No matter how careful you are with your boat, small scratches and/or deep gouges will bear witness to exciting moments.

Usually small scratches can be removed with either polishing compound or by using 400 and 600 grade wet sandpaper. While sanding use lots of water: this lubricates and keeps the paper clean and thus more effective at producing a smooth finish.

Deeper markings should be cleaned with a chisel or a knife. Scrape the gel coat to form a bevel on either side of the gouge. This will allow the gel coat to adhere better and will make the patch easier to smooth out. Sand the area with dry 60 or 80 grade sandpaper. Clean with acetone, but be careful: the surrounding gel coat will be affected if the acetone is left on for any length of time. Mix the right color gel coat with the catalyst in proportions recommended on the container. Mix thoroughly in a PAPER CUP. Metal containers will get warm under the heat of the reaction and styrofoam will melt. Put the mixture on the cleaned area with a piece of cardboard or a small stick. Make the gel coat a little higher than the surrounding area because it will shrink as it cures. If the gel coat is too thin to work with mix in some baby powder or talcum. Cover the gel coat with scotch tape. Gel coat will not properly cure when exposed to air. -When dry remove tape and wet sand with 400 or 600 grade wet sandpaper.

To protect your fiberglass boat from fading or discoloring it is advisable to apply a coat of wax right after you take a new boat home and sometime in the middle of the season.

If you need more information on fiberglass repairs, please do NOT e-mail us any questions. Although we can have your boat repaired for you, we DO NOT sell any repair materials.