Gel coat repair

Advice
#1

I chipped out about 1" of gelcoat on the bottom seam of my 2002 Bell Northstar on our last trip. I think I can fill this with some epoxy, but I’d like to tint it to blend in with the off-white color.



What can epoxy be tinted with, which will not affect strength, set-up, etc?



Or is there a better solution?



I bought this canoe barely used recently, and really like it. Besides paddling real nice, it’s pretty. The first pretty canoe I’ve ever had, so I want to try to keep it that way as much as possible.



cYa, Jim

#2

It’s going to be under water when
paddling, no? Or do you hang it over the fireplace between trips?



West makes a white pigment to go with their epoxy. I suppose it would mix with cheap epoxy also.

#3

check it out
lots of discussions here:

http://www.paddling.net/message/showThread.html?fid=advice&tid=485565

#4

try wenonah
for an excellent video on gelcoat ( and other composite) repairs. The ten bucks or so is well worth the expense if you love your boat and want to do a really good job.

Just tell em charlie sent ya…

Charlie

Denver NC

#5

Bell or Bell Dealer
You might contact Bell or a Bell dealer. I think they have matching paint for sale, or maybe a gel coat repair kit. Eric Nyre who posts here often might be someone to give you advice. Mohawk Canoe’s web site had some good general fiberglass repair instructions.



I’ve had good luck on small chips with just cleaning the surface well and working in a small amount of marine epoxy putty and smothing that with a tounge depresser. The putty is off white btw. You could then mask off a the area and paint with a good color matching paint, again hopefully Bell or a dealer can fix you up.



I’ve got a gel coat repair kit on its way to me from Swift Canoe and Kayak for a little dink I put in the gell coat of my Shearwater a couple weeks back. These things happen if you use your boat.



Color me envious. I’ve never paddled a Northstar, but based on paddling its sister hulls, it ought to be a real dream. Congratulations and Enjoy!!!


#6

color matching gel coat
When preping my canoe for repair I used a small power sander and save the dust. Mix it with clear patching resin for a perfect color match.



butthead

#7

I did the same only longer
on mt QCC bow two years ago. It was off right into the kevlar.

I called Phil at QCC, and he said just fill it with epoxy, sand it smooth and then use the spray automotive touch up paint that they sell in cans at the auto repair stores.

It worked perfectly although it needs a touch up on the paint job because it is right where I usually hit the beach, and some has worn off.



Cheers,

JackL

#8

Here’s how
http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom-reg



Check out the Gelcoat R&R album. And yes, epoxy can be tinted. You can use the same tints that are sold for tinting gelcoat and polyester resin. For the type of repair you’re talking about, you might want to go the gelcoat route anyway.