Gel coat will do nil.really need to get 2 pack resin/hardner with some micro balloons..Easy to mix and sand.First will be to sand/ grind until you get clean looking glass.Over fill then sand .Mixing gel coat colour can be tricky. Depending on your location.there is a fibreglass supply shop in panmure AK who have the gear and advice.did this exercise last yr

Just using gelcoat won't work for long - it will fall out pretty quickly due to adhesion issues on the mat. Its not a mission to do this properly though-they aren't big dings. Anything along the keel line or the strakes needs doing sooner rather than later as hull flex through pending plus trailer launching just makes things worse.

If the damage at the bottom of transom / keel is wet and staying wet then it’s possible you unfortunately have a bigger problem. The transom- which in a boat of this age is probably wood ( either ply or balsa) cored might have absorbed water over time and begun to rot under the glass. You can check this by trying to wobble the transom. Just grab it to one side or other of outboard and see if it flex’s/ bends when you pull and push hard. If it does the core is probably gone. Fixing that properly is a major mission but it can be fixed in short term at the area of damage. Basically dry it out as long as you can- keep the boat out of the water obviously and use a dryer / heat gun on area of damage. When it’s dry follow the sanding/ getting back to sound gelcoat steps and continue. If you find that as you cut back/ sand everything is still wet you will def have an osmosis/ rot problem. That is really difficult to fix without major work . If you don’t mind fugly you can go full workboat and use fresh mat round the damage onto sanded gelcoat surround. Soak it in resin mix and leave it to cure a week or so. It can be rough sanded to get the the worse bumps out but as it’s essentially a sticking plaster it’ll never look pretty and prob not worth getting too hung up about but it will stop things getting worse for a season or so. But fundamentally the boat needs proper attention. Cutting out and recoring a transom is possible- plenty get done- but it’s a major job and unless you are confident in your glassing/cutting/ templating one best left to professionals should it be necessary.


For the other dings above waterline don’t worry about epoxy /vinylester issue. Filler and fairing is not going to cause any iproblem on this scale. And sanding down any exposed fibre- as long as it’s dry- will be enough to provide a key for epifill. And yes if the epifill repair stays sound and is allowed to dry it can be glassed / painted at a later date. . None of the dings in your pics look worth reaching for a grinder on imo. That’s just making work on a boat of this vintage and runs the risk of doing more harm than good.

Sorry to sound a bit negative but transom issues are very common on older glass boats- it’s always there and the deck that rot starts. Older resins often don’t bond with wood cores very well and over time things like through hull mounting of accessories, engine changes and stern fittings allow water ingress. You shouldn’t worry too much about cosmetics but do check the transom. If you have a lot of flex there it can lead to failure- if not bad I would prob bodge the repairs and go fishing.i have done exactly that on one boat that’s proved fine if not showroom.

Good luck with it. The final advice I would offer is to make a decision before u begin on the standard of finish you are going to get to now. If the priority is getting out there then water tightness/ not getting worse is all u need at the mo and permanent and pretty can be done next winter. If you want to go one and done to best effort now then be brutal on the preparation- but be prepared to find more work req than you thought at first. The latter nearly always happens on older boats if you go hard at itt that can be a bit disheartening if you are keen as just to go fishing. But fundamentally nothing is that difficult - just time and as usual money. There’s immense satisfaction in learning how to do glass as you go along and bringing these old girls back to work. Cheers

I used Altex single pack roller and tip and holding up well 2 coats,even this cool weather holds a gloss and dries quickly,well paint at 10.00am and its good by 4.00pm for the cooler temps. only primed/under coated where I used filler, washed with sugar soap,good sand to break through gel coat and a good dewax..After 12 months still holding well.

I would sand whole edge back and reglass it,does it go right through in to hull?