Currently owning/sailing a gorgeous bright red catamaran. It goes like the devil.

And its gelcoat (over carbon fiber construction) scratches easily, and visibly with anything and everything. I am not talking about damage, this is just cosmetic.

Proper gelcoat repairs are generally involved affairs. Are there techniques to cover up truly minor scratches?

Get the matching gel coat color, some styrine to reduce the gel coat, some acetone for clean up and one of those Preval aerosol bottles. Also get blue masking tape, fine wet sand paper and polishing compound.
Baring all that you could try to brush in the gel coat.
If you really want to cheat get a paint pen.

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'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
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That being a carbon/epoxy boat, are you sure its gelcoat and not paint?

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Greenville SC

Offering sails and other go fast parts for A-class catamarans
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@gahamby - exactly! the simplest plan includes 7 ingredients, and a dozen steps.
@bacho - confirmed with mfg, it's gelcoat.

I wonder if I can fake it filling in with a color-matched wax (for cosmetic purposes, this thing is "ferrari red" for a reason ), and do the full gelcoat scratch fix dance once a year.

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exactly! the simplest plan includes 7 ingredients, and a dozen steps.

It's not easy being pretty!

I own a grey painted catamaran - it's like an etch a sketch - every scratch show white underneath and sticks out.



Edited by MN3 on May 24, 2017 - 09:35 AM.

Anything you put into a scratch is going to hinder gel coat adhesion to some extent. You will never be able to get all the wax out of the carbon fiber. I wasn't entirely kidding about the paint pen. Perhaps a trip to the local hobby shop for one of those little bottles of Testors model paint in Ferrari Red. The paint will be easier to remove later.
I agree, gel coat is a pain in the ass.

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'82 Super Cat 15
Hull #315
Virginia
Previously owned: '70 H14, '79 H16, '68 Sailmaster 26, '85 H14T
--

For very shallow scratches, I've had shops buff them out, you can do it yourself with 1500 grit. Scratches are gone and no changes to the gelcoat shape.