TATTY DECK!

[MESS147415]

Hi fellow boaters. Ive just purchased a 16 foot delta cubman ski boat as a winter project and need some advise! The hull is basically sound, but the deck appears to have been painted with a second gel coat at some time - like a stippled finished - and in places this is starting to flake off. Would it be best to try and scrape all this off and start again or sand it down and try to patch up the bad bits? thanks steve

 

[petrolhead]

Re: TATTY DECK!

If it's flaking then scrape it off, patch it and you'll be doing it again this time next year, and the year after, and ....<br />The stippled finish sounds like it was rollered on, which should be OK as long as you use a slow enough mix to allow it to self-level afterwards.<br />I replaced the cabin roof on my father-in-law's Norman 23 last year, replacing the original balsa end grain core with pre-formed plywood, then glassing over it and finishing with a couple of coats of gelcoat, the second coat was mixed 50/50 with laminating resin to make it runny, and 2% catalyst for a slow cure.<br />It still needed wet sanding and polishing afterwards, but the end result was pretty good, not quite as good as factory original but good enough. More cutting and polishing would have it looking even better but he was happy to leave it as it is now.