Fixing a war wound

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Brob2437

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So I am new to boating and this forum and your guys have been super helpful so far!!

Learning how to drive my new Freedom 205 and its been quite the adventure. My temporary slip in SoCal has made my long time boating friends even struggle. Finally into my permanant slip in Dana Point but marked up the fiberglass a few times during my learning voyages.

I probably won't attempt to fix the minor scrapes for a few more weeks until I really get the handle of manueveing the boat. That said, how do you go about working out the scrapes? I will likely hire someone to detail my baby in the long run but would like to maybe take a shot at it myself before doing so.

Thank you in advance,
Bumper Boat Rob
 
DennisG01 said:
Brand new, or "new to you"? If used, how old and what is the general condition (shiny/reflection) of the gel?
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DennisG01:
It's a 2014 Freedom 205 that looks brand, only about 190 hours on it. It is in amazing shape.
 
OK, with a "newer" looking boat, then it changes things a bit. So, a lot of it depends on how deep the scratches are. If they're shallow (barely get your fingernail caught in it or less), then you can buff them out or wetsand. If they're deeper, then you'll probably want to fix it with gelcoat. Since the boat is new and shiny, you'll want the new gelcoat to match the existing as close as possible (and then buff/sand it smooth). The best way to DIY this is to buy a gel kit from your dealer or Spectrum Color. Keep in mind that even though the gelcoat is newer, all gelcoat starts to slightly change color as it ages. The new gel might match perfectly, or it might just slightly off. You never really know till you try. A professional gel repair guy will likely match the color by eye (custom mix the color) because of this. But I'd say you've got a 99% chance of matching just about perfectly with a gel kit.
 
If you don't need to repair layup, buy some Grady Gelcoat. Mix to a paste with Cabosil. Apply to gouges with a flexible "bondo knife". Once its hard sand with fine paper 400 to 800(wet). then use a buffing compound to blend it back in. There are many methods, check out Classic Mako and Classic parker websites too.
 
All advice is good but it should be mentioned that if a scrape (really a gouge) shows any glass fibers, it should be repaired ASAP. Exposed fibers will soak up water and lead to more issues.
 
seasick said:
All advice is good but it should be mentioned that if a scrape (really a gouge) shows any glass fibers, it should be repaired ASAP. Exposed fibers will soak up water and lead to more issues.
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Thanks Seasick. This is really cosmetic. I spent some time at the boat this weekend and it really isn't that bad. Just makes me sad I dinged up my new baby.
 
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