# Bottom Gelcoat



## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

Without pictures we are in the dark so any advice would be long winded and utterly useless.


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## mtoddsolomon (Mar 25, 2015)

oyster rash is part of the game in a shallow water skiff. Mine looks like i drug it across asphalt. I wouldn't worry too much.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Eventually I will have to fill in my bottom scratches and scrapes with MarineTex, it is what it is. If it doesn’t have any it’s never really been used for what it’s for. I bet even the guys on here with Chittums and new Hell’s Bays have scratches.


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## Flatsaholic (Apr 28, 2016)

I have owned a BT Mosquito for almost 2 years now. Your going to get scratches on the bottom. If you hit a rock or anything you gonna have the gel coat chip. It is fixable with some putty and gel coat.

The Beavertail owners are awesome and can help you repair the gouges. I would not worry about the scratches it will just happen again.


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## Smackdaddy53 (Dec 31, 2012)

Flatsaholic said:


> I have owned a BT Mosquito for almost 2 years now. Your going to get scratches on the bottom. If you hit a rock or anything you gonna have the gel coat chip. It is fixable with some putty and gel coat.
> 
> The Beavertail owners are awesome and can help you repair the gouges. I would not worry about the scratches it will just happen again.


Scratches break surface tension and give you more top end...


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## Wata (Jun 24, 2020)

Smackdaddy53 said:


> Scratches break surface tension and give you more top end...


This is seriously what our repair guy tells us. But now I'm trying to sell and its easier without the scratched up hull. I'm bumping this thread because I'm trying to get a general ballpark cost for a professional to fix oyster rash. Couple of chunks through the gelcoat but mostly scratches covering the entire bottom. It is an older HPX-T. To repair this, would someone need to completely sand down and re gelcoat the entire hull, or just fill in the chunks and scratches? If the entire hull needed new gelcoat what is the ballpark cost for a boat repair shop to do it? Thanks in advance!


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

If me and a big if... I would roll on some epoxy and graphite powder. Makes it super easy to keep gouges filled and touched up later on. There are trade offs with everything though.

Doubt you will recover your $ from a re gel when selling also!


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## BrownDog (Jun 22, 2019)

I have redone the entire bottom of my boat before.

I took epoxy fairing compound or thickened epoxy and a putty knife and went over the imperfections. Then sanded it all and painted.

Once you sand the entire bottom of your boat upside down you will never do it again.

now I just fill in the major gouges. Wore through the gelcoat to the bare glass along the keel and laid a few more layers of glass there recently as well. 

I’m pretty sure not much of my bottom is original at this point, I put my boat in a lot of places it shouldnt go.


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

BrownDog said:


> I have redone the entire bottom of my boat before.
> 
> I took epoxy fairing compound or thickened epoxy and a putty knife and went over the imperfections. Then sanded it all and painted.
> 
> ...


And only then will one understand why we charge what we charge for what we do! Now do that with gelcoat where ya have to wet sand and buff the job after the gel cures for aesthetics! 👍🏻👍🏻


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## JC Designs (Apr 5, 2020)

jackson man said:


> Yeah, you guys are makin bank! Just sayin! 😁


Could be, but I don’t do it anymore! Been there!


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