How To Repair Canoe Gel Coat

1. 

   Joined: Sep 2022
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   trailrunner New Member

   Howdy,

   I recently purchased an old Cadorette Lasalle in rougher status. My plan is to repair scrapes and some sometime patching and then re-gel coat by brushing. From my cursory reading I realize at that place is a large corporeality of work involved in sanding gel coat that has been brushed on, but I am willing to practice information technology because I do not take the tools to spray. I take a few questions since this will exist my kickoff time working on something like this

   ane. What kind of resin do I demand to perform the repairs on this gunkhole? Volition I need filler? What kind?

   2. Should I remove the gunnels before outset these repairs?

   3. Volition I need to do annihilation to the inside of the canoe?

   Any other ideas would exist appreciated. I've attached a few pictures so you know what I am working with.

   Fastened Files:

2. 

   Joined: Jul 2022
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   Location: united states

   FMS Senior Fellow member

   In the photo, am I seeing 2 crimps that need to exist straightened in the gunnel?

   You can become an respectable appearance with some time sanding.
   http://www.boatdesign.net/forums/fi...ng/fiberglass-gelcoat-canoe-repair-43877.html

   My preference is epoxy with three fillers on hand that I can adapt for strength and consistency.
   Colloidal silica for thickening and medium density strength
   Micro balloons for light weight and easy sanding
   Chopped strand for areas that demand strength that will exist covered with another layer for sanding.

3. 

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   trailrunner New Member

   I'thousand not quite sure I empathize what you lot mean almost crimps? There is an end plate covering the tops of the gunnels at the bow and stern. Ane of them needs to be straightened.

4. 

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   PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

   Welcome to the forum.

   The answers you demand are varied. You can use polyester, vinylester or epoxy resin to make these repairs.

   If the damaged areas are within a few inches of the aluminum rub rail, they'll need to be removed, just other wise nope, just leave them for now.

   Ideally, you'll probably need to make repairs on both sides of the heavily damaged areas, but the minor stuff can be washed from the outside but.

   You should read up on 'drinking glass repairs in full general, of which there'southward lot of information on line. Make the choice early about epoxy, because the techniques and procedures are slightly different.

   Generally, the repairs boil downward to grinding back to good laminate, replacing the missing and damaged laminate with new materials (applying fabrics and goo), so fairing and smoothing in prep for pigment.

   Lastly, whorl and tipping gel coat isn't going to give you a surface you'll be pleased with. I've never seen a novice, working in his backyard or driveway make reasonable gel coat cease yet. Merely too much to go incorrect (and it will). You lot'd be best advised to just paint this puppy, when she'southward ready, which is much easier to get great results, without a spray outfit (roll and tip).

5. 

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   thill Junior Fellow member

   I did a canoe for a friend last yr that looked just like yours, but it was greenish.

   I mostly used 1-ane/two oz glass mat and polyurethane resin, which is what the canoe was fabricated from. I sanded the damaged areas with 60 dust, brushed on resin, then pasted on the glass and rolled it out. On a couple of the bad areas, I did the aforementioned on the inside.

   I also ran glass tape downwards the full length of the keel, merely to add abrasion resistance.

   After it set, we sanded any bumps out, and so I faired with Us Composites fairing mix and poly resin. I had kept everything pretty flat, and then it only took one pass, a sand and a bear upon up. Information technology was really looking good at that point. After that, he spray painted it with Krylon Fusion. That canoe turned out beautifully! I was amazed at how "brand new" information technology looked, and I was the one who did the work. And I'k too surprised at how tough that paint is. He is really proud of his canoe, now, and he uses information technology almost every weekend with his 5 kids.

   FWIW, I've done some prissy gelcoat work using a foam roller, but you lot have to put it on pretty thick, and and then you will have to sand it downwardly with a random orbit, and then with 3M Fiberglass restorer or rubbing and then polishing compound to make information technology expect good.

   That being said, I used Awlgrip for the first time last calendar week, via roll and tip method that I learned hither, and it was And so much easier!!! It didn't come out admittedly flawless, but for what I was doing, it was beautiful.

   I would recommend using one of the paint systems, rather than gelcoat for a canoe. I call back the paint might be tougher, anyway. Canoes tend to face a lot of abrasion.

   -TH

6. 

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   michael pierzga Senior Member

   Apply paint, gelcoat is non suitable for your refit

7. 

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   SukiSolo Senior Member

   My ain inclination with this canoe would be grind it back with forty or lx grit later cutting out any obvious pigsty. And so rebuild with polyester and woven rovings probably around 280 gsm weight maybe with a lighter 200 gsm on the surface. Roving is much improve than CSM (chopped strand) in my experience and it volition equally become round smooth 3 dimensional curved surfaces quite well.
   Polyester is cheap, goes off fast and y'all can become a lot done in a short fourth dimension.

