What kind of coating is this

[Brian Blake]

So my poor old wooden 17ft Pelin has had some nicks and dings over its life. The images attached show a couple of spots where it's been well abused and I want to fix them, and I'm new to this.

So;

1. What is the coating? Is it glass over ply? It doesn't seem heavy enough of thick enough to me
2. Is it a gel coat onto ply? (and is that just a very high build marine paint?
3. How likely am I to be able to repair these to an almost non-visible state?

Sorry for the noob questions, before I start on the repair I figure its smart to know what I'm repairing right?

Thanks
Brian

 

[missinginaction]

Hi Brian and Welcome,

It's always hard to tell from photos but it looks like paint to me. That big ding in the rightmost photo shows some evidence of peeling on the right side of the ding. My experience with gel coat is that it scratches or just chips. It's too hard to peel like that though. As far as a repair, it doesn't look like the damage is major. You'll need a good random orbital sander and some epoxy and fillers to fill any dents and then some primer and finish paint. I like the two part marine paints but they are expensive and maybe not worth it to you on an older boat. One part paint will always work and there are quite a few people who even use house paint. It depends on how fussy you are. I'd use a decent one part paint and roll it on, do a good job of prepping the topsides (follow the paint manufacturers instructions - to the letter). If you want the color to match perfectly, you'll need to paint the whole side but you can get away with a spot repair if you get the white shade close and do a decent job of blending. Again, it depends on the fussy factor. You might want to pick up some fenders, those look like dock scars to me.

 

[Brian Blake]

Thanks,

They are indeed dock scars from a day where the wind kicked up on an exposed ramp and turned the boat round hitting a stone seawall. Rookie mistake......

Thanks for the advice looks like paint to me too, I'm doing all the topsides and inner (trying to avoid the waterline) so I think I'll use some 2 part International marine paints I've been pointed towhich seem to ha e a fairly good reputation.
I'm not hung up on price and it's more of a passion project as its a family boat and I want the finished product to look good.

Thanks
Brian