Worn gel coat can you still paddle?

The gel coat near the stern of my yak is worn off can I still use the yak without doing too much damage to the hull? It’s still too cold to repair the gel coat which requires 60degrees to cure. FishHawk

put some tape over it
Getting that coat repaired is, obviously, the best thing to do.

If I were put in quandary like this, I would just tape the damaged section up with either duct/gorrilla tape, or put on of those 3m keelstrip-equivalent affairs ( westmarine no slip vinyl tape). Before doing that, I would figure which adhesives are the easiest to remove once a permanent repair is possible.

.
Can you just bring it inside and repair it? Most living rooms are about 60 degrees.

depends…
…on how deep the wear is …is the erosion all the way down into the Fiberglass? if so, then the 'glass can absorb water and it’ll take a while to dry out completely. a quick fix might be too paint the area with marine paint till something more permanent can be done.

gel coat fix
It’s down to the glass . I might try a portable heater close to the yak and it should bring the temp up to 60 . Thanks for the info. FishHawk

Why not just sand it lightly and then …
use epoxy. after you put the epoxy on tape a stiff piece of transparency (over head projector or page protector) over it.

The next day peel it off, and you only need to do a minimum of sanding, and then spray paint it to match using automotive paint.

I did that to the hull of one my QCC’s per instructions from them and two years later it was still as good as new.



Jack L

Just wondering
was paddling yesterday in Floria in a gator lake.



Gators at this time of the year are “frisky”. Wal sure, one of the four of us got rammed by a dominant male.



I suppose the paddler asked for it as he was going after them to act as an even more dominant “gator”. My personal tactic is otherwise…play coward or indifferent and paddle by.



Anyhoo there is a gator tooth mark in the sound gel coat(his boat not mine!). I just wonder how much more damage there would have been if the gel coat had been crumbly.



Gator left even grumpier.


No kidding answer …
Don’t worry about it and keep paddling. You are not going to make things worse unless you are grinding things down thin. … Touch it up when ever you get time and you can always beef up the keel line from the inside.

I saw your other post on Nine…
mile Pond.

Did you happen to see that humongous croc, (not gator) that hangs out in the second last pond?

He wondered in several years ago and took it over and has been there ever since.

It is some where between 13 and 15 feet long



Jack L

You can also do it with a lamp…
…or worklight. In colder temps, you can use a little extra catalyst to speed the cure. Check the instructions on your gelcoat, they should have a temp/catalyst table.

nope
time to throw away that boat and get a new one. They sell them at Costco in blister packs of three!

it depends…
could you paddle before?



most of my boats are missing gel coat. do I still paddle them?



guy goes into the DR. complaining of elbow pain. DR. tells him he’s got arthritis. Guy says am I going to play the guitar? DR says sure. Guy says Great I never could play before!



:wink:



steve