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  1. #1
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    fiberglass chip / gel coat chip on 04 ranger - what material do I need

    So as title states, I want to repair some of the chips on my hull by end of season. I dont mind doing the work myself I also can get a helping hand from a buddy that runs his own automotive body shop for a clean finish... HOWEVER the issue is.. the process / material I need to get the job done right.

    Ive spent most of my day google searching and now I got mixed review on what to use and whether I need to get some glass to build it back up or if I can just some some filler and clear to fix my chips. These were all done from previous owner and I just want to prevent possible future water damage.

    here's some pics... and let me know what kind of stuff I would need to do it myself!

    Note that all these chips are under the water line. which ive read requires a specific filler if im right






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    #2
    I have very little gel coat repair experience and have had good results with Evercoat match n patch kit. Had almost identical damage as yours from previous owner and you can hardly tell it was ever there. Since your hull is white it will be easy to color match. I have heard Marine-tex is another good gel coat repair option but I have never used it so I can't speak to it first hand.

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    #3
    ah did you have to use patches of glass to fill the chips or did you just use the "resin" filler and away you went?

  4. Member CastingCall's Avatar
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    #4
    http://www.bbcboards.net/showthread.php?t=482762

    Most of those should be able to be patched with just tinted resin - others look like they are a bit bigger/deeper (tough to judge by a pic), so you may want to do a layer of chopped mat fiber, or other filler mixed with the resin to build up. Then finish with tinted gelcoat.
    White can actually be tricky to tint, since "white is not white" holds true. Soooo many shades of white!

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    #5
    Thanks

    Yea my main concern was the transom back portion of the chipping around the drain area. I was thinking I may need to add some layers before re doing the gel coat.


    I've read that thread you posted a few times now I'm sure I can manage the parts that dont need any additional glass.

    That patch kit you posted is good for under the water line? I was reading some posts mentioning theres certain resins ect that are meant for under the water line.


    If I was to add some glass to the bad spots... what resin paste stuff would I need?

    I'd need to clean sand, glass with its resin sand then I've seen some put some kind of other paste? Then sand them clear?


    Lastly can I keep riding this boat until end of season before without worrying about causing additional damage? Its trailers to the water and stored inside won't be left in water for days or anything

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    #6
    definitely need to figure out what all I need for the deeper damage.

    Got quoted from a local shop 1200 to fix all the chips pictures or 650 to just do the back area near the drain.


    If I can get pointed in the right direction for what glass and glass resin I need for under the water line I should be ok to tackle it end of season permitting I know im ok to rip around on it as is without causing further excessive damage that I am going to pay for in the long run .

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    #7
    all you need is the gelcoat which you can buy from ranger, cabosil, mekp, sandpaper, and wax paper. I do these type jobs all the time. Usually have to sand and re apply 2-3 times to get it perfect. You can also buy a patch paste kit from spectrum that is already mixed up into a putty/paste material where all you have to do is add the mekp. They don't sell Ranger gel, but the skeeter white armour or nitro white ice will be a close match.

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    #8
    I dont mind taking the time or even having to do it 10 times over before getting it to where I want it. (upside is the damaged spots arn't really easy to see unless your looking for them)

    Is the patch paste kit from Spectrum the same as the match n patch kit from evercoat?

    The reason im looking at evercoat is because I can get it locally ish (im in canada)


    Upside to it all... my buddy owns a automotive body shop so if I can't get it right he's a phone call away.... I just prefer learning to do it myself at this point cause I don't doubt ill put my own scrapes on it in time. I just dont like the fact the glass is exposed.



    Also if the evercoat patch and match kit is good.... how much would I roughly need? I know this is a next to impossible question to correctly answer as you can't see the total damage area and depth...


    would the 4oz kit be sufficient or should I be looking at a larger volume kit
    Last edited by ride.race.live; 08-03-2018 at 08:34 AM.

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    #9
    also curious.. whats the difference between the Marine Tex and the evercoat match n patch kit? or are they more or less the same thing with same end results

    really want to ensure I got the exposed glass sealed properly is all

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    #10
    I may give marine tex a run... there's a shop down the road from me that carries it on hand... going to run over and see what they say.. kind of perfect timing if it is recommended as the boat has been out of the water for almost a week so I know the glass is dry and I can have it cured ready to roll by sunday which is currently my next planned outing!

    Ill see if they also carry evercoat I may buy that as well for the smaller holes. (HOPEFULLY i get someone that knows a little bit there lol)



    Soooo update...

    Went to local shop here spoke with one of the old peeps there and he recommended Formula 27 by evercoat. Said if I wasn't aiming for that perfect gloss gel coat finish I can just use that and be good. Figure ill try it as is and go from there!

    Bought 80, 320 and 600 grit sand paper to do the job.. well see how it turns out! ill be sure to post some pics of my progress
    Last edited by ride.race.live; 08-03-2018 at 12:22 PM.

