Gelcoat?

[texasvet54]

My Three Buoys houseboat that I purchased a few months ago has some small cracks in the fiberglass that I need to repair. My research so far has shown that I can purchase repair kits for fiberglass and also for gelcoat. I can see the fiberglass pattern of the hull material, but how do I tell whether there is a gelcoat over it?

If this is a dumb question, it certainly won't be my last.

Thanks,

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: Gelcoat?

Hello TV54 and welcome to Iboats..

I would look around fittings, rubrail or hardware to see if there has been a coat of anything painted on.

Is it dull and chaulky ? ( typical of gelcoat )

Got pics .

YD.

PS. If you repair those cracks with gelpaste..they will eventually fail..

 

[sasto]

Re: Gelcoat?

I can see the fiberglass pattern of the hull material, ,

Can you see fiberglass pattern thru the gelcoat at an undamaged area?.... Like YD says: he needs pictures to access the damage.

 

[shrew]

Re: Gelcoat?

I've never seen a fiberglass boat without gelcoat. As stated, it's unclear whether the gelcoat is cracked or there is a crack in the fiberglass underneath. It is possible to use aggressive compounds for waxing over time that eventually wears away enough gelcoat that you can begin to see the fiberglass under the thin translucent gelcoat.

A picture would be ideal.

 

[texasvet54]

Re: Gelcoat?

Thanks for the replies. I'll take a pic in a couple of days and re-post.

Thanks