XP Hull Repair?

[ewd199]

i just bought a 97 xp, great ski, real clean, im real happy with it. Only thing is that the hull underneath is starting to peal. The fiberglass looks as tho it is as well as the paint. Im lookin for a quick fix to stop it from getting worse. What can i do?? not looking to spend to much either....i dont care if it looks bad as long as it stops pealing. Thanks Eric

 

[LouDoo]

Hi and welcome to the SeaDoo forum.

Looks pretty bad, it has been repaired before, that plus everything else need to be sanded down the the fiberglass. The problem is the raw fiberglass is acting like a sponge and making it worse every time you use the ski.

You are going to at least need new gel-cote and if there's structural damage or bad fiberglass maybe even some new fiberglass matting. If it were mine I would take it to a professional.

You might be better off trying to find a good used hull.

Lou

 

[KyleB]

Having done some fiberglass work before you have quite a job on your hands. If you have the slightest doubt about doing this work yourself you need to take it to a pro like Lou said.

You can do it yourself if you take your time but the first thing you will need to do is get rid of all the crap from the previous repair. Lay in some new glass and then gel-coat the repaired area. Hope this helps.

Kyle

 

[KyleB]

one other thing. When your sanding this area down you get through sanding when someone comes and takes the sandpaper away! From the looks of the previous repair the person repairing just didn't sand nearly enough and left ridges and gaps. Thats probably what caused the repaired area to fail.

K.

 

[LouDoo]

Just one more comment. To do a proper job you're going to need to turn your ski upside down. So whether you decide to do it yourself or take it to a pro, plan on draining the fluids, gas and oil, and remove the battery.

Lou

 

[KyleB]

Just one more comment. To do a proper job you're going to need to turn your ski upside down. So whether you decide to do it yourself or take it to a pro, plan on draining the fluids, gas and oil, and remove the battery.

Lou

Agreed Lou. Glass has a hard time sticking to a vertical surface.

K.

 

[ewd199]

thanks for the advice, u guys bummed me out lol....... the fiber glass doesnt look that bad....its just the gel coat really or watever u guys called it. Its really just for resale value i dont plan on keepin the thing very long. Cant I just sand it down then put a new coating on it, and put some bs yellow paint on it. You guys seem like your talkin about makin the thing look new and smooth and professionaly done. Its kinda of mean of me but i dont care if it looks shitty or doesnt last long, just something to help it out.

 

[LouDoo]

It looks pretty bad to me you're into 3 layers of fiberglass that I can see in the picture. I'd hate to be the guy you sell this to.

Lou

 

[ewd199]

ya i understand........it floats tho, it jus sucks cuz the skies real nice its got almost a brand new motor in it......i got it for 1800, i looked at it sorta at dusk so i missed a few things, inclunding this big one obviously. How much do u think it would be to have it done professionaly? prolly like 500 bucks right?

 

[KyleB]

If you want to do it your way it won't be done right but hey it's your ski. If you want to do it right do it the way we are suggesting. Depending on the size of the area if you do it yourself you won't have but about $100.00 with of materials in it.

 

[ewd199]

ya i just bought like 75 bucks worth of fiberglass resin and cloth and junk, some paint brushes, and sand paper. Can you send me a link for something i can use over the fiberglass, i dont know wat to look for. I think the picture is misleading, it makes the area appear mucha larger than it really is, theres no soft fiberglass, no damge internally, its no larger then the length and width of 3 fingers, the pic makes it look like a foot and a half in length. Anyway if you know what I could use over the fibergalss thatd be great, i really appreciate all your help. thanks

 

[jkpell]

Have you repaired this yet?

 

[ewd199]

Have you repaired this yet?

yep workin on it.....really only bought about 45 bucks of supplies. But ya sanded it all down pretty smoth, a big oval, got to fiber glass around it that was strong. Then cleaned it up sanded some more, put like 4 layers of fiber glass on so far. Looks pretty good, prolly ganna put more on tomorrow. Then sand it up, and get ready for paint or some sort of gel-coat!!! But thats what my problem is, i dont know what to use over the fiberglass???!!!! But nobody will answer me!! Jkpell if u could help me out that be sick. All these other guys wanted me to flip the ski upside down and do all this work, (not to blame them, they were jus tryna help) but ya halfway there and didnt need to do all that bullshit.