   If you have structural issues in sure areas and so epoxy in those places would exist a improve bet. Annotation not all fillers and tissues work with both polyester and epoxy resin then choose the right thing for the right job.

   If you did want to gelcoat ,you lot can but it is a scrap tougher than you recall. The all-time method I have used (spray gelcoat is 25Kg minimum club in the UK) is to apply a gloss mini roller (cut downward to one-half length) and use that. It will give a decentish finish. However yous MUST add styrene monomer (sometimes chosen wax) so information technology cures in air. This must so exist abraded and all the surface fully scratched clean to remove the monomer from the surface for a subsequent glaze. You will need 3 or 4 coats like this to build up the 0.6 to 0.8mm gelcoat thickness the canoe should have had when new. I've done reasonable size patches say 1200mm square simply not a whole canoe. It is pretty fourth dimension consuming, and the key is to cut the gelcoat at exactly the correct time in the cure. It must exist difficult plenty to cut with say 320 wet and dry out and not pull or clog. Get out it too long and it is hard to get a fast cutting fourth dimension.

   To finish just cut with finer form, down to 800 and one thousand dust and then polish out. The stop at present will exist as new or better.

   At present yous know why it has been recommended you lot paint it!.

8. 

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   PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

   Suki, that's the technique I use when someone insists on gelcoat and I can't get it into the booth. I apply plenty coats to insure once I've flattened out the manus applied imperfections, there'due south enough left to buff out a few times. It'southward all labor and tedious, just the result is usually ameliorate then a factory end, assuming using the proper materials.

9. 

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   SukiSolo Senior Fellow member

   Cheers PAR, I hoped I was doing it right. It'south always worked OK. Had a few customers insist on gelcoat instead of pigment on off-white sized areas. Small-scale bits are OK but a vertical 6' length... and about 18" deep is a hurting....

10. 

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    PAR Yacht Designer/Architect

    I've redone whole topsides and/or bottoms this way and it's a *****, but the results are rewarding, especially when you greenbacks the check. The cost usually makes most go with paint, because it'south so labor intensive, but some just insist on gelcoat and some boats don't fit in the booth.

11. 

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    SamSam Senior Fellow member

    Well, styrene monomer is a reducer for thinning polyester resins and gelcoats and doesn't by itself contain wax so information technology won't work to go a tack gratuitous surface. But you lot tin can become styrene monomer that has alkane series wax dissolved in it, that when added to resins volition give a tack complimentary surface. It is usually called a 'surfacing agent'.

12. 

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    SukiSolo Senior Member

    Thanks SamSam. By and large in the United kingdom the monomer has the wax in it. Mostly I've used Scott Bader and Polyfibre products. The labelling is slightly but not very dissimilar for the thinning simply version. I e'er ask for the 'wax' version and the tin labelling is 'Styreme Monomer'. Proficient signal for those looking to become a refreshed gelcoat. Information technology has a short shelf life, nominally 2 months but volition concluding up to about a twelvemonth if stored carefully. In the U.s. y'all may get slightly different labelling, just one of those things, like Perspex in Britain is Plexiglass in US, same production though.

    PAR, I would agree, when it is all cut downward and buffed out it is probably improve than the original finish. The fun bit is the colour matching on local repairs..... I'm getting a lot improve at information technology. So far only one builder uses a base white color, every thing else I have to custom mix. The worst are the 'white' Swedish ii.4s and the electric current Charger Composites Norlin 3 needs a flake of salmon pink added to the white to get a seamless match. Lot of dark-green/grey whites out there amongst this lot.

    All-time base clean white pigment is the Scott Bader Super White.

13. 

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    michael pierzga Senior Member

    Gelcoat work is a special skill. If you find a proficient gelcoat guy.....pay him well.

14. 

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    PAR Yacht Designer/Builder

    Gelcoat isn't hard, if you're setup for it. Matching colors is just experience and experimentation at the professional level and guess piece of work in the back chiliad or driveway..

16. 

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    SukiSolo Senior Fellow member

    Gelcoat certainly is capable of hiding the 'High Crimes and Misdemeanours' of certain boatbuilders. At least with forest y'all can generally see the trouble(southward).

    When I find 4mm thick of the stuff used in the original structure or one hull bonded into some other (a 2.4 technique) without the gelcoat being abraded on the inner one....grrrrrrr

    I've managed to get a hell of a lot of the colours (99%) from around 8 base pigments. No glitterflake repairs however, thank goodness.

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How To Repair Canoe Gel Coat,

Source: https://www.boatdesign.net/threads/repairing-and-re-gelcoating-fiberglass-canoe.48347/

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