I will be getting back into sailing after 20 yrs and have bought a sunfish which is about 10 yrs old. It appears that the previous owner may have pulled the boat over sand or something and the white gelcoat has worn off in spots. There are also some deep scratches. There does not appear to be any holes in the hull. Should I worry about repairing the bottom? If so what should I do? Thanks for the help.
Bottom repair
- Thread starter altair
- Start date
supercub
Member
Altair,
Before filling any scratches and or gouges, do a leak test. Wind Line Sails (http://www.windline.net/index.html) in the "How-To" section can tell you how. If you have a leak, now is the time to repair it. If not, Marine-Tex is another filler for the scratches. Get the white, it will be less noticable than the grey version. It is an epoxy putty (like bondo) that is made for marine applications. DO NOT use automotive bondo, it will absorb water and eventually flake off. Also check the Class Home page, "Tips and Tricks", Gelcote Repair, to get your hull bottom smooth agiain. Clean out any deep scrathes/gouges, wipe down with acetone and then apply the Marine-Tex (or putty of choice) with a flexable putty knife or scraper, getting as smooth as you can. I block sanded the Marine-Tex with 220 paper, dry, until level with the existing Gel coat and then followed the sanding (wet) directions listed. The Gel Coat is thin, so be carefull not to sand too deep. If gel coat appears to be getting darker, STOP, you are going thru the gel coat. A light touch with the sandpaper is best. More info can also be found on the Yahoo Sunfish Sailor page in the files section. Bottom line, fix and sail. Good Luck
Before filling any scratches and or gouges, do a leak test. Wind Line Sails (http://www.windline.net/index.html) in the "How-To" section can tell you how. If you have a leak, now is the time to repair it. If not, Marine-Tex is another filler for the scratches. Get the white, it will be less noticable than the grey version. It is an epoxy putty (like bondo) that is made for marine applications. DO NOT use automotive bondo, it will absorb water and eventually flake off. Also check the Class Home page, "Tips and Tricks", Gelcote Repair, to get your hull bottom smooth agiain. Clean out any deep scrathes/gouges, wipe down with acetone and then apply the Marine-Tex (or putty of choice) with a flexable putty knife or scraper, getting as smooth as you can. I block sanded the Marine-Tex with 220 paper, dry, until level with the existing Gel coat and then followed the sanding (wet) directions listed. The Gel Coat is thin, so be carefull not to sand too deep. If gel coat appears to be getting darker, STOP, you are going thru the gel coat. A light touch with the sandpaper is best. More info can also be found on the Yahoo Sunfish Sailor page in the files section. Bottom line, fix and sail. Good Luck