Recommendations needed - gelcoat repairs

[MarkMT 68]

Hi all, I'm looking for recommendations of someone I can get to do a few cosmetic hull repairs on my small composite racing catamaran.

Background... A very, very long time ago (2011 actually!), I asked for some advice here about shipping a small racing catamaran from the US to NZL. At the time, I was looking at being in NZ three months a year, but there were no obviously good solutions so nothing came of it and life went on, including lots of sailing.

Fast forward to the near present and I've eventually ended up moving back to NZ permanently - long story, complicated by COVID, but I finally sold up in the US a few months back. And happily I did find a way to bring the F16 back with me from Chicago. Not an insignificant cost, but in  the context of a boat I love that I've had years of pleasure from, a rising US dollar and selling my house at the top of the US market, it turned out to be a pretty easy decision.

So the boat is here, but after a good number of years racing, it has a few cosmetic bumps and scrapes that I'd like to get tidied up. The boat is gelcoat on kevlar/foam. Outside my skillset, so I'd like to find someone trustworthy who'll do a great job. So any recommendations of someone whose expertise you think I can count on would be much appreciated.

The boat is temporarily in Waihi and I'm in the Bay of Islands, so anywhere in between would be fine.

A few photos attached in case anyone's interested...

Thanks

[DBLRUM 8]

Steve Pennington from Boatfix. He is on Auckland's North Shore in Glenfield so you would no doubt have to take the boat to him. Tell him Ian from Rubbermark Industries Ltd in Manukau City recommended him. An outstanding guy!

[MarkMT 68]

1 hour ago, DBLRUM said:

Steve Pennington from Boatfix. He is on Auckland's North Shore in Glenfield so you would no doubt have to take the boat to him. Tell him Ian from Rubbermark Industries Ltd in Manukau City recommended him. An outstanding guy!

Thanks Ian. Much appreciated!!

[Bad Kitty 323]

Plus one for Boat Fix, great team there,

[harrytom 697]

Had a crack at doing it myself,mixing pigments,look good while wet ,but yeah /nah will wait till next year and get a pro to do it.

[Psyche 807]

If you have the time its not that hard, you can get white gelcoat and a can of styrene wax plus any pigments from NZ fibreglass supplies in Glen Innes, they will give good advice too. Theres a few vids on it https://www.boatworkstoday.com/videos/gelcoat-color-matching-part-1/ 

Its pretty much trial and error, holding the sample up to the area in different lights adding pigment until you get it. Application is easy, usually brushing it on, then sanding back through the grades until you can polish it.

 

[harrytom 697]

5 hours ago, Psyche said:

If you have the time its not that hard, you can get white gelcoat and a can of styrene wax plus any pigments from NZ fibreglass supplies in Glen Innes, they will give good advice too. Theres a few vids on it https://www.boatworkstoday.com/videos/gelcoat-color-matching-part-1/ 

Its pretty much trial and error, holding the sample up to the area in different lights adding pigment until you get it. Application is easy, usually brushing it on, then sanding back through the grades until you can polish it.

 

yes that where i got my pigments from,nzf panmure,black,yellow,red, trying to mix a yellow/mustard 70s colour,ist batch not bad,brushed over scratches,but where there was major chips they advised to add balloons mirco and thats when it went bright orange,looked good but when dried nah,will sand it off and try again.

will give it another go. Funny asking at the chemist for syringes and explaining what I needed them for. 100ml resin + 2ml hardner gave good working time.dry time was about 4hrs

[ducano 0]

When it comes to repairing gelcoat cracks, boaters have options. They commonly use gelcoat sprayers or paintbrushes. Another effective choice, especially for smaller boat hull areas, is the trusty paint stick.