tsameti
New Member
Hi everyone, this is my first post on the forum.
Today I decided that I might need some help from experts to give me advices on how to repair the hull that was badly scratched, I would say abused by the previous owner of the boat.
You can probably see how deep are the scratches on the hull
I bought my laser interstate, yes it was a 12 hour drive but the boat seemed nice and it came with both trailer and a dolly which was quite a good deal for me. After 12 hour driving when I parked my boat at home and gave it a quick inspection if anything was damaged, I found that gunwale was split. I didnt worry much about that, simply grinded with dremel and the next day got Sikaflex 291 marine. repair took couple of hours and after it dried I took to the beach for a test sail. When I returned home, there was some water inside the boat so that meant it wasnt the only hole in the boat. I used my air compressor, connected it to transom bung, presurized the boat and used soapy water to detect air leakage. Looked like some of the previous repairs werent done profesionaly (I will attach all the photos) and air was siping through them plus couple of bolts needed Sikaflex.
Whoever did this couldnt even be bothered cleaning the gunwale out but poured epoxy directly.
Before and
After Dremel.
Picture below shows another great work of the previous repair.
After the repair was done, I thought why not refresh the hull itself and apply a layer of flowcoat.
I read some articles about it and assumed it can be done. I ordered white flowcoat, got a couple of quality brushes and while waiting for the delivery sanded the hull down to the point where all deep scratches were almost gone. I have a good respirator, I bought a new paint filter, put my safety glasses on and I used my old shirt and pants so they can go directly into the bin after the project is done.
During sanding down process. On the left side you can still see the scratches.
I knew it would be hard to apply a flowcoat so I prepaired myself to the worse but I wasnt expecting so much trouble. Flowcoat sets off quickly so I had scales ready to weigh flowcoat and to weigh hardener in small quantities so I dont have to throw the mixture away. I mixed 500gr at a time and it was too much, at the end flowcoat hardened and I had to change the mixing pot and a brush. I applied one coat, sanded it down and applied one more coat. Using the brush is probably the best you can do as roller didnt work at all but even a good brush left marks. Thats where my problem is lying now. Today I tried to sand it down to the level where I cant see brush marks but it takes a long time as Im using 400-800-1200 grit papers and trying to be as careful as possible. I havent done much today, only tested on a little patch with sand paper and buffing compound and it looks good but Im worried it wont be the same along the whole boat.
After I applied the first coat and sanded it down for a second layer.
Application of the first layer with roller, not a good idea at all.
I will take photos of the hull after I applied a second layer tomorrow and upload it.
So now my question is should I use flowcoat again to raise the level after I send it down to make surface sticky for a new coat or should I sanded it down and use 2 pack Poleurethane paint which wont leave any marks.
Thank you and sorry for a long story, just wanted to share it, could be useful for the begginers like me.
Today I decided that I might need some help from experts to give me advices on how to repair the hull that was badly scratched, I would say abused by the previous owner of the boat.
You can probably see how deep are the scratches on the hull
I bought my laser interstate, yes it was a 12 hour drive but the boat seemed nice and it came with both trailer and a dolly which was quite a good deal for me. After 12 hour driving when I parked my boat at home and gave it a quick inspection if anything was damaged, I found that gunwale was split. I didnt worry much about that, simply grinded with dremel and the next day got Sikaflex 291 marine. repair took couple of hours and after it dried I took to the beach for a test sail. When I returned home, there was some water inside the boat so that meant it wasnt the only hole in the boat. I used my air compressor, connected it to transom bung, presurized the boat and used soapy water to detect air leakage. Looked like some of the previous repairs werent done profesionaly (I will attach all the photos) and air was siping through them plus couple of bolts needed Sikaflex.
Whoever did this couldnt even be bothered cleaning the gunwale out but poured epoxy directly.
Before and
After Dremel.
Picture below shows another great work of the previous repair.
After the repair was done, I thought why not refresh the hull itself and apply a layer of flowcoat.
I read some articles about it and assumed it can be done. I ordered white flowcoat, got a couple of quality brushes and while waiting for the delivery sanded the hull down to the point where all deep scratches were almost gone. I have a good respirator, I bought a new paint filter, put my safety glasses on and I used my old shirt and pants so they can go directly into the bin after the project is done.
During sanding down process. On the left side you can still see the scratches.
I knew it would be hard to apply a flowcoat so I prepaired myself to the worse but I wasnt expecting so much trouble. Flowcoat sets off quickly so I had scales ready to weigh flowcoat and to weigh hardener in small quantities so I dont have to throw the mixture away. I mixed 500gr at a time and it was too much, at the end flowcoat hardened and I had to change the mixing pot and a brush. I applied one coat, sanded it down and applied one more coat. Using the brush is probably the best you can do as roller didnt work at all but even a good brush left marks. Thats where my problem is lying now. Today I tried to sand it down to the level where I cant see brush marks but it takes a long time as Im using 400-800-1200 grit papers and trying to be as careful as possible. I havent done much today, only tested on a little patch with sand paper and buffing compound and it looks good but Im worried it wont be the same along the whole boat.
After I applied the first coat and sanded it down for a second layer.
Application of the first layer with roller, not a good idea at all.
I will take photos of the hull after I applied a second layer tomorrow and upload it.
So now my question is should I use flowcoat again to raise the level after I send it down to make surface sticky for a new coat or should I sanded it down and use 2 pack Poleurethane paint which wont leave any marks.
Thank you and sorry for a long story, just wanted to share it, could be useful for the begginers like me.