MGC wrote:
I am looking for some tips for refinishing the hull on my older Valley
fiberglass kayak. The gelcoat is heavily scratched as well as cracked
in many places. I talked to someone a while back who did a lot of
fiberglass and epoxy work who recommended using epoxy instead of
gelcoat to re-coat the bottom of my boat. Does anyone have experience
doing this? I am planning on sanding down the gelcoat to get a smooth
base. Any thoughts on the how well the epoxy will bond and work with
a gelcoat base? How about a good application method to get a smooth
and even finish?

I have pics and instructions for fiberglass and gelcoat repair on
Webshots (Gelcoat Repair & Restoration the #1 album in the kayaking
category) at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom-reg

While I strongly recommend using epoxy for fiberglass repairs, you're
better off to use gelcoat for gelcoat repairs, as the color of epoxy -
even when it's tinted white - won't match very well. OTOH, gelcoat is
much more noxious to work with.

When buying gelcoat, be sure to get "finish" gelcoat, as the standard
"laminating" gelcoat will not cure completely in the presence of air.
You can get finish gelcoat tinted white or in a neutral color if you
anticipate needing to tint it to match other colors perhaps on your
deck. West Marine sells gelcoat pints in liquid and paste form. The
paste works really well for areas that need to be built up
significantly, like on the keel and around the skeg box on VCP boats
like yours. Store it in the fridge and it will last nearly indefinitely.

BTW, spider cracking is common on these boats and is largely caused by
the thick gelcoat not being as flexible as the underlying layup.
Repairing spider cracks is largely futile, as they will soon re-appear
in the same places. On my own boats, I repair fiberglass damage and deep
gelcoat dings and gouges, but I don't sweat the small stuff. It's simply
way too much effort to try to keep the bottom of a kayak pristine.

One advantage of the thick gelcoat on VCP boats is that faded decks can
be brought back to like-new color and shine by wet sanding and buffing
them out. I did it on one boat just for the experience. It's a fair
amount of work, but the results can be worth the effort, as you'll see
in my pics.