Clear Gelcoat Gone

I have one section of my top cap, only over the metal/poly flake, where it appears that the clear gelcoat is completely gone. The white areas above and below the flake is still completely smooth but over the flake it's rough like it's completely gone. The rest of my top cap is perfect (after following Basscat7's instructions on removing oxidation)!

Is it possible to just spray new clear gelcoat over the metal/poly flake area? If so, has anyone sprayed clear gelcoat with a Preval Sprayer?

I can only guess why the top cap is missing the clear gelcoat in this one area. I think it has alot to do with the previous owner who's handywork was, let just say "questionable". It's like there was an attempt made at sanding the clear to remove the oxidation but he was way too aggressive and removed all of the clear in one area and he just gave up.

http://i39.tinypic.com/2a6p1ug.jpg

First. Make sure the clear gel is gone, it is highly unusual for clear gelcoat to wear away, It is the first layer sprayed into the mold when the boat is being built. The white ( and other solid , non polyflake colors) will generally NOT have a clear gelcoat layer on them.

Have you already tried to sand the clear polyflake stripe ?

Yes, I have tried to sand the polyflake portion of the stripe in the pic but definitely not like the rest of the stripe all the way around the top cap where I was able to wetsand with great results. The surface is very irregular, not like it is oxidized but like it's actually down to the polyflake only. Actually there is a portion that is starting to tear and will flake off soon but it's hard to tell from the picture. I really think the guy tried to sand the stripe all the way around the boat and then gave up after this one section because he sanded too deep. It's odd to say the least.


Modified by 99Ranger at 7:19 PM 2/13/2012

Sounds odd. Usually when you sand too deep you hit the actual polyflake and the glitter pieces will start to fall off.
Spraying clear gelcoat can be done for a small repair area like that. Just that it requires a lot of sanding to smooth it out as it is not self leveling like paint is.

Do you recommend any particular type of clear gelcoat kit for a small area like this? Could I get away with a roll and tip method sanding inbetween coats? I'm really not equipped to spray the gelcoat. I've seen several posts regarding spraying with automotive clearcoat and the associated problems with doing so but is there a clear paint that would adhere to the polyflake only?