how to repair gel coat
 

Hi all,

I have a small problem that I need some help with I purchased a fiberglass cowl from a manufacture to be used on a project I am working on. Some how the cowl was damaged during manufacturing and the are 2 area that the gel coat is gone and it down to the fiberglass. How do I repair it, and what type supply do I need to purchase?

Thanks

N2RYD

RE: how to repair gel coat
 

I cannot answer your question, but I CAN tell you what NOT to do.

I busted the cowl on my H9 Katana with a chicken stick; the engine kicked back hard and flung the stick right into the cowl leading edge.

I repaired the break from the inside with some medium cloth, then sanded the outside smooth, feathering the edges, and shot some color Lustrekote rattle can spray paint. I wasn't interested in a pristine repair, just removing the eye-sore aspect.

Said paint got up under the edges of the gel coat and bubbled. Looks like hell now.

FYI...

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RE: how to repair gel coat
 

Mix some epoxy and micro balloons into a thick paste and cover the area then sand flush. It's not really a big issue. Gel coat is almost never used on cowlings and such. It's usually just a catalized paint the is sprayed into the mold before the part is made. you could get away with just feather sanding the affected areas and the prime/paint as normal.

RE: how to repair gel coat
 

use finishing epoxy with the micro-bollons. Sands much easier.

RE: how to repair gel coat
 

Read post # 2. That didn't work for me.

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RE: how to repair gel coat
 

. Yours was paint that was affected by the solvents in the Lustercote. Gel coat would not have done that. This is the problem with the Chinese ARFs, you just never know what you have. The absolute best solution is to sand all paint off to bare glass then prime and paint with a fuel proof finish. Even with the cheap paints used on ARFs you can do repairs but you must go very light on paint for a few coats then follow up with the wet coat the following day

RE: how to repair gel coat
 

Agree. Real gelcoat(Simtec Prestec for example) is very stable once cured. None of the common solvents will have any affect. The cowl in question probably does not have a gelcoat... rather just paint of some kind simply dissolved under Lustrekote. I remember some of the ARFs the coating was quite thick and could chip just as has been said. With models I have had less luck applying lacquer based paints over existing paint and had the best luck with compatibility using enamels and urethanes(both primer and base/top coats). Good luck.