Posted by RyanF on 02/16/09 - 4:35 PM
#1
Hello All,
I've been browsing this site for a few weeks getting ideas for fixing up my 1969 13 foot Whaler. The site is a great resource. Thanks to those of you who post and maintain it.
The subject of re-gelcoating repair has me confused. It seems not uncommon to re-gelcoat instead of prime and paint. Forgive me, but I can't understand why. Is this Whaler or powerboat specific? Restoration purist thing?. My knowledge and experience with fiberglass boats is limited to larger sail boats, but I thought awlgrip was standard practice?
My interior gel coat has moderate crazing, cracks, old screw holes etc. Really not in bad shape. Not the stuff a wet sand and buff will fix either. I would like to keep the boat more or less origional (blue inside and white hull), but this isn't a museum piece. I thought I would fill the gelcaot cracks, holes, gouges......then dewax, sand, prime, paint, and be done. I don't know where to begin with spraying gelcoat and I can't imagine grinding off all the exisiting gel coat. Am I missing something?
Hope I have not offended any purists.
Thanks
Ryan