Gel coat repair

[Jonboat2Bassboat]

I have a small ding in the gel coat and need some tips on repairing it correctly the first time. The boat is a Kevlar kayak but how to repair gel coat should be the same no matter what boat it is on. As you can see in the photo, the ding is right where the chine (bend in the shape of the hull) is. My guess is the previous owner hit a log, the area flexed and popped back out. There is no structural damage. I can reinforce the interior with a Kevlar patch. Where I need help is making the exterior repair blend in with the highly reflective exterior finish.
Are the steps outlined good practice?
1 - Chip off any lose gel coat2 - Edge areas where fiberglass shows thru
3 - V-notch superficial cracks so gel coat will sink in

4 - Slightly overfill dings and cracks with color matched gel coat
5 - Once set, sand flush with 150 grit then wet sand in steps to 6 or 800, maybe finer
6 - Buff with rubbing compound then polishing compound
7 - Buff and polish with paste wax
Sound like a plan?
Will a 6" random orbital variable speed sander with a buffing / polishing pad produce a good finish or would a dedicated $100 random orbital variable speed buffer / polisher produce a noticeably better finish?
I know my way around a workshop and tools and have done some fiberglassing many years ago. This job is not above my pay grade, just need some tips to do it right the first time.

 

[Woodonglass]

Sounds pretty good. GelCoat Paste (Gelcoat thickened with cabosil) is the thing to use. Make sure to clean everything well with Acetone before applying any gelcoat. A R/O sander will NOT buff the gel. Polisher will. Color matching Old Faded Gel coat is an art. But even if you get it perfect, next year it won't be. The new will fade at a different rate than the old. Soooo IMHO don't fuss to much. Just get it close and call it good.

 

[Scott Danforth]

kevlar is carbon fiber and epoxy. gel is poly. it may not stick

 

[ezmobee]

I patched some gouges in my older white hull with just some good 'ol MarineTex and was surprised how good it looked and how not noticeable the patches are.

 

[Jonboat2Bassboat]

Thanks for the advice. Why will a 5" variable speed random orbit sander NOT buff the gel coat but a polisher will. It is amps and speed? If so, what amps and speed should a good polisher have?
Looking at:
Neiko 10671A 7-Inch vsro polisher, 10 amp 1K – 3K rpm $66
PORTER-CABLE 7424XP 6-Inch vsro polisher, 4.5 amp, 2500 – 6800 rpm $119
TORQ TORQX 5” vsro polisher, no power specs $130
DeWalt 7-Inch/9-Inch vsro polisher, 12 amp, 600 – 3500 rpm $179
It seems like the Neiko & DeWalt have similar specs and the Neiko, or similar, would be OK for casual use.
The Porter Cable seems to run too fast and the Torq “specs” don’t list amps or speed which troubles me.
Any thoughts?
[FONT=&quot]HEMICAL GUYS BUF_501 - TORQ TORQ10FX RANDOM ORBITAL POLISHER[/FONT]

 

[Scott Danforth]

I use a 7" variable speed with digital read out. I polish at 1300-1800 RPM depending on cutting compound

 

[Woodonglass]

I bought and used this one from Harbor Freight. VS Polisher.

Got it on sale for $29.99
I'd recommend about 700 rpm. and use the yellow foam pad for the compound and then finish with the wool pad with polish/wax.

 

[ondarvr]

If you try sanding the patch down with 150 grit it will create a bunch of work to remove those scratches, it's best to start with the finest grit possible and only go coarser if needed.

 

[Jonboat2Bassboat]

Thanks for the help. This may be a one off job for me so getting decent results without breaking the bank or creating too much work is a real plus.

 

[ondarvr]

Inexpensive repairs are the goal here.

​People here frequently recommend Harbor Freight tools because for the most part you aren't going to be using the tools very often, just the occasional sanding and buffing, and they work well for that, if you made a living with the tools they may not be the best choice.

 

[Scott Danforth]

for a few dollars more than the Harbor Freight unit that WOG is using, this is the one I use. its polished my bot 5 times, a buddies boat twice and I use it on all the vehicles. Will it last... who knows

I think I had a 20% off coupon picked it up, and I had my step son and daughter with me, one bought the bonnet kit with a coupon, one bought spare heads with the coupon. we all got flashlights too

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-inch-electronic-polisher-66615.html

ondarvr is right. most of the HF tools are not something I would want to use if your lively hood depended on tools, with one exception.

if you do concrete repair, you cant beat a harbor freight circular saw and masonry blades. since the dust is abrasive and eats up the motor of any dry saw. when your done, you throw the saw away. the handy man I use buys them about 6 at a time. his Bosch saw lasted about 6 jobs, the HF saw lasts about 2 or 3. however the bosch saw is almost 10x the cost

 

[Baylinerchuck]

So true on HF power tools. Most of their sanding discs, polishing pads are comparable. The power tools are disposable. I went through 2 HF $9.99 4-1/2 grinders on my Chap restore. They totally saved me from burning up my $200.00 Metabo. I'll definitely be buying a HF polisher.