Heartbroken!!!! Can I repair this???

[fearthisinc]

Well I took my girl out on the boat today and we had about 3-4 great hours and then I saw some dark clouds rolling in... Started heading back and it was only getting darker.. I knew I had to get the boat out so I docked it and everything was fine.. Went and got teh truck and was waiting when all of a sudden BAM.. Waves picked up like crazy.. Started pouring and all I saw from the ramp area was that the boat was being tossed around bad.. the waves were picking it up higher then the dock and with the current I figured it was only a matter of time before the boat ended up on the dock or under.. thankfully there were soem great guys at the ramp that jumped right in to help out.. they hopped in my truck while i ran back to my boat but it was too late.. damage was done.. put some chunks in the rubber bumper trim which I wasnt too concerned with.. but then i saw it.. a chunk of the white gel coat?? or whatever was completely gone.. down to this black material... not sure if it was just the gel coat or what.. just curious if this is something minor or major as i have no idea what kind of damage can cost what in the boating world.. thanks for any input... i am praying its just a minor fix that will only cost like 150 or somethign like that.. appreciate all the input/help...

here are some quick pics i took with the cell...

 

[seadoosnipe]

Yes...you can!

Yes, you can repair this pretty easy.

You'll need to go to West Marine or any like store that sells marine supplies. Look for a "Gel Coat" repair kit. The one at West runs about $40 bucks.

The fiberglass looks good, only the gel coat was hit.

You will need to wash this out really well and put a heat lamp on it for a while, say overnite, to make sure all moisture has dried out of it. Any moisture left in the glass will cause it to blister and pop out your repair.

Once the job is done, you'll compound and wax it till you reach the shine of the area.

You should also google gel coat repair. Though it's easy, it is very important you understand and do it right, or you'll be doing it again.

Till you get it repaired, I'd wash and dry it out, get any kind of bumper sticker to use as a way to seal it from the elements until you repair it. This way, you'll keep the fiberglass from absorbing the water. Don't worry about the sticker, you'll be able to clean it 100% when your ready for the repair.

A professional shop might be the way to go also. It'll be a bit costly because the buffing and compounding can be time consuming.....
:cheers:

 

[RFoster130]

Very easy repair. I had one 10 times that size and after I fixed it, you can't tell. Very easy to fix yourself. Watch gel cote repairs on you tube. Gelcote.com sells the oem sea doo repair kits. Guaranteed to match.30 bucks but 20 more to ship it.50 bucks and 3 hours later it will look brand new. It's easy, just follow the directions and don't put too much on.

 

[Jimimad]

I bought a fiberglass tub repair kit at Homey-Depot and fixed a chip in my boat . Looked exactly like your chip. I soaked it with denatured alcohol first to suck all the water out. It came out beautifully. I dont have a West Marine close by, and as I understand it , the kits are pretty much the same. Putty, hardener , sandpaper, alcohol prep pad and some instructions.

 

[timhood]

I bought some Evercoat Premium Gel-Kote from wholesalemarine.com. A pint was $16, and it came with a small tube of hardener. A pint would do a huge amount of repairs, so you'd have some on hand in case it ever happens again.

Part #:F-E-5673

You may also want to pick up some PVA Mold Release, part #F-E-5685.

Your chip looks deep (hart to discern from the pictures), so you may need to layer the gel coat in two applications for best results. The basic steps are:

Prep and mask off the area
Mix gel coat with hardener
Apply with applicator of your choice (you'd probably use a brush here, but I've used Q-Tips and a plastic putty knife, depending on whether I was filling a small spot, scratches or dings, etc.)
Apply mold release and allow to fully cure
Repeat application if necessary
Sand with 150 grit sand paper. Then move to wet/dry 220, 400 and finally 600.
Buff with a quality buffing compound, followed by polish, then wax.

The nice thing about the Sea-Doo is the hull is white so you don't have to worry about matching. The Evercoat I bought matches perfectly as well. So well, that my wife forgot the dings were ever there and I didn't get any praise for my efforts. :-(

 

[unclejay]

Professional

These types of repairs come our perfectly if done by a gel coat professional. Since its in a high visibility area, I would recommend you not do it yourself as it will not be perfect.

 

[RFoster130]

These types of repairs come our perfectly if done by a gel coat professional. Since its in a high visibility area, I would recommend you not do it yourself as it will not be perfect.

I dont really agree with that. I bet I could take a pic of the spot i fixed and you cant tell. Its easy. But hey if you got money to blow, pay someone a couple hundred bucks to fix it. :cheers:

 

[timhood]

I second RFoster130. Prior to two weeks ago, I'd never done a gelcoat repair in my life. I wouldn't have even been able to guess how. I'm capable with tools and basic repairs. If you take your time and put just enough on (so you don't have to spend too much time sanding off the excess), you can complete the job fairly easily and cheaply.

Call a shop near you and find out how much they would charge for the repair. Then compare that to less than $50 spent on supplies and your time (and having all of the supplies you need should you need another repair in the future).

 

[Th3Skipper]

I was out during that storm too. Was in my 25' Sea Ray in a 6 boat tie up... We stayed and weathered it out. There was like 50MPH winds and in rained like hell for like 2 hours. It was pretty crazy! The sun cam out after that and it was beautiful!

Sorry to hear about your boat but that can be fixed pretty easily. What ramp were you at?

 

[fearthisinc]

Was out at the Laurel Hill ramp in Secaucus.. Its launches into the Hackensack River.

 

[Th3Skipper]

yeah, i was across the bay at Sandy Hook

 

[fearthisinc]

well at least your boat has some size to it lol.. my little speedster 150 was all over the place lol.. then when i took her back out into the water a bit i was taking on water from every which way lol.. probably should have just stayed out and rode it out till it died down a bit cuz your right.. it only lasted a little bit before calming down.. it passed us pretty quickly actually..but i was just nervous with lightening and taking on so much water.. thankfully we got to the ramp when we did because not even 2 minutes afte we rolled up about 3 or 4 other boats started pulling up to get out also...