Agreed on the painting issue, do not paint! Worth about 10%+ loss in speed
and costly to do it right. If the scratches bother you, treat it like a
scratch in a car, heavy coat of wax until you can correct the problem. Just
remember to use a wax remover when you gel in the marks.

I've owned boats where the keel line near the bow has been worn right
through to glass from continual beachings, never had lamination problems,
although it certainly does invite them.

Greg Moore

"Tony Thomas" wrote in message
news:XTpOa.2866$H17.1827@sccrnsc02...
My suggestion is to not worry about it. Hulls get scratched up all the
time
from beaching. No big deal. Certainly not worth the cost to have
repaired.
Definetly don't have the bottom painted. Costly, slow you down, make for
a
wierd boat in this size.

Tony

"David Purvis" wrote in message
.. .
Last week I had my 2000 17ft Larson docked at a cottage bow in and up on
two
tires with carpet over the tires to protect gellcoat.
After digging out the sand and rocks the boat seemed fine and the back
was
floating and I could stick my foot under the bottom and had space there.
But
before this I must of been rubbing on the many small stones.The first
time
I
beached it I felt it rub near the centre and that's when I dug out the
sand.
Now the very pointed part of the bottom has been scratched badly but
really
what bothers me is two long gouges that are not deep but can they be
filled
buy using a gellcoat repair kit ? Looks like two pointed rocks rubbed
along
the bottom.
Seems like a artist brush dipped into the filler would be all I need to
fill
in the voids. What do you guys think? Not to worried about how it looks
as
you have to get under the trailer and slide down to see it.Or should I
get
the bottom treated with hull paint?
The boat will be back in the water in 5 days for 3 weeks then I will
have
time to buff out and wax the rest of the bottom.Was thinking of taking
it
in
for repairs but the damage is not deep and should not get under the
gellcoat. The rest of the year it only gets in the water for a couple of
hrs
a week then stays on the trailer.All this to try and free up the small
dock
for the kids to use!
Thanks for any help you can give me.