Any GEL COAT REPAIR guys in PNW side job ?

[adam911]

Hey guys i need a few small dings repaired on my boat anyone local do it as a side gig or hobby ? will pay thanks.

[kylesullens]

The guys at PNW Boats did some gelcoat repair for me several years ago.  They did a great job at a reasonable price.

https://www.nwboatsports.com/

 

Note: reasonable does not mean cheap.  Gelcoat works takes hours of labor, which for most shops is ~ $125/hr.

 

[Eagleboy99]

3 hours ago, kylesullens said:

reasonable does not mean cheap.  Gelcoat works takes hours of labor

Exactly - and if it is done right you can't tell.  If you can, then you paid too little.

[Rednucleus]

Where are you located - my buddy up near Bellingham had some work done this year. Cannot see where the repair is - nice work!!

[kylesullens]

depending on the nature of the repair and your DIY confidence, gelcoat repairs can be done on your own. I've done several repairs of deep scratches and other surface issues. The gelcoat on the Malibus is crazy thick and most scratches can be sanded out and polished.   takes time and patience, but is not a hard process.  get a palm sander with several different grains of paper and go to town.

 

 if you have cracks or structural issues, that's a bit more involved.

[Eagleboy99]

1 hour ago, kylesullens said:

gelcoat on the Malibus is crazy thick

A few thousands...

[justgary]

9 hours ago, Eagleboy99 said:

A few thousands...

It would be really hard to spray it that thin since it has the consistency of soft jelly.  If you have a place on your boat that is that thin, it may have needed rework at the factory in that place and they sanded a lot away.

A typical gelcoat layer should be at least 30 and maybe 50 thousandths thick, and more in sharp corners.  That's a lot of depth when you are sanding it away.

@adam911, if you are handy at all you can do this yourself.  Get a matched gel kit and go for it.  You could learn on the most inconspicuous places first, then do the eyesores as you get better.  The great part is that if you are the least bit careful, you won't really increase the cost if you throw in the towel and have it done by someone else later. 

The only hangup would be a larger patch on metal flake, since you'll be learning for quite a while to get a good match.  In that case, cost is no object; find the best guy you can and pay him what he wants.

[Eagleboy99]

3 minutes ago, justgary said:

A typical gelcoat layer should be at least 30 and maybe 50 thousandths thick

Well not  a Malibu. One mil is equal to one thousandth of an inch and Malibu's gel  is about 22 mils thick - each colour is a proportional fraction thereof.  ie. for a three colour hull each colour is 8-11 mills thick.  This info BTW, in not a guess - it is right out of Malibu's docs.  If the gel is too thick you get spider cracking.