gell coat vs tinted poly resin, what is the difference

I am getting conflicting information on this and would like to consult the colective wisdom of this forum.

I was at the local plasic supply store (they sell nothing but plastics of all sorts) and sked them for some "gell coat". When I told him what it was for (to finishe the outside of a fiberclass boat repair) he said that what needed was poly resin and tint. He said that 'gell coat" is what is used in moulds but it never get hard (it just remains tacky) unitl the poly resin is applied.

Am I just the victim of "terminology" in that what everyone is calling "gell coat" is just tinted poly resin? Or did I get bad advice from this place?

The tints for the po ly resin seem to come in every shade you could imagine and only take about 20ml per litre to completly tint the resin.

Gel Coat - Tinted poly resin?

Well Gel Coat is a pigmented polyester resin, so somewhat the same thing. Yes, the gelcoat does not cure in an oxygen environment. You have to cover it with something. Use PVA (polyvinyl acetate). This is a water soluble solution that you spray over get coat. It dries over the repair and allows the gel to cure.

I would not use Gel Coat to spray a whole boat, but for a repair, this is what I have used. I think the tinted resin will also be just fine and perhaps easier to deal with (better cure).

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

Thanks for that Matt. It agrees with what the fellow at the plastic store told me. I trust you more then them so I feel much beter about it now.

We will see after this weekend how it turns out.