Gel coat scuff rapair

[malarson]

I have recently purchased a '98 pre2100 that has several dings and scuffs in the gel coat. Some friends have suggested buffing while others have suggested filling. What is the prefered method of renewing the gel coat? none of the dings seem to reveal the base fiberglass.
Thanks!! Mike

[GIZMO]

I had a fairly severe scuff on the bottom of my boat and the dealer buffed it away no problem. I think it best to try having it buffed by somebody who knows fiberglass and if still not pleased with the results try filling it.

[Andrew]

Sometimes you can sand minor scratches out. After sanding you will need to buff the area. I would use 600 grit to cut most of the deep scratches away, then use 1000 to take the 600 marks out, and finally 1500 wet to smooth everything out. Finish off with a good buffer and compound. Make sure that you do not sand all the gel coat away then you will need to spray that area. If a big chunk is taken out and you can see fiberglass then it is time to fill. Hope this helps you out.

Andrew

[Tige M.D.]

a good rule to go by is, if it catches your fingernail then it needs to be filled and sprayed.

also, if you have little or no experience wet sanding then leave it to someone who does. a minor screw up will be expensive.

[bakerds2121]

Good advise from Tige M.D. I just had a bunch of dings/scratches polished out of my black main panel yesterday. The 1.5 hours of labor cost was well worth the results and I avoided potential errors of doing it myself.

P.S. Great service at Tige Watersports!

[Tige M.D.]

bakerds2121, thank you for letting us service your boat. i'm always glad to hear that my customers are happy.