14719 gets a makeover

The new owner of this Winder-built Fireball dinghy wants to have the "pox" repaired.  It has suffered for some time from de-laminated gelcoat, exposing the underlying epoxy/kevlar structure.
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - 1

Previous owners have attempted some repairs, using gelcoat and spray paint.
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - 2

Considerable flaking on the foredeck.
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - 3

A closer look...
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - 4

After an hour scraping and sanding (Bosch random orbital with 80 grit paper), the flaking is eliminated, the edges bevelled to provide a good surface for new gelcoat.
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - 5

Starboard side...
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - 6

Port side...
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - 7

Tools used:  Bosch random orbital sander, Dremel tool with drum sander, Stanley window glass scraper and a scalpel.
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - tools used

The foredeck was carefully scrubbed with acetone to clean away all sanding dust and any grease or dirt.
I mixed a quantity of gelcoat with Scott Bader Silver Grey pigment (as used by the builder) and 2% by weight Solution MW (paraffin wax in styrene) to enable the gelcoat to cure in the presence of air.  Because it is a warm day, I decanted a smaller quantity of the mix into a plastic ice cream jar before adding catalyst.  Applied that with a good paint brush and then catalysed some more and brushed some more.  It is a warm day and the gel will go off like a rocket.
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - new gelcoat

Some small flat areas of gelcoat are covered with mylar printer film and smoothed with an old credit card, saving sanding later.
Thus far, two hours of sanding and preparation, half an hour to mix and paint on the gelcoat.

It will be well cured by tomorrow morning, then wet sand and polish.
Repair to deck of Fireball Dinghy 14719 - new gelcoat 2
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