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Author Topic: Need gel coating advice  (Read 617 times)

May 18, 2018, 09:52:07 AM
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AquaOsprey

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Need gel coating advice
« on: May 18, 2018, 09:52:07 AM »
Hi Fellas,

I inherited a 97 Osprey 175 for helping my Aunt sell her lake house (Lake Sheridan in Pa.)
I knew the boat had some issues, and was pulled from the water and sat for the last 2 seasons.
I really am a boat-novice as far as owning one and just knowing it inside & out. I am learning on the fly.

Boat will be for sale only, my lake only allows 9.9s and the 90 Johnson would be noticeable quickly, lol

Anyway, some of the issues are minor inexpensive fixes but still take time for a novice.
The most pressing issue is it needs some gel coat work. Apparently, while docked the bow end came loose and the boat rubbed up on a large rock in water that gouged up the gel coat right at the water line of the boat.

There is only 1 pro gel-coater in the area and that's an hour away. That would be fine but my friend has the truck to tow and I don't, so we work around his schedule.

There's really only 1 gouge that is deep enough to cause issues in the future. The boat is not in danger of sinking or anything unsafe, but I was told that it could cause problems down the  road.
Enclosed are some pics of the problem. A 2-1/2 foot section with gouges in between. Reading up on gel coating as a DIY seems above me. A buddy said he could do it himself, but how good would it look though?

Options for gel coating:
1. Let my buddy try to do it.

2. Find someone who will travel to where it will be stored in NEPA and do the work there (for cash)

3. Let the pro guy do it. I;m supposed to send him pics and get a rough estimate. No doubt this is the most expensive choice no? Only problem here is getting it there.

Anyway, keep in mind the boat was given to me as payment for settling an estate and sale of a cottage and I'd just like to flip it in either present condition (doing no fixes) or try to stay within budget and make more. If I lived on a lake (Saddle Lake in Pa) I would keep it.

Check out the pics and if what the best option is

I'm spread a little thin with work and this boat so please be patient with replys which will likely be after dinner time ET

Thanks

Todd

May 18, 2018, 11:01:41 AM
Reply #1

mshugg

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Re: Need gel coating advice
« Reply #1 on: May 18, 2018, 11:01:41 AM »
It looks like more than gel coat to me.  Are those holes or deep gouges?  In any case they look like they go deeply into the glass.  A proper repair would most likely involve grinding back to clean glass and  layering in some new glass before gel coating.  It’s doable, but maybe not for a first timer.  Probably best to go with pro glass guy, or sell as is.

May 20, 2018, 06:40:25 AM
Reply #2

AquaOsprey

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Re: Need gel coating advice
« Reply #2 on: May 20, 2018, 06:40:25 AM »
Thanks for the reply. Any other advice? Has anyone here ever tried a DIY?

I would call 1 a hole or deep gouge, the rest mostly gel coating. It's not in danger of sinking at all. I'm supposed to email pics to the pro guy. I'm expecting a significant quote. We will at least attempt/look into a DIY. Head to the local boat dealer and pick his brain.

It's actually a pretty nice boat otherwise.

When it's all cleaned up I'll post more pics. Maybe someone here will overlook the gouges for a very below market value price if I don't get the work done.

Shame my relatives spent $20K on this and it ended up behind the house.

Thanks

May 20, 2018, 07:20:39 AM
Reply #3

mshugg

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Re: Need gel coating advice
« Reply #3 on: May 20, 2018, 07:20:39 AM »
You’ll find lots of examples of diy repairs on this website.  Glass work is relatively easy and mistakes can be corrected.  Most of the time, the matching the gel coat color is the hardest part. 

It’s kind of difficult to see in the photos, but there may have been some voids along the chine that contributed to the damage.  It also looks like some of the underlying glass is bruised.  That’s why i think there’s more than gel coat involved.  Any bruised, broken or missing glas needs to be removed.  All those areas need to be tapered out.  That means you need to grind a small area out to much larger in order to fix it.  The usual ratio is 12 to 1, so if the gouge is 1/4” deep you need to taper it back by 12/4” or 3” .  Then you layer in new glass working from largest to smallest. 
Gel coat is brittle, so you can’t really apply it too thick.  That means it’s not a good material for deep gouges.

Now here’s my take.  If I were in the market for a boat, I would much rather buy the boat with this kind of damage, and repair it myself, than trust that the previous owner did the job right.  I’ve seen too many botched repair jobs by people taking shortcuts.  The 175 is a nice boat.  It deserves a solid repair.  That’s why I say hire the pro, and document the repair, or sell as is.

May 20, 2018, 08:18:28 AM
Reply #4

RickK

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Re: Need gel coating advice
« Reply #4 on: May 20, 2018, 08:18:28 AM »
^^ Good advice
Rick
1971 "170" with 115 Johnson (It's usable but not 100% finished)

1992 230 Explorer with 250 Yamaha

May 20, 2018, 08:26:40 AM
Reply #5

AquaOsprey

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Re: Need gel coating advice
« Reply #5 on: May 20, 2018, 08:26:40 AM »
Thanks, I'll let you know what the pro says.

May 20, 2018, 03:33:43 PM
Reply #6

RickK

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Re: Need gel coating advice
« Reply #6 on: May 20, 2018, 03:33:43 PM »
I've got 2 Aquasports - a 170 and a 230 Explorer.  If I was to sell either it would be the Explorer.  I've had the 170 since '88. They are great boats.
Rick
1971 "170" with 115 Johnson (It's usable but not 100% finished)

1992 230 Explorer with 250 Yamaha

May 21, 2018, 12:14:33 AM
Reply #7

NekoMich

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Re: Need gel coating advice
« Reply #7 on: May 21, 2018, 12:14:33 AM »
We just repaired a spot in our hull, the West Systems fiberglass kit had everything we needed, including glass filler (fairing). Got a gel coat kit from West Marine and came decently close to a color match and she's back in use.

 https://www.westsystem.com/wp-content/uploads/Fiberglass-Manual-2015.pdf good resource for fiberglass repair

June 02, 2018, 12:41:32 PM
Reply #8

AquaOsprey

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Re: Need gel coating advice
« Reply #8 on: June 02, 2018, 12:41:32 PM »
Well, I have possession now. It has a lot of extras. MinnKota troller, 2 seats, possibly depth /fish finders (estate issue, looking) the brackets are there for them, Hummingbird and another brand. Still working on it, cleaning and ordering parts. New windshield on the way.

I have yet to get quotes on the fiber/gelcoat issues. That will decide whether flip it, cheap. I've seen them $7500+ with less features. Would settle for far less.

A few pics and I guess I;ll head to to the gelcoat sub as I did not see that previously.

Thanks

TK

 

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