Gelcoat filler

[rascacio]

Hi again, I posted abut paint stripping last week and got some great advice, thanks to you all.

Now I just need to sort out a few scrapes and gouges !!! So what is the best sort of filler to use ? Most of them are small and shallow general wear and tear, however one gouge is showing a bit of glass mat but is still not very deep and it's about 18 inches above the waterline (concrete quay and a broken stern mooring line !!)

So what's the best ? Something like http://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/p-2233-gelcoat-filler-white-inc-catalyst.aspx. If not what else ?

Thanks in advance once again.

 

[VicS]

Hi again, I posted abut paint stripping last week and got some great advice, thanks to you all.

Now I just need to sort out a few scrapes and gouges !!! So what is the best sort of filler to use ? Most of them are small and shallow general wear and tear, however one gouge is showing a bit of glass mat but is still not very deep and it's about 18 inches above the waterline (concrete quay and a broken stern mooring line !!)

So what's the best ? Something like http://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/p-2233-gelcoat-filler-white-inc-catalyst.aspx. If not what else ?

Thanks in advance once again.

Assuming its just white that you need ..... Plastic padding Gel Coat filler. Comes in tubes, with a small tube of catalyst.
ITYWF that all the chandlers, real and online, stock it.
Easy to dispense, easy to mix small quantities, easy to store with a shelf life of several years if stored in a cool place.

I thinj there may be two sizes of tube (not sure off hand) as well

Fill small defects level and stick a piece of tape over it so that it cures to a tack free surface. Fill larger areas proud and sand back just as you would with car body filler

 

[rascacio]

Thanks VicS, I've used that before on different jobs and it seemed OK. Probably get a couple of tubes of that and be done with it !!

 

[nigelmercier]

Fill larger areas proud and sand back just as you would with car body filler

A tip for this: put strips of masking tape outside the area; it reduces mess, and gives you the extra depth.

 

[Ian_Rob]

A tip for this: put strips of masking tape outside the area; it reduces mess, and gives you the extra depth.

I was also looking for a suitable filler last Saturday to make good a few dings and a 600mm curving scratch caused by a loose screw in a dock fender. A chandler suggested plastic padding but mindful that there are many different whites and concerned as to whether it would exactly match, I didn't buy any. It seems a very convenient product but can it be sanded and polished to the same finish as the surrounding area? There is nothing special about the white but I do want the repairs to be invisible.

Ian

 

[Greenheart]

A tip for this: put strips of masking tape outside the area; it reduces mess, and gives you the extra depth.

Nice tip; but the instructions for the product advise sanding the undamaged area, 10mm around the hole...I can't work out why. Plus...

...what'll be the best way to finish the job? It's just small dings in the rudder blade, but is there a paint that'll give a similar glossy finish as the rest of the surface?

 

[prv]

is there a paint that'll give a similar glossy finish as the rest of the surface?

No - the rest of the surface is gelcoat, and with these fillers you'll have filled the hole with more gelcoat. So they're already the same stuff. You just need to sand the ex-hole flat and then polish the whole area back to a shine. Personally I've tended not to bother with the final polish, fine wet and dry is close enough for me.

Pete

 

[Greenheart]

No - the rest of the surface is gelcoat, and with these fillers you'll have filled the hole with more gelcoat.

Brilliant, thanks Pete. I'll show before and after pics. I may regret promising that.

 

[Rigger Mortice]

There is nothing special about the white but I do want the repairs to be invisible.

You may as well just accept the fact that it probably won't be a perfect colour match. If you really want a proper match you'll have to pay somebody to do it for you.....if you can even find somebody who is able to colour match.

 

[SigmaJon]

No - the rest of the surface is gelcoat, and with these fillers you'll have filled the hole with more gelcoat. So they're already the same stuff. You just need to sand the ex-hole flat and then polish the whole area back to a shine. Personally I've tended not to bother with the final polish, fine wet and dry is close enough for me.

Pete

I was going to ask a similar question. I remember watching a guy mixing a pigment into his gel coat filler in order to match his hull colour. I have tubes of the filler but as my hull is more cream than white I was hoping to find a supplier for these little pots of pigment?

 

[prv]

I was going to ask a similar question. I remember watching a guy mixing a pigment into his gel coat filler in order to match his hull colour. I have tubes of the filler but as my hull is more cream than white I was hoping to find a supplier for these little pots of pigment?

I've seen a few small pots of pigment on the shelf at Force 4, aimed at matching different degrees of age-yellowed "white" gelcoat. Never used it myself - on the old boat I was happy for deck moulding repairs to look neatly-done rather than invisible. She's twenty years old, no dishonour in a few well-made patches.

The first place I'd look would probably be E C Fibreglass.

Pete

 

[BarryH]

I've seen a few small pots of pigment on the shelf at Force 4, aimed at matching different degrees of age-yellowed "white" gelcoat.
Pete

Ditto. I bought some to fill a scratch in the hull on my boat. Easy to use. When adding the pigment I used a cocktail stick. Dip it in the pigment and let the small drop drip into the base gel. I got a decent finish in as much that when I polished the hull the repaired scratch was not noticable unless you knew it was there to start with.

Its a bit hit and miss mixing the colour. To get my off white I used brown and yellow pigments. Force 4 sell different packs for different colours. I bought the "whites" pack. It took an hour or so and a couple of batches to get the colour near enough. There is more than enought pigment in the kit. Its a bit like food colouring a little goes a very long way.

I found it best to mix it on an overcast day. Doing it in sunlight tends to make the colours "glow". The thing you have to have plenty of is patients.