Look VERY carefully around the perimeter of the flaking area and on the
inside of the hull in the same place. This may be a sign of a fiberglass
repair from previous damage. Look for any uneven areas in the glass and for
signs of older gelcoat that may have a slightly different color. If no old
damage evidence exists, the most likely cause is some foreign matter or
impurity that got between the gel and glass during the buildup process. If
the fibergalss isn't waterlogged (use a moisture meter), you can probably
just paint over it without worry.

James
"KB" wrote in message
. ca...
Hi there

I'm looking at a 1978 o'day 25 sailboat in very clean condition except for
the gel coat flaking off on the inside of the port side of the hull. The
starboard side is fine and the outside of the hull looks fine - no
blistering or anything.

It looks just like paint chips flaking off and it's exposed the fibreglass
underneath.

Please can someone let me know if this is cosmetic only or anything I
should
be concerned about?

Thanks

Kevin Bennett