Gel coat help

[burtonrider11]

Hoping I can get some info and advice. This weekend I was removing some vinyl decals from the hull of our boat using a heat gun and Rapid Remover. I work in the sign industry so I have some experience with application and removal of vinyl products. The picture below is from the "S" in STARCRAFT. I have been able to remove all the other letters, a logo and some striping without issue. As I was removing the S, I noticed that on the adhesive side of the vinyl was green. And now I have a spot where it looks like a clear coat or gel coat has pulled right off the hull side.

Is it possible that the manufacturer or a PO used some kind of clear coat? I always thought gel coat was just gel coat and if it was removed you'd be into fiberglass. My understanding of the fiberglass construction, colors and gel coat is fuzzy at best, hopefully someone can school me.

That said, what do I do? I will be applying new decals eventually but I want this fixed. I do have some work to do on the keel and will be ordering some neutral gel coat along with a color match to repair the keel. Since the color is still good, could I use the neutral gel coat to go over this and gently sand and feather it in. I do have automotive grade sand paper already. Even though this portion will likely be covered up by the new decals, it will bother me if it doesn't get fixed

I appreciate any info and advice, you guys never let me down!

 

[gm280]

burton, quite possible that you removed a clear gel coat as the final coat (actually the very first coat when in the mold) when the hull was built. I think fixing it was be a long process. Yes you can apply clear Gel Coat over the prepped are again, but feathering it into the existing clear to make it look matched could be the problem. JMHO!

 

[jbcurt00]

I doubt that the logo adhesive pulled the gelcoat off, but perhaps it did


As this is a fairly new to you boat, I'd bet its much more likely that someone sprayed a clear coat on the boat.

And that S doesnt look like the typical font Starcraft uses. To me that suggests a respray and a newly added logo

 

[burtonrider11]

Thanks guys. The boat has been ours about a year. I do think the decals are from the factory, the S does not look like the current S Starcraft uses, however, our boat is a '97 and the logo, font and striping all match to a T from the product catalogs I found online. I think they updated their logo in the early 2000's.

To me, it would certainly make sense that it had been sprayed with a clear later on in it's life and re-decaled, but I do think this is from the factory. It's odd to me that I have been able to remove a lot of said vinyl and not have any issues except for this one spot.

I will be updated the decals with the more current looking font when I get the boat stripped down, rubbed, polished and re-coated....

You can see what our boat (2010SS, featured on page 8 and front cover) looked like from the factory here:

http://www.starcraftmarine.com/sites/default/files/brochures/1997-Starcraft-Pleasure-Catalog.pdf

 

[jbcurt00]

The S appears to be a heavier, thicker font then factory.

If it was sprayed w clear coat it wasnt by the factory. I mean PAINTED w clear coat, not recoated w clear gel.

Its a nearly 20yr old boat. Very likely to have had dull gelcoat (like what was exposed when 'something' pulled off w the removal of the S) and there have been several re-sprayed boats posted on iboats. Few, very few, have good long term results.

 

[burtonrider11]

The S appears to be a heavier, thicker font then factory.

If it was sprayed w clear coat it wasnt by the factory. I mean PAINTED w clear coat, not recoated w clear gel.

Its a nearly 20yr old boat. Very likely to have had dull gelcoat (like what was exposed when 'something' pulled off w the removal of the S) and there have been several re-sprayed boats posted on iboats. Few, very few, have good long term results.

Yikes, I hope that isn't the case here, but it certainly could be. In any case, I don't wish to re-spray the boat, but I am hoping I may be able to touch up the lower part of the S with some clear gel coat. I understand it likely won't be perfect, but I can rub and polish the area first to hopefully bring the dull out of it first....

 

[ondarvr]

You can't touch up clear paint with clear gel coat.

Clear gel coat is rarely used over solid colors, only over metal flake.

Clear gel coat doesn't peel off like that, that is unless it was poorly applied at a later date by the owner.

The only info we have to go on is one pic, so with more info it could change.

 

[burtonrider11]

You can't touch up clear paint with clear gel coat.

Clear gel coat is rarely used over solid colors, only over metal flake.

Clear gel coat doesn't peel off like that, that is unless it was poorly applied at a later date by the owner.

The only info we have to go on is one pic, so with more info it could change.

Okay, so how do I go about making the repair? I really don't think it was clear gel coat applied later, but I could be wrong.

What other info can I provide?

 

[ondarvr]

The pic is small and blurry, not enough detail in it to see much of anything. Some solvents can attack and soften paint, they typically don't have much of an affect on gel coat.

 

[burtonrider11]

I don't know why the photo is so small, I'll try sending a PM with the original photo attached. Basically, for lack of a better term, I want to fill in the area that is missing the "clear" that was pulled off by the decal. That is why I suggested using clear gel coat to fill in this area. It is a small area and my hope was to pre sand the area, fill it in as neatly as possible and finish with sanding.

 

[ondarvr]

When you say "fill" do you mean it feels like a low area where material was removed, more than just a thin layer of paint?

 

[burtonrider11]

When you say "fill" do you mean it feels like a low area where material was removed, more than just a thin layer of paint?

Yes, there is a very slight low area. Thin is subject to opinion, but it is a very thin layer of whatever did come off. If you rub your hand across it, you can feel it....I don't believe it to be paint that was removed as the area where the material was removed is still green like the rest of the area around it. Even though whatever did come off with the decal was green also. So perhaps it was gel coat that did come off?

 

[jbcurt00]

Maybe you could blend the repair to the clear so its less obvious, its not likely you'll be able to just fill in where its missing and be done w it w a nearly invisible repair.

Acetone will typically bubble paint (clear too) but wont damage cured gelcoat.

Maybe wind up a rag into a dobber 1.5-2in diameter, apply acetone to it and hold it to the S and see if any more clear bubbles up.

I dont think higher end, 2stage (catalyzed) paint bubbles w acetone.

Ondarvr or others might know

 

[burtonrider11]

Maybe you could blend the repair to the clear so its less obvious, its not likely you'll be able to just fill in where its missing and be done w it w a nearly invisible repair.

Acetone will typically bubble paint (clear too) but wont damage cured gelcoat.

Maybe wind up a rag into a dobber 1.5-2in diameter, apply acetone to it and hold it to the S and see if any more clear bubbles up.

I dont think higher end, 2stage (catalyzed) paint bubbles w acetone.

Ondarvr or others might know

That's really what I am aiming for. I don't expect it to be perfect and impossible to see....I just want to make it better than it is now and I want to do that prior to applying new decals...

 

[jbcurt00]

Paint comes in 2 varieties: pigmented and clear

Gel coat does too: clear and pigmented.

Drive around a mall parking lot. You will likely find at least 1 car w peeling clear coat. You can feel the edge of the clear that didnt peel. If you find a piece of clear that peeled off, its likely to have whatever colored paint stuck to it too.

Sign of improper prep or application.

Again, as ondarvr posted above, Starcraft didnt use clear gel originally.

Compared to the effort to clear coat this boat w gelcoat, its mich more likeky it was spray (painted) w clear.

 

[ondarvr]

If you said what came off with the letter was green, then it was probably painted green to match the original color at some point, using clear to make a repair won't work.

The real solution, just get a slightly larger sticker and cover it all up and then forget about it.

 

[jbcurt00]

The real solution, just get a slightly larger sticker and cover it all up and then forget about it.

^^^ Was going to be my next post/recommemdation as well.