Chips in Deck

[sguerrero]

I took the DS II out on her maiden voyage yesterday and it was awesome. I was a little nervous since I hadn't sailed it before I bought it and did all the work to the bottom, but it was a dream to sail and even easier to rig.

While I was out I did notice that I have some chips in the deck. Where it looks like the gelcoat has let go from the fiberglass underneath. Is there a good way to fill these? I would think a little epoxy would do the trick, but what about coloring? Does West Marine have a white filler?

Any Suggestions would be appreciated.

sg

[Peter McMinn]

W.Marine carries MarinTex, which is designed to fill light scratches, but you can find basically the same thing as a 2-part for half the price at Home Depot. There are tints you can buy along with.

If the chips are deep enough so you can see fiber, you should put a coat of epoxy in first to seal it up.

[captaindad]

I concur that West Marine/Boat US sells a small tube of coloring agent that when mixed with the cheaper expoxy from Home Depot will make it milky white(or whatever color they have). Be aware that it does however slow the set time when added making it thinner initially and then depending what you want to fill, closes the window very suddenly before it sets up quickly. To fill say a hole or void that is not perfectly flat I would suggest also adding some of the West Marine filler silica or whatever it is to get it to the consistancy of peanut butter so it holds up and does not run out.

Just my two cents but I did just use coloring agent with HD epoxy to fix some serious cracks in my cockpit that resulted from ice expansion....see pics in the repair section of this forum...will include the end result soon...it's hardening as I type this in hopes that I beat the expected many days of rain coming tomorrow here in Upstate NY.

Good luck.
Tim