Emergency gelcoat repair - What do you think?

[utfisherman]

I had a hard hit against the corner of a dock and missed the rubrail by 1/2 inch, causing removal of the gelcoat in about 3/4 inch x 3 inch oval. Had to fish in the rain 2 days later and wanted a quick fix. Gelcoat was not available from any local source, but a trip to Walmart gave me an idea.

I purchased 5 minute epoxy, cups, sticks, and micro glitter from the craft department.

I cleaned up the edges of the damage, sanded the rough edges, and cleaned the area with acetone.

I mixed a small portion of epoxy in a cup, added enough silver glitter until the mixture was totally opaque, then applied the epoxy to the damage and let it harden.

I wet sanded the excess hardened epoxy with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper, then 800 grit wet/dry sandpaper, then polishing compound and scratch remover. I used a Sharpie pen to replace missing portions of the pinstripe.

Total repair time 4 hours, but only 30 minutes of labor. Totally waterproof and very strong. I plan to make a permanent repair at the end of the season, but this is not bad! What do you think? Total cost $30 and 30 minutes labor.

[BASSCAT7]

That is perfect for a quick repair to keep the glass mat from absorbing any water.

You've filled the gouge in so when you do the cosmetic repair later you'll only need some matching gelcoat to make it look new.

[boat_board]

Looks great...I'd just leave it like that until you have something else you need fixed...hopefully no time soon!