Gel coat damage. Caused by?

I've recently purchased a 1987 Hobie. There are two spots on the hull (one traumatic injury & one unknown cause) I'm an going to have to repair. I don't know the cause of this damage.. but a suspect water in the hull. The exposed fiberglass is solid / firm. I suspect water was allowed to sit inside the hull.. migrated through the fiberglass.. aloowed to freeze & pushed off some gel coat. This area does line up w/a guide on the trailer - so maybe there was a scraping impact that has since weathered?

I can say for certain that the former owner allowed some excess water to pool in the hull. I drained it... maybe 3 gallons.

Any advice on this repair would be appreciated. I honestly don't think is is a soft spot.. maybe a big blister? Even knowing what to call this damage could me determine the best method of repair. Thanks for any advice .

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Anderson, SC
1987 Hobie 16
Learning to sail.

Looks like a gouge / impact. Likely needs gelcoat only to seal it.

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Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

mmiller, would that be the case if it was soft around the damage? If there was flexing in the glass wouldn't structural repair be needed?

For the fix I would route out (a dremel works great) all loose gelcoat, blow off dust, wipe with acetone and let dry. Reseal fiberglass with fiberglass resin, let harden, grind down just enough to allow for a thin layer of gelcoat or alternatively a marine epoxy (e.g., West System marine epoxy - white). I find the epoxy easier to work with than gelcoat.

I think I'll go with prepping the area for gel coat touchup. I had hoped that no one would say "classic soft spot symptom / cut it out" etc. If the gel coat repair fails, I can always dig deeper. As of now, there is zero flexing of the fiberglass. I appreciate the advice.

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Anderson, SC
1987 Hobie 16
Learning to sail.

But yes... if it was soft, some further repair might be needed.

Since gel coat is basically resin with pigment... I think it is OK to simply remove the loose bits. Sand a small perimeter and coat with gelcoat. It will soak into the exposed fibers.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Fast, You're going to make a noob have a difficult time if you keep suggesting the wrong way to do things. And you'll make them spend about twice the $ than what's needed to do it right.

Do you have some sort of obstinate disorder that you have to go against the grain (correct repair techniques) all the time? Please quit it.

Annacat, try to repair the boat with polyester in order to avoid mismatching chemicals. Avoid repairing something as simple as this with epoxy, there is simply no need and it can create a headache down the line. Check out the Hobie Hotline for some very useful repair tips. In addition to an impact, it looks like the glass wasn't wet out enough in that area. I've seen it before in that exact spot. Grind away all of the flaking glass, and make sure that the substrate is solid prior to gelcoating.

You'll be able to repair that ding no problem!

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Sail Revolution
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SSC - I TOTALLY disagree. I have use West Systems Marine epoxy for repairs for years and have had EXCELLENT results, fixing centerboards, bows and for bottom build-up where the gel coat has worn away. I have not experenced ANY type of 'mismatched' chemical complications even several years post repair! The repairs are solid and seemless. I take exception to there only being ONE right way to do things. SO get off your high horse!

Do yourself a favor, and don't use epoxy for simple repairs. These repairs used no epoxy.







[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0fO8TVEtoQ[/youtube]

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Sail Revolution
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Sail Revolution
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Very nice, extensive repairs. Kudos, very professional. I must admit that my damage and repairs are not near that extensive. For the extensive repair shown a new gelcoat is definately the way to go, but that was not what was being addressed. My point is that there are several suitable methods. If I ever have that amount of damage, I'll look you guys up for recommendations.

Sure, usually. But why? Why would you tell a noob to use something that costs at least twice as much and can create incompatibility issues, with NO BENEFIT?

It just doesn't make sense.

And yes, there is one correct way to fix Annacat's ding.

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Sail Revolution
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not to jump in the middle of the bickering.... but that bow fix is just cool. If I smashed my bow up like that i would assume it would be toast. Always learning something here and I love it!

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'73 hobie 16 restored 2011
'00 Seaswirl fishin boat

Sharing knowledge, my friend, is the beauty of the forums! If it's glass, it can be repaired!

I'm done with the bickering. I think that I proved my point.

Cheers.

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Sail Revolution
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Yes enough is enough. I find working with gel coat more difficult than epoxy for small repairs.

And you did not prove your point, you did not prove anything.

You made your point, as I did mine.