Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

[Nautibouys]

Well, I read all the posts on Gel Coat Repair and was confident I could tackle on my own. Bought the Spectrum Kits, got the garage temp to a nice 73 degrees overnight to warm up the boat, Mixed up the Spectrum Paste as to the label specifications, applied and left overnight. Went back two days later to start sanding and its extremely sticky. Used acetone to dry it out, still sticky. It isn't really sanding off very well with 330 grit, and any low spots I tried to fill are still sticky. I didn't use the cover with tape method as the paste kits apparently don't require it since they contain wax. Now I am wondering what to do next....try something else, try to remove all of it, or just take it to the local gel coat repair and hand them $800 dollars. Any help from the experts out there...DavidF, GrantWest, Daniel??? Please help I have bit off more than I can eat.

[ClemsonDave]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

Did you add the hardener? I have done it several times, including today using the Spectrum kit. Dries in a couple hours. I used 1/4 of the jar and about 5-6 drops.

[Chexi]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

Don't you also have to cover it? I don't think it cures in the open air.

[Nautibouys]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

Used 6 drops of hardener for 1/4 of the jar. I read some posts that mentioned if you use the Jars they have wax and therefore do not need tape like the quarts do.

[ClemsonDave]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

I'd give Spectrum a call. I have never had that happen. I've used it in all kinds of weather in temps from apx 60-90*, inside and outside. Never taped anything off, never covered it. Yesterday, it was about 65 in my garage and very humid from on/off rain. It was dry enough to sand within 2 hrs.

Rough sanded the area a little then wiped the dust off
I put 1/4 of the small jar onto a slick paper plate.
6 drops of hardener
Mixed really well with the end of a plastic fork (lol, all I had) by smashing it, turning some over and smashing again
Applied the mix to the area
Placed a halogen light about 2ft away for apx 30 min (I had never tried this, but I needed it to harden faster)
Dry in apx 2 hrs

[DavidF]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

Sticky one of two reasons:

1. No or too little catalyst (hardener) used.
2. Left exposed to air (no wax). Even with wax, the surface can remain sticky.

Using Acetone, wipe away all the uncured or sticky gel. Get it all off. Properly cured gel will remain in place. Roughen the surface again. Make sure you mix the paste well before adding the catalyst as the wax (if present) can segregate from the gel while sitting in the jar (maybe). Mix with the proper amount of hardner and apply. Cover with tape (just to be safe). If the paste does not have wax, the tape will alllow the surface to cure. If no wax and you do not cover, you must remove the uncured surface before sanding, or you can apply more on top of the uncured surface if within a day. Avoid adding too much catalyst as it can cause the gel to boil and ruin it. You can add maybe 2 drops more than instructed. More in cooler weather, less in warm/hot weather.

[Nautibouys]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

I think I might have figured out the issue. I didn't mix up the paste prior to adding the catalyst. Just scooped some out and added the hardener then mixed thinking it was blended. When I was applying it I did notice some brown colored stuff in it that wasn't mixed up that could very well have been the wax settling on the top. I took acetone to all the areas that I did and almost all of it came off with some hard scrubbing. I will be sure to premix the paste real good prior to adding catalyst and then also use some tape over it. Hopefully this helps it cure properly. Thanks to everyone for their input.

[Nautibouys]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

If I didn't want to hand sand the lower grits, would you all recommend using an electric palm sander or air sander. Or is this not a good thing to do?

[ClemsonDave]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

Personally, I think that would be too aggressive and leave you with more work later. Maybe use a small block of wood under the sandpaper to get the high spots. Of course, not too many places on the hulls are flat so be careful.

How big of a patch are you filling? Diameter and how deep?

[Nautibouys]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

When the dealer hauled the boat to me in the dead of winter it went across the salt and grime of Illinois and left me with a bunch of gouges from where the shrink wrap rubbed on the grime. They are down each side of the boat probably 2 inches long by 1/8 to 1/4 inch wide and about 3 or 4 mils deep. Pretty much from the hull to the back in various different spots, basically whereever there was a pressure point. Tried to sand them out, some came out others did not. In total there is probably about 2 inches wide by 48" of gelcoat that I have to sand altogether. It just seems that when I hand sand its never the same consitency and tends to leave deeper marks with the lower grits at times.

[ClemsonDave]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

Dang, that sucks. They didn't offer to fix it??

I keep a spray bottle close by filled with soapy water. Keep the area and wet/dry paper really wet. I cut the paper in apx 2"x5". Fold each end to the middle then fold the whole thing along that middle. That keeps it from sliding around. Keep your fingers as flat as possible. Keeping it super wet and sudsy is the key. Don't have to push down very hard at all.

Start with 220 then 320, 400, 600, 800, 1000, 1500 and 2000. I sand a slightly larger area each time I go up in grit. Finish with a buffer and rubbing compound, then swirl remover.

[Nautibouys]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

Thanks for the info. I bought it used and hauled it half way home myself with the shrink wrap as it was snowing and dirty up here as well. He basically said "you can wetsand it if you are good with that sort of thing" Kind of thought he said "get bent" or at least thats what I heard. I removed all the bad patch mix, now I have to figure out what I am going to do next.

[DavidF]

RE: Sticky Gel Coat Repair HELP!

I would definately sand the spot with the paper wrapped around a long 1"x3" block or so. Point is long and narrow to help keep things flat and also to allow conformity sanding with the curves of the hull. You can start easy with 320 dry (just to knock the high spots off) after you lightly dust (spray) with a contrasting color paint (like black) as a tracer. Get down to adjacent surfaces, barely...not aggressive. Switch to 400 wet after applying more tracer. Blend everything together with the 400, go to 600, then 1000 and you can finish up with 1200 or higher if youi want to do less rubbing.

If you find that you have left a low spot, you will need to add more gel. Just make sure you absolutely get all the tracer off BEFORE you add more gel or you will be left with a ring around the repair that will not disappear unless you sound everything back to where you started (i.e. 2nd gel application).

Don't be afraid of the tracer, Acetone takes it right off the unsanded gelcoat. It will stay in the scratches of sanded gelcoat...that how it works...tells you when the previous grit scratches have been sanded out.

[DanielC]

There is a lot of good advise in the above replies. Some general notes.
Stir things well. Gelcoats separate when they sit. Gelcoat is a mixture of pigments, and resins, and they will separate out from each other given enough time.
Take careful notes of everything you do, temperature time of day, weather, quantities of stuff you mixed together, anything else. When you find a process that works, you know what you did, and can repeat it. When something does not work, you will not repeat that again. Thomas Edison invented the light bulb by trial and error, and taking careful notes.
I would use a block to support sandpaper, always. Your fingertips will not leave the sanded area flat. I have several hard rubber sanding blocks, 2 3/4 x 5 sanding surface, one I cut into 2/3, and 1/3. I also have some sponge pads. same size. I have also put the sandpaper in the back side of the block in curved areas.
If you try to put gelcoat on in too thin of a layer, it will not cure very well.
I would stay away from power tools. Too easy to remove too much.
Nautibouys, I am guessing this is your first time working with gelcoat. It may not be perfect the first time you do a repair, but keep working with it, you will get it.
It probably took more that one try to get all six buoys in a course.

[Nautibouys]

Thanks for all the advice. I like the tracer idea, basically finds all the scratches for you. The thinness of the gelcoat may have also contributed as I just skim coated it as lightly as I could since they are not that deep. More of an indent than a gouge. I will keep working at it, and call in the experts if necessary. With 3 kids and a nagging wife any rework is frustrating...she first asks why I am doing it then expects it to take 10 minutes.... Yellow_Flash_Colorz: