Repair or not repair?

[Preston Palmer]

This is my 3rd year owning this 21' 1988 Sorrento. There are a few fiberglass dings from the previous owner and it looks like the paint is starting to bubble/peel in some places.

Is the condition of this worthy of repair / repaint this season or should I just put it in the water and not worry about it? The boat will sit in a slip all summer and come out of the water in Oct sometime.

How concerned should I be? I'm a bit of a perfectionist and I don't want to start a bit project if you guys think I should just splash and go! Hah!

If you think I should repair it, what products do you recommend? I'm not sure if I should use an epoxy or just a gelcoat repair kit? Any suggestions would be much appreciated! This would be my first time doing a hull repair on a fiberglass boat so assume I know nothing!

 

[KevinC]

Looks like typical maintenance.

Unfortunately the paint is a different issue. It probably not suitable for the environment or not compatible with the surface it was applied to. I would hit it with a power washer and see what happens. If the paint flakes off the set it over a tarp or other liner and see how much you can get off. Not knowing what kind of paint it is I would use a mask.

If you can get most of it off then see what it's hiding.

-Kevin

 

[Golfman25]

I’d hit them with a little marine Tex. If it’s going to sit in the water, maybe bottom paint.

 

[Preston Palmer]

Looks like typical maintenance.

Unfortunately the paint is a different issue. It probably not suitable for the environment or not compatible with the surface it was applied to. I would hit it with a power washer and see what happens. If the paint flakes off the set it over a tarp or other liner and see how much you can get off. Not knowing what kind of paint it is I would use a mask.

If you can get most of it off then see what it's hiding.

-Kevin

Thanks Kevin! What about the chips? It's a freshwater boat and was acid washed by the marina when pulled out last fall. It wasn't nearly this bad when I put it in. How urgent / concerning is any of this?

 

[Preston Palmer]

I’d hit them with a little marine Tex. If it’s going to sit in the water, maybe bottom paint.

MARINE-TEX = Ordered! Thank you!

 

[Blueone]

With everything going on down there I would repair sand everything and bottom paint...
I don’t know the year where Sea Ray changed gel coat but if it is the blister gel coat you will want to barrier coat it if leaving in the water...someone here will know
Its a job but not huge...now is the time to do it when nothing is open anyway

 

[b_arrington]

Especially fix anything where the fiberglass is exposed. You don’t want water soaking into your hull all season. That would be bad news. A stitch in time saves nine.

 

[Preston Palmer]

Not knowing what kind of paint it is I would use a mask.

-Kevin

Good thing masks are part of daily life now. LOL

 

[Shaps]

Especially fix anything where the fiberglass is exposed. You don’t want water soaking into your hull all season. That would be bad news. A stitch in time saves nine.

+1 on the exposed fiberglass

 

[sbw1]

There is more going on there than most people commented on. Specifically you have multiple hull blisters showing on the port side near the bow of the boat. Those will need to be cleaned out, dried properly and repaired. Since you are a self proclaimed perfectionist, consider learning how to repair things properly and fix all of the dings. Some of them go through the gel coat and are into the fiberglass mat. The hull looks to be in below average condition based upon the photos.

 

[Preston Palmer]

There is more going on there than most people commented on. Specifically you have multiple hull blisters showing on the port side near the bow of the boat. Those will need to be cleaned out, dried properly and repaired. Since you are a self proclaimed perfectionist, consider learning how to repair things properly and fix all of the dings. Some of them go through the gel coat and are into the fiberglass mat. The hull looks to be in below average condition based upon the photos.

Yep. That's why I'm posting... I want to fix it right. It looks to me like there are multiple layers of paint from the previous owner. Do you recommend I start by sanding it down through those layers? Are there any good resources you could point me to for more info on restoration?

 

[sbw1]

Yep. That's why I'm posting... I want to fix it right. It looks to me like there are multiple layers of paint from the previous owner. Do you recommend I start by sanding it down through those layers? Are there any good resources you could point me to for more info on restoration?

This not rocket science but bottom work is hard and dirty which is why most of us pay to have someone else do it. With blisters, they need to be routed out and dried to remove the moisture and bubble. Voids need to be filled with epoxy. Each of them needs to be completely dry. The damage where mat is showing needs to be filled with epoxy as well. Once the bottom is fully sanded and repaired a good paint system needs to be applied. I have owned new SRs of the vintage you are fixing. I found that the VC Tar and Offshore paint system worked very well on them for service in Lake Michigan. The VC paint is tricky to apply because it dries almost as soon as it hits the roller. Might be worth having a pro do that part of the job.