Gel Coat Issues/Repair

[skennedy]

Its really just a waste of hard earned money to buy a bass boat these days and not have a good place to store them out of the elements . The sun and heat destroys the glass , carpet ,wiring,graphs ,gauges and tires . Not only that bugs ,mice and birds will make nest in the eng. If I didn’t have a roof over my boat I wouldn’t spend the money on a glass boat .

[basshole51]

I have a couple spots on my boat that look like this...(bought the boat last spring) but I figured it was from people stepping on gunnel and scratching it (thats what seller told me anyways)...was going to do Protec system to remove it.

[Superpro]

My boat sits outdoors from March until October & the top cap is flawless. You have to protect the boat from UV rays when not in use. I use the travel cover & a tarp over that big enough to cover the entire boat. I also use fender & tire covers. Its all about covering the boat from the sun

[crwood]

My boat sits outdoors from March until October & the top cap is flawless. You have to protect the boat from UV rays when not in use. I use the travel cover & a tarp over that big enough to cover the entire boat. I also use fender & tire covers. Its all about covering the boat from the sun

Unless the tarp reflects the UV rays, I’m not sure how that would be any better than just using the cover. Traps tend to deteriorate when exposed to UV for long periods of time.

I’ve lived in a condo ever since this boat was new. Having a boat cover on it was the best I could do since they didn’t have covered storage there and a tarp would have been against the HOA. I’ve seen plenty of bass boats and boats in general that spend their entire life outside under boat covers and I’ve personally never seen any with these types of gel coat cracks that weren’t at least 20 years old or older. The vast majority just have hazing from oxidation.

I’m sure if I never covered my boat people would tell me that’s what caused the problem. But now it’s appears to be because I left it outside with the cover on it.

I just bought a house and will finally be buying a carport which will cover my next boat. Just wont be a bass cat due to all the other problems I’ve had with it that weren’t UV related.

[Superpro]

crwood, the boat cover does not cover the entire boat, that is why I use a white or silver colored tarp over the cover to protect the entire hull, works great for me

[crwood]

crwood, the boat cover does not cover the entire boat, that is why I use a white or silver colored tarp over the cover to protect the entire hull, works great for me

I gotcha. I haven't had any issues with the gel coat on the side of the boat other than the occasional scratch or two from a rock or dock. It's also plain white and black gel without flake. Fenders on trailer do show signs of slight oxidation, but it's only 4 years old. No cracks in the fender gel and its metallic red flake to match the cap.

[Sbp]

Not all covers are UV resistant. His cover could be and yours may not be as much so.

[crwood]

Not all covers are UV resistant. His cover could be and yours may not be as much so.

I’ve only used the Aurora covers that bass cat sells

[TOUCH OF CLASS]

Nothing will with stand the sun it is very powerful to man and machine!

[bossbowman]

I was thinking someone put clearcoat on it before you bought it but your first owner, never seen anything like that

[chris c]

Looks like crazing from heat. The cover can get hot as crap in direct sunlight.