Repairing Gelcoat

I'm planning on repairing some scratches on my 14 before I put it away for the winter. I'm trying to find out what gel coat repair kit or putty I should use. Some of the scratches are on the sides of the hulls so I would like the repairs to look good cosmetically but the rest are just on the bottoms. Should I get the kit in the Hobie catalog or the gelcoat repair putty? Has anyone ever used either one, or should I get something else? Also if anyone has any tips or advice I'd appreciate it. Thanks

What color is the boat?

It's a light blue color I'll attach a picture so you can see. It may be a little darker now that we removed some of the oxidation

You will never, ever match that faded color. You might come close, but it won't be exact.

Take that into consideration when making the repairs - if you're fixing scratches for cosmetic puposes only, you might make it look worse.

If you're just fixing the gouges on the bottoms, I'd just use Formula 27 with a drop of blue tint in it to get it close. The stuff hardens fast and sands easily. It's also polyester, so you can spray gel over it later, if you want (can't do that with epoxy).

Jeremy (Surf City Catamarans) is the man when it comes to gel coat repairs.

Ok so it wouldn't be worth it to try and fill in some scratches mixing the color myself? Then I guess I will just fill in the wear down on the keels. Where can I get formula 21? Should they have it at the boat shop?

Availble at most boat shops (and West Marine). You can get your blue tint there, too.

ok thanks, I will definetly use that.

what is that trimaran in the backround?

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Tiger 947/2364

Judging by the colors and tandem seating, it appears to be those Windrider 17's.

Brian C

yep they rent them at the lake but they're slow

I sail with one all the time, and yeah they are slow in light wind. But as the wind builts they plane off and can beat a Hobie 14 around. PLus they are very comfortable to just sit in a cruise.

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

I just noticed this fromt the pic as I am not a 14 sailor, nor have I seen one in person. But, does the shroud connect to the sidebar opposed to the hull as in a 16? Not that I really need to know, just a curiosity thing. If so, why is that?

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909

Yeah, it does connect to the sidebar.

I think that Hobie Europe has now changed it to the way the 16 is rigged.

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Nacra 5.2 "Elsies"
Hobie 14T, "Blazin" I guess I am keeping her!

Remember that the 14 came first.

The original design (shroud to the sidebar) is simpler and less expensive to make.

The 16 has higher rig loads that would fold the sidebar if it was rigged the way the 14 is. (How much you want to bet that they found this out the hard way in the prototype.)

Therefore, the 16 shroud attaches to the hull. New 14's are being made this way by HCE now.

Right on. I did know that the 14 came first, I remember reading that in one of the old school manuals for cat sailing. A really great story how Hobie Alter wanted to make a cat that could stand up to the Hawaii surf. I can just see that side bar aluminum ripping out in strong winds. Please help me, what is HCE and correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't the 14 out of production? At least in the US, does Europe still produce the 14? The 14 really looks like a great solo boat, even though I think that the 16 is also a great boat for solo sailing, despite the fact that it is harder to right with only one person. When did the 14 start using the connection to the deck lip? I know several people that think the 16 is a good solo boat, why do you think that it is not accepted so much as one by the racing curcuit, other than righting weight? Granted, I don't know much about the racing circle, hopefully that wil change soon.

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James
86' Redline Hobie 16
Sail # 76909