# help with gel coating canoe repairs



## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

I have had success using a hair dryer/heat gun to heat it up and then it cured. 

Kreepa is the man to wait for a response as fiberglass repair is his living.


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## chiroken (Oct 8, 2012)

> I have had success using a hair dryer/heat gun to heat it up and then it cured.
> 
> Kreepa is the man to wait for a response as fiberglass repair is his living.


Thanks for the idea Duck, tried the heat gun without success. Think the next step is to try to use acetone to get off the gelcoat and resin in the areas that didn't fully harden. These areas are where I put resin over the original canoe surface (I lightly sanded 1st).


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## DuckNut (Apr 3, 2009)

That should not have prevented curing - bad mixture will prevent curing.


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## cutrunner (Jun 8, 2010)

How long has it been since you laid it up?
Ive gotten lucky and sprayed pva over the areas and went over with a heat gun.
Now when i say heat, i mean till its about to light up. It will start to stink.
I believe thats the cobalt be reacted. But if its been any longer than 48hours since you put it on, the damage is done. A whole bunch of rags and a couple gallons of acetone are all you can do.
Sandpaper will just instantly clog.

Btw, $80 for a gallon of resin?
A gallon of quality (cook) resin at any of the local fiberglass shops is $30 bucks +-

Also, you cant use foam rollers with gel coat, the styrene swells them up after about a minute of use, and it will fall right off the roller.

This is all "i learned the hard way" information


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