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    #11
    marine tex is epoxy based. The evercoat kit you have to tint to match and most guys that do it for a living aren't that good at it. The spectrum kits are already tinted so they match. Express composites sells a putty called adtech #14 that's white and is sandable and buffable and is also good for below waterline. Most all the repair kits are polyester based except marine tex. Just depends how good you want it to look.

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    #12
    I got the Ranger gelcoat for my rig, and the polyflake to match.

    Get the evercoat clear gel and use the the thinner ranger colormatched gelcoat to tint it.

    Worked for me doing the same thing, just not as bad as yours. Can't tell they were there.
    Mike

    2019 Ranger 520L w/ 250HO ETEC G2
    2011 Tracker 175TXW w/ 75HO ETEC

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    #13
    Awesome I'm doing some patch ups with formula 27 from evercoat no tint I'll see how it looks and go from there.

    Main reason to get that one was because guy had it on hand at local shop and recommended it.. figure I can tackle the pixels over the weekend so I can get back out there with a peace of mind.


    Upside to it all.. nothing is stopping me from going back to redoing the repairs if I dont idle it.

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    #14
    so I spent my weekend doing the body work on the boat... so far turned out pretty decent! I still got to spend some time with some 600 + maybe even finer grit sand paper and then buff and wax the areas. this was all fixed using Formula 27. I know its not perfect more time and patience would make it seamless im sure....

    The "white" base filler has more of a blue tint to it but you really have to focus to see the small patch jobs... the larger area that I fixed at the back you can more easily notice the color difference but I can just get a gel coat finish kit and get that matched if I wanted to.


    I did notice though that the spots that were very "shallow" or just scrapes I coudln't get the filler cover it up as you can see some "black" spotting around some fixed areas.. by feel it feels flush and seamless though.


    all in all.. im fairly happy with the outcome to date though I will spend a bit more time getting the finish cleaner.

    I got about 8 hours in on this little fix up... did take my time and did have to do a few coats before getting some spots filled to where I wanted it.




  15. Member CastingCall's Avatar
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    #15
    Nice work!!
    For finishing, were you wet-sanding? Use some 1200, and down to 2000 grit wet-sanding paper, along with a shot of dish soap in the water... and LOTS of water. That will remove nearly all of the scratches. Then buff and wax should leave you with a polished surface.

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    #16
    I did a bit of wet sanding with the 600 grit on the small section that has my thumb in the pic (was a solid 100+ F in the shop) I could of wet sanded using my own sweat the way it was going lol. But really didnt spend much time there either. I wanted to just get the big main stuff done and get the nice finish look once all the filler bs was done.

    Im going to run to the local shop here some point this week and get some 1200-2000 grit paper to polish it up. ill definitely try adding soap never done that before.


    I also want to go over it again now to see if there's any spots ill need to fix or re fill and sand again. You somewhat go "blind" looking at it for so long...

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    #17
    Quote Originally Posted by CastingCall View Post
    Nice work!!
    For finishing, were you wet-sanding? Use some 1200, and down to 2000 grit wet-sanding paper, along with a shot of dish soap in the water... and LOTS of water. That will remove nearly all of the scratches. Then buff and wax should leave you with a polished surface.

    I also meant to ask... would this stuff be goof to fix a full through crack in one of my trailer fairings? or would a full crack through requiring glass work. previous owner must of backed into something or hit something cause its cracked right through a few spots. was debating on getting Ranger to send me the clear coat color and fixing it myself but not sure if this stuff works on actual full through cracks

  18. Member CastingCall's Avatar
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    #18
    Structural repairs like that would require reinforcement material, like fiberglass cloth and mat. You'd want to grind back the broken edges on the top and back sides of the crack, and lay in chopped strand mat (CSM) and a couple layers of cloth to strengthen the repair area. Not familiar with Formula 27, so unsure if it's a laminating resin. Then finish off with gelcoat similar to filling the chips - but a repair that extensive, you're better off spraying the gelcoat to get a uniform finish.

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    #19
    Sounds good. What I figured i'd need to fix the trailer... Im not sure if it will cause issues down the road which is the main concern for the trailer, non the less I definitely want to get it touched up eventually and with the cost of paying a shop I may just get a glass repair kit and some gel coat match from ranger to give it a whirl down the road.



    So this is the "Final" go over with formula 27.. this has no gel coat finish on it yet... this was 3-4 coats, sanded to desired shape with 80 grit to cleaning up the "over coat" with 320.. then used some 2K grit to polish.. I did use some 1K grit on rougher spots before going to 2k.

    The ONLY thing im not overly fond of is the visible black spots... you can't feel any imperfections its all smooth and even by feel. ive recoated those areas twice trying to get it not to show.. by the time I run the 2k paper for a finished look it starts showing again. It seems to show only at the rougher spots I fixed. as you can see in last pic at the VERY left side is 1 of 2 of the fixes I did there.. the side chips i fixed are ALMOST perfect.. I can still see them but i doubt others looking would spot them without closely looking.