Delamination on hardtop

[dingbat]

I have a couple of places where the gelcoat has, or is, starting to delaminate on the hardtop. Most of the delamination has taken place around a couple of holes the PO filled with 5200 and water got under the gelcoat.

I drilled out the 5200 and cored the hole with wooden dowels and epoxy last year but now have the delamination to contend with. I also have a couple of places on the edge of the top where the gelcoat cracked and I'm guessing moisture got in there an froze lifting the gelcoat off the fiberglass.

It's obvious that I need to remove the damaged gelcoat and let the underlying material dry out before doing anything. Question is, how should I repair these areas? I?m a newbie to glass work so any insight would be of help.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Delamination on hardtop

Pics would really help out ..

YD.

 

[dingbat]

Re: Delamination on hardtop

Pics would really help out ..

YD.

The boat is in the slip and hour away.
Not much to see. It looks like peeling paint about the size of a quarter radiating out from the center of some 3/8" holes the OP filled with 5200. The failure mode is obvious. Water got under the gelcoat, froze and lifted it off the fiberglass below.

The lip of the hardtop is the same deal. Crack on top edge. Water penetrated the crack, froze and lifted a section roughly 6? lg. x 1.5? tall. Piece still attached in a couple of places.

?Chips? are roughly 0.030-0.40? thk. I?m thinking grind out and feather edges. Let substrate dry out, apply gelcocat.

Am I on the right track?

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Delamination on hardtop

Depending on how the hardtop was put together there can be a great deal of fairing done, this means fillers and then re-gel coating, if this work isn't done well the gel coat can peel off. It doesn't need the freeze thaw cycle to fail, but that will speed the process once the gel coat looses its grip.

If there is no filler under it, just glass, then there are other issues, but either way to fix it you need to remove all the gel coat in the affected area and then re-apply it, spot repairs are only temporary.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Delamination on hardtop

The boat is in the slip and hour away.
Not much to see. It looks like peeling paint about the size of a quarter radiating out from the center of some 3/8" holes the OP filled with 5200. The failure mode is obvious. Water got under the gelcoat, froze and lifted it off the fiberglass below.

I would still like some pics ...

Gelcoat does not delam..it fails..

It could ba a case of air pockets in the "skin coat " from improper rollout of the lams that is failing.

I have Never seen gel fail ( Delam/lift ) if prepped correctly..Ever..

I would really like to see the structure your talking about.

It could also be AirVoids.. where the skincoat never mated with the gel in the mold..

Kinda hard to say without good pics..sorry..

YD.