found the kit?

[@Pause4Life]

West Marine. It's not rocket science and there are plenty of good tips in the comment section. Thanks for watching!

[@boogerbear]

looks good! I have a place on my boat I will try and fix.

[@dvvalant]

Good job!

[@Imoverit2]

Good job mate, can only see it it if you new it was there. 🇦🇺

[@ericbrauch5872]

I want to buy that smoothing out clear finishing tape. Can i use clear packing tape?

[@grass519]

thats lovely 👍

[@TERMIN8TOR99]

I dont think it's a sticky tape looks like mylar.

[@miketworld]

Going to be trying this for my first time soon. Thanks for the video. Only things I might do different is not tape off the area of repair just tape the plastic down after mix is applied and add more white.

[@aztxtransport2776]

Mike Tice Do you have a link for the kit used?

[@miketworld]

@@aztxtransport2776 www.amazon.com/WEST-MARINE-Gelcoat-Repair-Kit/dp/B07W9FLX2G/ref=mp_s_a_1_1_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=west+marine+gel+coat+repair+kit&qid=1606063608&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExTzFXSTlXVTlKQVdDJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNjQ4MDY5MVFLOE83WkNQTkhJVCZlbmNyeXB0ZWRBZElkPUEwOTQ3NDExM1NKODVIQVhMQzhSTiZ3aWRnZXROYW1lPXNwX3Bob25lX3NlYXJjaF9hdGYmYWN0aW9uPWNsaWNrUmVkaXJlY3QmZG9Ob3RMb2dDbGljaz10cnVl

[@aztxtransport2776]

Mike Tice Thank you so much. 👍

[@aztxtransport2776]

Mike Tice Was one kit enough? I need to patch 1”x6” on my keel. Is this kit easier to work with than other kits?

[@m1oleary]

Nice job! Thanks!

[@Jyock]

Hooyah brother looks great. This helped

[@casey240]

great video thank you

[@dono9771]

Good Job.Thanks!

[@gasket1966]

I actually put a few drops of honey wax in my gell coat repair it stops it being sticky when cured

[@darkstar18498]

All in all you did a very good job

[@adammitchell6239]

For a first timer great job.

[@Pause4Life]

Thanks, it's hardly noticeable.

[@georgiaboy6426]

Thanks for sharing the video. How is it holding up?

[@Pause4Life]

No issues at all. I'm the only one that knows it has been repaired.

[@Ken-ps6zf]

It sunk

[@elpropiocanario.6262]

That damage shows internal breakage of the fabric, then polyester putty must be applied, because the gelcoat by itself has no resistance for that damage; For this reason, it is a short-term, brittle repair.

[@NUrukhai]

First question, a polyester putty like marine filler? Second, what do you mean by resistance to damage and why do you need that? Is that incase he bangs the boat in that spot again?

[@adambrickley1119]

@@NUrukhai Think he means, gel coat has very little strength, the grp is a composite, strength comes from the combined glass and plastic. So in this case you need a strength focused filler then the cosmetic gel coat. Thats my take on what he means.

[@LimitedWarranty]

Looks good, sand it again and apply more material then you can shape it to match the curve.

[@Pause4Life]

Thanks for the advice. Right now it's hardly noticeable so I'm going to leave it alone, but if I have any problems with it I will certainly do it. Thanks for watching.

[@kamikaasje0439]

Good job

[@silenthero8468]

Very good job! Not perfect but oh well its sealed and will be protected from the weather. Way better than paying a bill for someone else to do it. And if it happens again you'll be better prepared.