Gel Coat Repair Advice

M

Mark & Molly

New Member
Sep 28, 2017
17
Shelter Cove Marina - Hilton Head Island
Boat Info
Sea Ray 280 SLX, 2017 Model, with 350 HP Bravo III stern drive, Raymarine navigation
Engines
6.2 Litre 350 HP Mercruiser, Bravo III Stern Drive
Need advice on best approach to repair gel coat. Boat rubbed wooden dock in rough weather. Blue gel coat comes off on rag when wiped with boat cleaner. Boat is new (yes, quite sad!) less than 6 months old. Any thoughts on best way to repair? What could be causing gel coat to keep coming off? See pics. Thanks
 

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A pro is probably best but you could try and give it a wet sand with 600 then 800 and then to a medium compound like 3M imperial polish.

Before doing anything you may want to contact SR to make sure the blue through the entire gelcoat and not a topical color so you don't risk sanding through it completely
 
Thanks for the replies. The gel coat is blue all the way through. We'll run it in to a dealer next month when we do our service. Thanks again.
 
I would even suggest starting with 1000 on a light pressure wet sanding to let it reveal how deep the damage is. The key is that the gelcoat is not more than a few mil thick and if you wear too much down then the fiberglass will start to show through from behind.

After the 1000 I would hit it with Buff Magic on a rotary polisher with a wool pad to bring up the shine. Buff Magic should work out sanding scratched from 600 to 1500 if I remember correctly.

The good news is the boat is new so if a gelcoat fill is needed it should be easy to match since it is not that weathered. Sea Ray can give you the color codes and Spectrum Gelcoat can mix up a batch.

-Kevin
 
KevinC said:
I would even suggest starting with 1000 on a light pressure wet sanding to let it reveal how deep the damage is. The key is that the gelcoat is not more than a few mil thick and if you wear too much down then the fiberglass will start to show through from behind.

After the 1000 I would hit it with Buff Magic on a rotary polisher with a wool pad to bring up the shine. Buff Magic should work out sanding scratched from 600 to 1500 if I remember correctly.

The good news is the boat is new so if a gelcoat fill is needed it should be easy to match since it is not that weathered. Sea Ray can give you the color codes and Spectrum Gelcoat can mix up a batch.

-Kevin
Click to expand...
That’s what I would do except if you aren’t experienced or comfortable with the wet sanding.
 
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