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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Topic: Spider crack
    Posted: 04 Jun 2022 at 10:20pm
I stand corrected on the wax. I had not observed that. 
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Post Options Post Options   Quote lostagain Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2022 at 8:21am
If you can get the pre-colored gelcoat from Forest River, you'd save yourself a lot of headaches in trying to match the color.  Wet gelcoat is dries darker, if I recall correctly from my sailboat repair days, so it's hard to anticipate the color shift from wet to dry.  Fading of the original gelcoat also has to be taken into account, even with the factory mixed color.  Boat yards and body shops that do fiberglass repair are likely your best bet if you want to get as close a match as possible.  Once you've prepared the cracks for gelcoat application, as others have mentioned, spraying polyvinyl alcohol over the wet gelcoat seals it from the air to allow curing.  It washes off with water.  
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Post Options Post Options   Quote offgrid Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2022 at 7:34am
West Marine sells a gell coat repair kit that includes color matching materials. The resins in the repair kit need to be compatible with the surface being repaired so I'm not sure if that would work on an rpod or not but it might be worth looking into.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote pedwards2932 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 04 Jun 2022 at 7:33am
I worked on boats as well and did gel repair.  We mixed a wax with the gel that would rise to the surface and that would seal it from air so it would dry.  And yes you do have to add catalyst.  You can also spray PVA over the top as well to seal it we just found the wax easier to use.  At any rate it is not an easy repair for the novice.
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jun 2022 at 10:18pm
Correction: A catalyst is mixed with the gel coat. For that, a coating is sprayed over the top of the repair to seal it. Later, the coating is removed and the gel coat is sanded to make it level, then buffed until it matches the existing finish. I used to work for Uniflite (now defunct) that built cabin cruisers. That is how the flaws in the gel coat finish were repaired.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote pedwards2932 Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jun 2022 at 5:31pm
If Forrest River carries the gel coat that matches that would help.  You have to grind the cracks out then fill with gel coat.  It is difficult to spray gel coat because it is very thick.  You also have to add a wax to the mix for it to dry.  Gel coat is designed to be sprayed into a mold then the fiberglass is sprayed over top so the gel dries in an air free environment.  A boat shop could do the repair but again it would help if you got matching gel coat for it.
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jun 2022 at 2:48pm
That would likely be one of the best places.
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Mom Dunn View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Mom Dunn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jun 2022 at 1:56pm
Like a boat place? We have lots of those here.
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StephenH View Drop Down
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Post Options Post Options   Quote StephenH Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jun 2022 at 1:44pm
You will need the advice of someone who has worked with fiberglass repairs to fill, sand, and re-paint with gel-coat. Then there is sanding and buffing to get it to blend in.
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Post Options Post Options   Quote Mom Dunn Quote  Post ReplyReply Direct Link To This Post Posted: 03 Jun 2022 at 1:41pm
this is a picture of it.
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