Dents/scratches in hull of orkney - how to fix?

As the heading says I've got a few dents and deepish scratches on the hull of the second hand orkney I picked up. There are some more just below the gunnel on the outside where the hard plastic strip is. Anybody know whats the best technique for fixing these? Cheers for any help.

Pete

Hi Pete,
Get your hands on some 'Gel Coat Filler' from one of the marine shops (it comes in a white colour) and follow the instructions on the box.
It's like car filler, mix two amounts, spread it along the cleaned surface and when hard sand it down with wet & dry sandpaper. Providing the scratches and cuts are not too deep (i.e. after causing damage to the fibreglass) it should repair the damage for you.
It's a good idea to repair any new knocks as soon as you see them as this helps stop water getting between the gel coat and the fibreglass and causing blistering.
Damien

Hi Pete ,
Exactly as dtsacs says .
+ If you have a wide/deep scratch or even small hole you can first infill with fibreglass repair kit ( fabric + glue ) - commonly sold for car body repair .

Mine leaked where metal runners had been screwed straight into the bottom of the boat . Replaced the screws with ( don't know what you call them ) bolt with rubber sheath around it . Push into hole ,then as tighten the bolt the rubber is compressed and seals any gap . Sorted .
good luck
nick

I did a couple of repairs with white gel coat filler. The white may not exactly match the existing gel coat, but c'est la vie. I rubbed down with 180 then 240 and finished with 800 grit wet and dry. Make sure you use a sanding block, and take it down until you see the line of the scratch/dent. Polish it off with rubbing compound if you want a glossy finish.

Easily sorted as stated. Little more to add except should you have another colour other than pure white you can add water based (acrylic) paint colours to it to change the pigment. You can buy these paints in any model or lead soldiers selling shop. Make sure they are acrylic. Also when the gel coat is on make sure and cover it with celaphane plastic. it actually dries with the absence of air rather than with air. This can take 24 hours. Cover the cellaphane with masking tape to hold it in place.then smooth off with sand paper as stated. :wink:

Great work lads, thanks v. much for advice. Be off to get the gel coat this weekend. Thanks again.

Pete