How to Repair Gelcoat Damage

from www.ecfibregla... In this video we show how to make a flawless repair to a damaged fibreglass part using the East Coast Gelcoat Repair Kit

[@ColinMill1]

Very good demo. Thanks. As you say, eye protection is important - the MEKP hardener is especially unpleasant stuff as I found out the hard way back in the 1960s when we were a bit more gung-ho.

[@waynejackson106]

This company is top notch. I'm an absolute beginner and their advice was always great.

[@jimthompson717]

Excellent safety awareness . Very professional

[@63melvyn]

Got my kit the other very I pressed with it and the finished job ! Many thanks ,plus this video is very clear and good ,followed it to the letter .👍

[@fernandogimenez8005]

Very good video including several practical tips, it seems they know what they aren talking about.

[@robwilson7654]

Very useful video. Thank you.

[@daveslife9486]

Great video 👍

[@seaeagle8976]

Very informative! Thanks!!!

[@dalturbo]

Brilliant tutorial, thank you

[@donaldwhippleii9570]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@beinghumanwithcgjung1002]

why do some people open the cracks with a Dremel and then use fairing compound rather than Gel Coat?

[@leecambsuk2871]

nice vid although there are some pukka gelcoat fillers (paste) out there too that do a great job too. be great to see how you tackle gelcoat crazing or stress related hairline cracking.

[@ecfibreglassuk]

Yeah we do the fillers as well Lee, we'll do another video with that (when we get time! :))

[@latinomix74]

Hi good vide but can I use for boat floor ?

[@jcmcadams08able]

What would you recommend for a 28’ boat with several chips in the the gel coat? I would like to repair the chips and then repaint or have a new layer? Is it possible to sand it down and add a new coat? What would be most practical?

[@ecfibreglassuk]

Hi, depends on the depth of the chips really. If it's through to the laminate underneath, you'll need a resin or gel filler to repair those before a final coat of gel over the top.

[@alanc.142]

Should’ve grinded out the crack until no cracks were left. Fixed for a little but it will fail again

[@kjw1406]

Retailer in USA?

[@skimbo72]

Great video, going to buy one of these kits to make some repairs to my glider. Quick question - will this stick to aluminium? I have airbrakes that extend out of the wings, and a small piece of gelcoat has come off at the corner to reveal Aluminium. Any idea? Cheers in advance!

[@ecfibreglassuk]

It's designed to be a finish coat for fibreglass - it won't adhere directly to metal

[@TheJustonemore]

Squeaky door guy got canned

[@bryangraves1199]

Everytime I wet sand the gel, the old gel around the repair turns yellow. Any idea how to prevent this? I’m lubricating my sandpaper

[@ecfibreglassuk]

Is it permanent or does it wipe off? Is it possible you're removing a layer of lighter gel, and revealing older/darker gel underneath?

[@tviswatchingu]

More close ups would have been nice

[@Rick-tb4so]

So you dont have to add wax to the gel coat ??

[@ecfibreglassuk]

Hi, it's not needed for very small repairs like this one. The masking tape over the top will seal off the air to stop the tacky finish

[@marcusharrison6913]

@@ecfibreglassuk But on the repair that you do on this video, you state that it's only necessary if it's on a vertical or angled surface. I'm asking because I am in the process of using your kit and the deeper repairs that I covered with release film cured well but the smaller (fine scratches) that I did without film remained tacky, even after three days. To be fair, the tacky repairs did actually sand down with wet and dry (surprisingly) but I was worried they wouldn't! I'm now worried about all the other fine scratches that I've got to do because there are a lot, and to have to cover all of those with release film, apart from not having enough release film in the kit, would be a huge pain. Should I get some wax additive from you for all the smaller scratches or not?

[@ecfibreglassuk]

@@marcusharrison6913 Wax is added to the gelcoat so it will cure without the tacky finish. It's job is to sit on the surface and seal it off from the air while it cures, which is what causes the tackiness. Release film over the top, or anything really, will do the same job. You can use masking tape, PVA release agent, cling film, etc

[@TammyNorie]

@@ecfibreglassuk Just a note for other folks. I've used cling film in the past and it tends to crinkle as the gelcoat cures, making more sanding work! I'd recommend a stiffer film.

[@matthewchubb1]

I’m having an awful time making minor imperfections disappear on my panels. After filling I used 80 grit followed by 400 grit wet/dry and despite feeling smooth to the touch they can still be seen through my fill primer (2coats) and now satin paint (2 coats) ....help!

[@ecfibreglassuk]

Hi Matthew, give us a call next week on 0191 4975134 and ask for Martin. He's our tech guy and he should be able to help

[@matthewchubb1]

EastCoastFibreglass - will do thanks!!

[@71160000]

I watched a video by boatworks and he started out with 400 grit moving up to 1500 grit. Followed up with buffing with a polishing compound.

[@gomigman5936]

Why start out with 80 grit? That's way too coarse, especially if you follow it with 400, that's a huge jump and probably why you're having trouble. The key is to start with a grit just enough to knock down the gelcoat and then the next grit is slightly less and so on and so forth. Start with 220 not 80.

[@johnhayford5946]

Helpful but no mention of colour matching.

[@ecfibreglassuk]

Hi John, watch this space! We're currently waiting on delivery of a very cool gel-mixing machine, which *fingers crossed* will let us offer colour matching in the future

[@AKAYClassic]

Best way would be to grind it out first with a grinder or dremel and then make a paste to fill the defect area..to me thats just covering up the defect not a professional fix!!!

[@ecfibreglassuk]

Filler can be used for deeper scratches, but for shallow surface damage, gel is fine

[@dheexrexlofc8191]

First #pertamakgan