SeaDoo 3D Manual page 359

BUFFING AND WAXING
Buff the surface using a heavy duty polisher with
a buffing pad. Make sure the pad is free of dirt
or you may damage the gelcoat. Carefully begin
buffing with a white medium compound. Finish
off using a fine compound. While buffing, pay
close attention to avoid overheating the surface.
Blisters
Possible causes:
– Insert catalyst.
– Improper catalyst/gelcoat ratio.
A blister is a visible bump on the watercraft sur-
face that may not necessarily come right through
the gelcoat layer. In the case of only a few blis-
ters, follow the same repair procedure as for air
bubbles. If they are numerous and in close con-
centration, spray liquid gelcoat to achieve proper
repair. This procedure is covered in MINOR GEL-
COAT FRACTURES.
Minor Gelcoat Fractures
Possible causes:
– Flexing of fiberglass laminate.
– Gelcoat thickness.
– Direct result of impact.
In case of fractures which have not penetrated
past the gelcoat layer, the repair concerns the gel-
coat only. If flex cracking or impact are evident,
then additional reinforcement may be necessary.
This subject will be covered in COMPOUND
FRACTURES.
PREPARING THE SURFACES
Small Fractures
Open the cracks up with a sharp triangular can
opener or preferably a carbide tipped die grinder.
The V groove will provide a good bonding area
for the gelcoat. With 220-grit sandpaper, sand the
sides of the notched out areas.
Numerous Fractures
Using a grinder with a 24-grit disk, remove the gel-
coat. Sand the area edge with 220-grit sandpaper.
FILLING THE REPAIR AREA
Small Fractures
Refer to the same procedure as in the AIR BUB-
BLES.
smr2005-069
Numerous Fractures Over Large Surface:
Prepare the area for spray application of liquid gel-
coat. Wipe down the surface with acetone. Mask
the area off to protect the watercraft from over-
spray.
Mix the needed quantity of gelcoat and catalyst ac-
cording to suppliers recommendations. The gel-
coat can be thinned with acetone up to 10%. If it
needs more consistency you can add cabosil.
Make sure that the air supply is free of oil, dirt and
water.
Test spray the gelcoat mixture on paper to verify
its consistency and pattern. You may have to ap-
ply 5 or 6 coats to cover the area properly. Over-
lap each coat further than the last, leaving at least
30 seconds between passes. Avoid trying to coat
the surface with only a few heavy coats, this will
not allow the gelcoat to dry properly.
Apply a coat of polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) to seal off
the air and protect the gelcoat surface from dust.
PVA speeds up the curing process because gel-
coat will not cure properly when exposed to air.
SANDING
Wash the polyvinyl alcohol off with water. De-
pending on the size of the area repaired, you can
either block sand as per previous procedure or you
may use an air sander. Sand the surface down
with progressively finer grits of sandpaper until the
desired finish is achieved.
BUFFING AND WAXING
Buff the surface using a heavy duty polisher with
a buffing pad. Make sure the pad is free of dirt
or you may damage the gelcoat. Carefully begin
buffing with a white medium compound. Finish
off using a fine compound. While buffing, pay
close attention to avoid overheating the surface.
Compound Fractures
Possible causes:
– Thickness of fiberglass laminate.
– Direct result of impact.
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Section 11 HULL/BODY
Subsection 02 (3D SERIES)
349