well, i knew that sooner or later that i would leave my name on a rock in buzzards bay. lucky for me i just damaged the gel coat. left a scrape about 5" long and 1" wide approx 1/8" deep. my question is, what and how should i fix this. or should i seek professional help. i know if i bring it to someone i might as well bring some lube with me to help ease the pain............... any suggestions??????

How new is the boat?
Is it the first mark?

I have fixed a few big scratches in my boat.
Found it to be easy.
Most were below the water line.
If it is a high visibility place it is harder to match the color.
Older boat.........go for it.
New boat in show room cond....Pay and expert.

The west system is good..easy to use..good directions.

what exactly is the west system???:confused:

Everything you need for fiber glass repair.
The epoxy, fiber tape,etc.

All the marine centers sell it.
boaters world...west marine...etc.

Real Deal, the West System is the crowd favorite for most deeper repairs, widely used.

Go to http://www.westsystem.com and check out all the info they have on different repairs.... You should also check out this thread on Trayder's site: http://www.classicseacraft.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=000047

It depends on your bottom, and how much you want to make it original.If it's a painted bottom, you could use the west system as described above. It is basically a 2 part epoxy system, you mix it up, add a filler like microballons or cabosil to a putty consistency then spread it on with a bondo spreader, then sand it down and touch up paint.I have also used marine tex many times over the years in the same manner and for small repairs like that, the marine tex is convenient because you can buy small amounts and don't have to mess with fillers.Now if you're trying to do a gelcoat match, thats a little trickier. You need to either find the right color or mix the right color - but you can still do it, just depends on how picky you are.

thanks guys......
it was actually easier than i imagined. came out sweeeeeet...