Gelcoat Thinner

[Nautiquehunter]

I have the touch up gelcoat for my boat. When I opened the jar it was very thick
like tar. Can a solvent be added to it to thin it out again? If so what is recommended?
I tried a sample with acetone it seems to work good but I would like to get an
expert opinion.

[8122pbrainard]

RE: Gelcoat Thinner

Styrene is the solvent for polyester resins. Is this a old jar?

[Nautiquehunter]

RE: Gelcoat Thinner

Yes very old the boat is a 1989 Sunsport. There are three colors they are all the same like tar.
Supra gave them to me when I bought the boat in 89.

[DavidF]

RE: Gelcoat Thinner

I think what was being asked is whether or not the gelcoat to be used for the repair was old from sitting on a shelf. Gelcoat does have a shelf life. If more than two years old, you should consider getting new gelcoat. It is available as a "liquid" or paste. You may have the paste. If so, you can thin with Styrene (do NOT use Acetone to thin even if you read that somewhere else. Acetone breaks down polyester based resins).

[DanielC]

RE: Gelcoat Thinner

The gelcoat manufacturer would be the only ones who know for sure. Some gelcoats can be thinned with acetone, others cannot. Personally, I would be more worried about the age of the gelcoat.
Good luck finding the original gelcoat manufacturer. Many have gone out of business, or have consolidated.
You could also make some test panels, and see what happens.

[Nautiquehunter]

RE: Gelcoat Thinner

Thanks for the answers .The repairs I have are just tiny stone chips from the road. I am wet sanding and buffing
the sides and thought it would be nice to take care of them . I guess 20 years is over the shelf life.

[nms1991]

RE: Gelcoat Thinner

Spectrum colors in Wa is your best bet for some gelcoat supplies