Notice:
The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.
I'm still rehabbing this 1999 winger I bought last year. This Spring, I hope to work on the hull. It mostly needs (hopefully) polishing and restoring. Any damage done was to the port side. The rub rail aluminum was damaged and needs to be replaced. Luckily, there was no big damage, except this part which apparently was damaged and restored, but not finished. I'd appreciate any thoughts on what you would consider doing to make this look better.
Hi Kevin, check out this whole series. I have linked to a video that I think is #5 or #6 in the series. my guess is that you need just some preliminary sanding and filler and fairing and gelcoat. but look at his whole series on him talking about having a hole in your boat. he is entertaining and also teaches you some things. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Flj8vapM5mU
or you can buy some white gelcoat and a tinting kit and with some practice get a perfect match. The guy on the youtube video also has a couple of videos on color matching gelcoat. The gelcoat paste from CD will be your cheapest solution, but due to 20 years of UV fading, might not match perfectly. Mixing your own gelcoat will cost more, since you would have to buy an entire color matching kit. but then with some practice you could make it impossible to see your repair. anyway, just looking at your photo, it doesn't appear that there is anything other than a cosmetic repair needed.
also, I forgot to say... when you sand, don't be afraid to sand a larger diameter area. make sure to sand away any sharp edges. you don't want to leave any of the scratches, and the two flaky areas in the upper right of your photo need to be sanded away as well. Don't worry about sanding away all the color, minimize the amount of raw fiberglass you sand on, but after you get a smooth surface, you will end up building it back up to fair the area anyway and then when you apply new gelcoat you can feather it out and blend it evenly with the old. After you sand, if the diameter is more than say five or six inches, I would go with a gelcoat and tint kit, not the CD paste. good luck!
Thanks Scott for the advice and links. I owe you a beer. What I eventually did, after talking to some lobstermen, was to get a gelcoat repair kit at WM. I think I did not do a very good job of application, and will next time use a plastic applicator. The kit had popsicle sticks for applications and they worked, well, like popsicle sticks. However, I lucked out with the color and after sanding it looks a lot better, although there is some color bleeding through. I have some white epoxy paint around somewhere that I may carefully use for touch up or I could sand it down some more and add a little more resin. Here is what it looked like after application.
nice work Kevin, I wouldn't use the epoxy paint- I would just use some more of the gelcoat repair kit- it looks great. and definitely get a plastic squeegee http://www.homedepot.com/p/HDX-Plastic-Spreader-3-Piece-30123/205997302 push really hard to get in into those pock-holes. covering the color-bleed-through is easy, but filling those tiny holes above it is more important. do it in multiple coats, sanding in between. do you still have some of the repair kit left?
http://www.homedepot.com/p/1-in-Chiseled-Foam-Brush-8500-1/100635279 - if you can afford to buy two or three of these.... after you fill all the holes and build up some thickness where the bleedthrough is, san it slightly and apply the final coat with a foam brush. paint it on slowly and then final sand and buff it. nice work!
I agree on not painting... Paint is much harder to get to a smooth, feathered edge with the surrounding gelcoat. I believe you'll rue the day... Just sand and re-gel a time or two more. I'm not surprised the color was easy--a C-250 is likely to be a purer white than most C-25s out there. When you're done, the only way anybody is going to notice it is when you point it out: "Boat looks great!"..."Ya, except for this spot over here."
(I patched some gouges on our C-25 with gelcoat patch in a tube--I don't think "Voyager" Bruce has found them yet. )
Dave Bristle Association "Port Captain" for Mystic/Stonington CT PO of 1985 C-25 SR/FK #5032 Passage, USCG "sixpack" (expired), Now on Eastern 27 $+!nkp*+ Sarge
Running out of time. Launching in a week (hopefully)Here is the progress on the blemish. Can't let perfect be the enemy of good, but I hope to finish in the fall.
Here is the rest of the hull. New rubrail and rubrail bracket (hard to install!) and new stripping (harder!) and rechristened.
Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ. The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.