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<p>It's time to get ready for another great boating season. To protect your boating investment and keep your boat looking its best, it's time to check for any needed surface repairs.
<p>The good news is that a lot of fiberglass and gel coat repairs are much easier than they look. So let's start with the gel coat.
<p>Many minor scratches that do not go through the gel coat can be wet sanded with 800-1000 grit sandpaper. Simply wet a piece of wet dry sand paper in a cup of water and gently sand the scratched or damaged area. Next use a medium grit buffing compound to return the gel coats gloss level. You may need an additional polishing compound to achieve your desired gloss level.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/march16/images/art4-1.jpg" border="0" />
<p>Stress cracks and "dock rash" caused by "over docking" or other impacts can also be easily fixed. You must first determine if the crack goes through the gel coat and into the fiberglass. Using a drill, Dremel type tool or die grinder, grind the crack to the point where you can't see it any more. If you don't grind it out and simply try to put gel coat over the top of it, the crack with return. If the crack does not go into the fiberglass, you can use Spectrum Color factory color matched gel coat patch paste to make the repair. After grinding the crack out, use acetone to clear repair area. Put two layers of masking tape around the repair area to protect undamaged fiberglass surfaces.
<p>Mix patch paste and catalyst thoroughly and apply with a putty knife. After the gel has cured, sand and buff.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/march16/images/art4-2.jpg" border="0" />
<p>For cracks that go into the fiberglass, they must be repaired with resin and fiberglass mat. After grinding out crack and cleaning repair area, cut pieces of fiberglass to fill damaged area. Apply catalyzed resin to crack, then fiberglass mat. Repeat process until repair is level with the original gel coat making sure the fiberglass mat is saturated. Once the resin is cured (4-6 hours) sand repair area flat and apply gel coat.
<p>See more detailed instruction on iboats.com. If you are unsure about the level of damage or the technical skills needed to do the repair, we suggest you visit our forum at iboats.com or watch this video or others on the iboats.com site: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNynjuVGKfZ8b26pmXiuYHA?cm_mmc=Email-_-March2016Review-_-ArticleLink-_-Video">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNynjuVGKfZ8b26pmXiuYHA</a>
<p>On the iboats.com Forums you can present your repair questions and concerns to get input from hundreds of repair and boating knowledgeable people.
<p>Don't be intimidated with fiberglass and gel coat repair! With a little research and time, most repairs can be done by the novice boater. Find all your gelcoat and fiberglass repair products right here: <a href="http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Gel-Coat-Repair/dm/view_id.246645?cm_mmc=Email-_-March2016Review-_-ArticleLink-_-GelCoatRepair">http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Gel-Coat-Repair/dm/view_id.246645</a>
<p>The good news is that a lot of fiberglass and gel coat repairs are much easier than they look. So let's start with the gel coat.
<p>Many minor scratches that do not go through the gel coat can be wet sanded with 800-1000 grit sandpaper. Simply wet a piece of wet dry sand paper in a cup of water and gently sand the scratched or damaged area. Next use a medium grit buffing compound to return the gel coats gloss level. You may need an additional polishing compound to achieve your desired gloss level.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/march16/images/art4-1.jpg" border="0" />
<p>Stress cracks and "dock rash" caused by "over docking" or other impacts can also be easily fixed. You must first determine if the crack goes through the gel coat and into the fiberglass. Using a drill, Dremel type tool or die grinder, grind the crack to the point where you can't see it any more. If you don't grind it out and simply try to put gel coat over the top of it, the crack with return. If the crack does not go into the fiberglass, you can use Spectrum Color factory color matched gel coat patch paste to make the repair. After grinding the crack out, use acetone to clear repair area. Put two layers of masking tape around the repair area to protect undamaged fiberglass surfaces.
<p>Mix patch paste and catalyst thoroughly and apply with a putty knife. After the gel has cured, sand and buff.
<p><img SRC="http://www.iboats.com/mall_marketing/newsletter/march16/images/art4-2.jpg" border="0" />
<p>For cracks that go into the fiberglass, they must be repaired with resin and fiberglass mat. After grinding out crack and cleaning repair area, cut pieces of fiberglass to fill damaged area. Apply catalyzed resin to crack, then fiberglass mat. Repeat process until repair is level with the original gel coat making sure the fiberglass mat is saturated. Once the resin is cured (4-6 hours) sand repair area flat and apply gel coat.
<p>See more detailed instruction on iboats.com. If you are unsure about the level of damage or the technical skills needed to do the repair, we suggest you visit our forum at iboats.com or watch this video or others on the iboats.com site: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNynjuVGKfZ8b26pmXiuYHA?cm_mmc=Email-_-March2016Review-_-ArticleLink-_-Video">https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCNynjuVGKfZ8b26pmXiuYHA</a>
<p>On the iboats.com Forums you can present your repair questions and concerns to get input from hundreds of repair and boating knowledgeable people.
<p>Don't be intimidated with fiberglass and gel coat repair! With a little research and time, most repairs can be done by the novice boater. Find all your gelcoat and fiberglass repair products right here: <a href="http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Gel-Coat-Repair/dm/view_id.246645?cm_mmc=Email-_-March2016Review-_-ArticleLink-_-GelCoatRepair">http://www.iboats.com/Boat-Gel-Coat-Repair/dm/view_id.246645</a>
