gel coat crazing
Hi,
I was given a composite kayak that was a little dull so I sanded with 1200 wet'n'dry and compound polish. On closer inspection the bottom is riddled with gelcoat crazing and I know that it's been stored outside upside down for over a year before I got it. The kayak buffed up lovely but I'm concern that this crazing will cause the hull to rot away (I want a few years out of it!). The hull seems sound and waterproof and what to know is this crazing a cause for concern. The kayak is a kevlar lightweight that is now stored indoors will polish/wax help stop water getting in the crazing? Painting with correct paint seems expensive and the crazing is to much to cover with duct tape. Thanks for any info Cheers |
gel coat crazing
The only trick I can tell you is to clean any wax or paint then sand
the creature and gell coat it. I would forget painting it as that is merely cosmetic and will complicate futuer repairs. Once the gell coat has filled any cracks you can use a two part paint that matches the gell coat to paint the boat. Good luck. Aelx |
gel coat crazing
kar wrote:
Hi, I was given a composite kayak that was a little dull so I sanded with 1200 wet'n'dry and compound polish. On closer inspection the bottom is riddled with gelcoat crazing and I know that it's been stored outside upside down for over a year before I got it. It's probably sun damaged. The crazing may be just on the surface and it might be possible to sand through it, but it would depend on how thick the gelcoat is. The kayak buffed up lovely but I'm concern that this crazing will cause the hull to rot away (I want a few years out of it!). That's not likely. Gelcoat on a kayak is a sacrificial protective layer, in addition to its cosmetic properties. It's not a structural component of the boat. Think of it as thick paint, nothing more. The hull seems sound and waterproof and what to know is this crazing a cause for concern. Proabably not. More than likely, it's simply a cosmetic issue. The kayak is a kevlar lightweight that is now stored indoors will polish/wax help stop water getting in the crazing? Wax will fill in gaps in the gelcoat temporarily, but you'll need to apply it pretty frequently. Painting with correct paint seems expensive and the crazing is to much to cover with duct tape. What do you consider to be expensive? You don't need to use expensive hull paints designed to protect larger boats from barnacles and such. Interlux Britesides has become the de-facto standard paint for kayak builders and it's not especially pricey in quarts, which is more than enough for a kayak. It's also easy to apply smoothly using the roll-and-tip method. You'll have to touch it up periodically, but it's not difficult. You could also do as Alex suggests and coat the bottom with gelcoat, but you can plan on lots of sanding and buffing after coating if you want the hull to be smooth and even. There's also no guarantee that the crazing underneath won't eventually come through the new gelcoat. Although I do a fair amount of gelcoat repairs, recoating an entire hull is not something I would want to do. I guess it's really just a matter of how much work you want to put into this boat. |
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