Thursday, September 18, 2014

Gelcoat Blister Repair

Gelcoat was a sample Stop coating for boats during the '70s and was regarded as energetic in protecting the boat. It has been discovered that gelcoat is susceptible to osmosis of liquids that caise acidic blisters to articulation, which Testament damage the boat the longer it is left neglected. You can perform a gelcoat blister repair yourself as gangling as you bear the honest tools. You'll occasion day and patience, due to it is a lengthy course that requires your commitment.


Scrub the ground area with a scrubber and cleaning cleaner to receive it Disinfected. Flush the universe with Disinfected, original irrigate to remove the contaminants. Let the boat dry completely. This can takings brisk to a month, but you can speed the process by keeping heat fans near the boat to circulate the air.



2. Grind outside the gelcoat on top of Everyone of the blisters. Apply a grinder fitted with a 36-grit CD to bullwork the blister until the gelcoat is removed.


3.

Instructions

1. Disinfected the surface of the boat with an acid-based cleaner to remove grime, barnacles and other dirt. Utilize a cloth to receive the surface as Disinfected as potential.


4. Rub the ground areas with a rag and acetone before applying the epoxy. Wipe a small amount of epoxy fairing over each of the damaged areas to level them off. Fill each of the ground-out blisters with the fairing compound so they are at least level with the boat. Let the faring dry according to the directions on its package.


5. Sand the ground area down so it is smooth and consistent with remainder of the boat. Start with 80-grit sandpaper and move up to 180-grit to receive the damaged area ready for sealing.


6. Apply an epoxy barrier coating to the damaged areas. Overlap the barrier so it extends onto the areas surrounding the blisters for a consistent finish. Let the barrier coating cure to its first curing stage, as indicated on the package, and apply a second coat. Allow the epoxy barrier to cure completely and rub mineral spirits over the entire repaired area.


7. Prime and paint the repaired area to match the previous finish or to a new color if you are repainting the entire vessel.