On our recent trip we apparently caught a rock that left a half inch chunk out of our driver's side rear section on our 22 E19. I just received an estimate from an auto shop that says it does fiberglass work for $950 and includes 3.5 hours for painting among other things. This doesn't sound right to me, so I emailed ETI for feedback.
I thought I'd ask here for those who may have gotten this type of repair.
I'm going to ask a boat shop next.
Pictures of the damage and estimate are attached.
Finally, excuse the dirt.. just returned from a long trip and haven't yet washed it!
I paid a mobile fiberglass repair guy $900 to fix this - he mixed his own gelcoat color and I can’t find the difference. Painting is a bandaid fix, I opted for gelcoat repair. He took two days to complete it, as it needed curing time. It’s a fair amount of labor. Not cheap!!
I paid a mobile fiberglass repair guy $900 to fix this - he mixed his own gelcoat color and I can’t find the difference. Painting is a bandaid fix, I opted for gelcoat repair. He took two days to complete it, as it needed curing time. It’s a fair amount of labor. Not cheap!!
Thanks! This provides some useful information. I've located a fiberglass guy who can do the work; likely about $500 to $600 as it is much smaller than your damage.
Too bad you weren't at the Escape Rally, I'd have fixed it for you as a demo.
Painting ? hard lines?
This is a dead simple repair and when done will be invisible.
I've posted it several times before but basically I do what a call a cello finishing repair. It involves cleaning up the edges of the divot, putting a piece of poly hinged at the bottom, and a few drops of gelcoat into the divot. Then sliding you finger up the poly and taping the edges. Get the right amount of gelcoat in the divot and it's possible that you're one and done.
Worst case, didn't get enough gelcoat in and have to add a bit more or you have to use wet and dry sandpaper to make the surface dead level with the surrounding surface. Then buff and polish and it's invisible.
Unfortunately while I do have a good supply of ETI gelcoat it's not feasible to send you some. Go to a boat shop and ask if they can provide a tiny amount of suitable gelcoat.
Here's 3 demo pieces using a color contrast to show the 3 different results of too much, too little and almost perfect.
Thanks, Ron. I heard about your work at the Rally and I appeciate your reply.
I've emailed ETI to see if they'll send me a sample in the right color. I've found a local fiberglass repair shop that will do the work at a reasonable price. I'd rather pay for this job as I'm not that confident in my abilities, especially the polishing and finishing part.
If I'd have been a Ossoyos, I would have loved to learn from your demo though!
Thanks, Ron. I heard about your work at the Rally and I appeciate your reply.
I've emailed ETI to see if they'll send me a sample in the right color. I've found a local fiberglass repair shop that will do the work at a reasonable price. I'd rather pay for this job as I'm not that confident in my abilities, especially the polishing and finishing part.
If I'd have been a Ossoyos, I would have loved to learn from your demo though!
PS - The fibreglass guy also said this is a dead simple job.
Thanks, Ron. I heard about your work at the Rally and I appeciate your reply.
I've emailed ETI to see if they'll send me a sample in the right color. I've found a local fiberglass repair shop that will do the work at a reasonable price. I'd rather pay for this job as I'm not that confident in my abilities, especially the polishing and finishing part.
If I'd have been a Ossoyos, I would have loved to learn from your demo though!
PS - The fibreglass guy also said this is a dead simple job.
Tom
It is a dead simple repair so a quote of $5-600 still blows me away.
One thing about matching gelcoat. White, or slightly off white, is very forgiving. Get the surface smooth and polished and even a slight bit of color mismatch is still invisible. You'd really have to look for it.
It is a dead simple repair so a quote of $5-600 still blows me away.
One thing about matching gelcoat. White, or slightly off white, is very forgiving. Get the surface smooth and polished and even a slight bit of color mismatch is still invisible. You'd really have to look for it.
Ron
Will you be doing a demo at the rally next year?
I thought I recalled that you were going to do a demo at the rally this past year and it was going to be recorded. If so, was the recording posted?
Will you be doing a demo at the rally next year?
I thought I recalled that you were going to do a demo at the rally this past year and it was going to be recorded. If so, was the recording posted?
Quote:
Originally Posted by brroberts
I too have wondered about the recording if it’s available.
Well I have my site booked and about a quart of ETI gelcoat so chance's are pretty good anyone needing a chip repaired will get it.
For this past rally my intention was to put on a workshop for a few folks that had expressed an interest or need to see or do a chip repair. But then when I asked ETI to put it on the agenda of activities it turned into a demo in the clubhouse which didn't lend itself to actual repairs. My demo was captured by a camera but it turns out that was only so it'd be more visible to the audience, it wasn't recorded or edited for later viewing.
So for 2024 I'll go with my original intended format and one I used at Q'site. Ahead of time anyone with a chip that needs repairing can let me know and I'm willing to do a few demos and repairs right at the person't trailer.
It's one of those things though. To explain the process etc. takes far longer than it does to do the actual repair. Without any yada-yada it takes me less than 5 minutes to have gelcoat in place and about the same amount of time after the gelcoat has cured to wet sand and polish.
That would be great to observe the technique. We fortunately do not have a repair needed yet, but will undoubtedly will need to be able to repair the trailer in the future.
Ron: My fiberglass boat has some scratches/minor gouges in the white gel coat. Not very deep. I assume your method would work equally well on this. My biggest concern is trying to match it. The original manufacturer of the boat is no longer in business so no help there. Any pointers would be appreciated. Thanks.
Trailer: 2016 Escape 19 Chevy 2012 Express 3500 Van
Posts: 1,760
For what it's worth
I've used a white, 2 part epoxy, called Marine Tex, for cosmetic repairs on an old Casita I once had. It worked well, filling roof holes where once an awning was attached, and also in other spots. It blended in well. As Ron noted, it's tough to see any color difference with these whitish gel coats or repair products. Marine Tex is widely available, but if you can get gel coat directly from ETI, that's the best.
Washing my rig prior to winter storage, I found a gel coat, spider crack on the passenger side, upper roof corner. YAWN! They come with the territory. Unless one is 8.4 feet tall, 'ya ain't gonna see it. Cosmetic issue only, and I've got better things to fret about than that.
Cello finishing works on any gelcoat damage. It also can still work when the scrape etc. is slightly deeper into the underlying f.g. matrix. The limit is when the underlying structure is fractured or open. At that point a repair to the underlying structure is required before gelcoat can be applied. Gelcoat doesn't have any fibre reinforcing and doesn't have the strength required for a structural repair.
White is fairly forgiving. I've seen repairs done with the West System epoxy white that blended in quite well. Not that I'd ever recommend using it for gelcoat repairs despite all the YouTube folks seeming to love it.
The best bet is going to a boat shop that does f.g. repairs or a f.g. supply store if you have one near and asking for their closest match. It'd likely be so close as to be invisible.
Another vote for a DIY repair. I repaired gel coat damage to my Casita caused by the spare tire cover rubbing against the body of the trailer. While no one would ever accuse me of being a craftsman I found the repair to be pretty straightforward using Ron’s techniques. It can be time consuming depending on the depth of the repair as the gel coat is pretty thin requiring several coats.The quote from a professional convinced my to give it a try. I was satisfied with the result. Also many videos on YouTube.
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