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West Wight Potter Website at URL
http://www.lesbois.com/wwpotter/
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> I bought a Potter last spring with the midnight blue hull, and since
> winter is here, I've pulled it out of the slip for a variety of
> maintenance chores. As this was my first season of sailing, I had a few
> dock and trailer "incidents" that have put a number of scratches in her
> beautiful blue hull. The scratches are relatively minor but quite
> visible. One is about 3 feet long, just below the accent strip (nice
> job, Curt!)
>
> My question is whether I can buff these scratches out with rubbing
> compound, or do I have to lay on some gelcoat and initiate the
> laborious finishing process. I would appreciate opinions and tips for
> both courses of action.
How deep are the scratches? do they go completely THROUGH the gelcoat into
the underlying laminate? If not, you can use clear, unpigmented gelcoat to
fix - the underlying color will show through. if they go into the laminate,
then you should plan on color matching. Note that IM might have exactly the
pigment you need - its worth a call to them. They're real good about that
sort of thing.
I wouldn't waste my time with 'scratch patch' type fixes - they are soft and
discolor easily. you definitely want to use a two-part mix. Sea-Fit and
others make some nice gelcoat repair kits that use a hardener and come out
real nice. I've fixed dozens of scratches on my boat this winter using this
product. Its also handy for filling in old screw holes, etc.
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