 

[jkpell]

hey post a picture of what you have done and maybe I can help walk you through the finishing. I have a few years of repair and paint in my background so who knows maybe we can make that thing look good again!:thumbsup:

 

[customcruiser]

Your gelcoat will be yellow and there will be no need to paint.

You need a kit like this one.
http://www.amazon.com/MAS-Gel-Coat-Repair-Kit/dp/B000RZPRFG
You will mix the gelcoat to match your yellow as good as possible then brush/spray it on.
Wait till it dries, sand smooth then use 1200/1500 grit and wet sand until it looks like you want.
Then use a high speed buffer and rubbing compound to get shinny and finish off with a coat of wax.

 

[ewd199]

ok cool thanks...just put on 2 more layers, and sanded some more. total of 6 layers i think. wat do u think, not to bad for an ameatur i hope lol. def much better than it was, not pealing anymore thats for sure. But ya what should i do next u think, paint? or find a gel-coat?

 

[customcruiser]

I tried to reply to this but I dont know why it hasnt posted....

Now you need a gelcoat repair kit like this one:
http://www.amazon.com/MAS-Gel-Coat-Repair-Kit/dp/B000RZPRFG
You may be able to find at your local boating supply store.
Then after you have finished sanding the glass, mix your gelcoat so that it matches the yellow as good as you can.
Brush/Spray the gelcoat over the glass.
After it's dry, sand level with like 220 and then wet sand smooth with 1000/1500.
Then get a high speed buffer and a good compound and polish the gelcoat
Finish up with a coat of wax.

Your repair looks more than adequate and I dont think you will have any issues with it.

 

[JonRusso89]

Don't paint it. Go to your local marina or look online for Evercoat gel coat repair kits. They come with pigments for color matching. Should come with instructions too.

 

[JJinSC]

Check this out...http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iWEE6SFUdpg

 

[jkpell]

the repair looks good, you can put a thin coat of resin over the patch area and that will help smooth out the cloth. I can see where it appears the bottom was "touched up" with paint or gelcoat before. Are you going to repaint all of the bottom or just the repair area?

Paint vs Gelcoat, now that is a discussion on its own! Personally I have painted hundreds of waverunners and if the prep work is done you will not have a problem. The gelcoat is the color on a SeaDoo and it is the first thing to go down when it is being molded. It is possible to get a flawless repair with gelcoat however if you are not going to paint the entire hull, I would just back mask the repair area and paint it.

 

[ewd199]

JonRusso- Ya thanks, might be gonin to a local marina tomorrow to ask some questions and shit and maybe pic up some

JJsinc- i actually watched that before lol, but ya def helped, but wish they showed larger damaged area.

jkpell- What do u mean another layer of resin?? the same stuff ive been using, the fiberglass resin??? I mean i think i put it on there pretty thick. And nooo im not repainting the entire bottom ha, i can see other spots that are a little beat up, but there okay for now. And wats back mask lol??? im a rookie here lol. but ya I think i wana gelcoat tho

 

[ocod]

I think he means tape the area around patch if you decided to paint.
The other layer is gel cote. Resin over FG mat that is colored to match.

 

[73fbird]

I know this video is about cars, but this was the best way to show you what back masking is. When he puts the paper down and then folds it back is back masking. This will give you a softer edge compared to a hard tape line. This way you can feather out the paint (spraying). lol btw i don't have sound on my comp right now so I have no idea what this guy is actually saying. Hope this helps any

 

[jkpell]

You are correct, when you tape the area around the repair, the tape and paper are folded backwards. This will give you a soft edge on the paint and make blending easy. The extra coat of resin is the same stuff you are using now. Just mix up a small batch and apply it be brush or foam brush over the entire repair. Once this has cured you can lightly sand it to smooth it out. Use a sanding block if you can and once you are finished you will have a super slick repair that should not show the texture of the fiberglass.
Gelcoat would be the "best" way to finish the repair, however paint will provide the protection you need and the look you desire.

here is a link to back taping http://www.pontiaczone.com/forum/showthread.php?t=17129

Boy, google back taping, and you find some strange stuff!!!

 

[LouDoo]

Since you've decided to paint the repair, I've got a tip for you. Go to Lowes and pick up a aerosol can of Rustoleum farm implement yellow. It's a perfect match for the SeaDoo yellow.

Lou