Orange Peel??

I just bought a new boat a few months and took it in for the break in service and warranty punch list. I pointed out a couple of spots in the gel coat that were wavey, the owner of the dealer indicated that this was called orange peel and he would have to check with the manufacturer as to what they wanted to do about it.

My question is this a big deal, one spot is about 8x4 inches and the other is smaller. will this effect the gel coat 10 years from now?

Just looking for feedback, the boat company has a good reputation for customer service, thats why I'm leaving the name out of it until I get some unbiased information on orange peel.

Thanks for the info.

Good way to handle initial post!

Sorry no specific advice on orange peel, other than be persistent and get it taken care of promptly. It's a new boat, and you should be taken care of by the dealer and mfr. I have a small spot in my gel that I did not addressed when my boat was new. Regret it now, if I ever fix it will be at my expense

Steve, what's up? how come you get all the good luck on boats? hope you get it fixed.

Orange peel is not generally a term associated with gel coat...gel is sprayed into a perfectly smooth mold surface first, so the outside surface should be free of high or low spotting, or "orange peel" as the paint guys call it. What you may have is "print through", where the layer of glass mat that went down on the gel is actually distorting the gel. If this is what you are seeing, most reputable builders should cover a fix, as it is a error in the lamination process that caused the issue.

Print through is typically more common on builders that do NOT use a layer of chopped glass put down immediately over the gel coat. For all the negative press "chopper guns" get from boat salesmen, that particular use (as a skin coat behind the gel) is pretty good. Malibu and Correct Craft use this technique with good results. It has little bearing on the strength of the layup, as it is followed up by the rest of the lamination process, where the hull gets it's strength.

Print through is typically easier to spot on large, flat surfaces...and on dark colors.

Wow, for a "meathead" that was great info.

I've never heard of orange peel on a fiberglass surface either. More of a paint thing, like on a car/truck. I wondered if this was a blistering issue. Blistering is known to happen on some fiberglass hulls when owners leave the boat in the water for extended periods of time. I guess gelcoat is slightly porous, and water can get behind it & cause the problem.

I'm almost positive he is seeing print through. I know what kind of boat he drives, and they are one of the builders on the "No chopper gun" side of the fence. Had a similar issue on my own boat of the same brand.

As he said....customer service is job 1 for these guys..they'll make it right.

My dealer explained it as a defect in the set-up process when the boat was being sprayed. I didn't notice it when I took delivery because it is white and difficult to see unless your looking at it from an angle.

Hopefully the company will step-up to the plate and fix it. I just want to know more about it and if it is a big deal or not.

The dealer is correct...either the initial resin application was too hot or the gel wasn't quite hard enough to prevent the print through.

It is purely cosmetic and has no bearing on the integrity of your hull. If the area affected had been black or a dark color, it would have stood out like a sore thumb and the factory probably would have caught it before shipping the boat.It can be real tough to see in white gel.

Meathead,
Great post by the way. However, the boat manufacturer we're not saying the name of (but it rhymes with "anger") does use chopper guns, but only on seat and dashboard pieces (among other non-structural items).

I wanted to leave the manufacture out of this thread because I didn't want to bash. I want them to have time to evaluate the boat and decide a proper/right course of action.

So please no bashing.

No bashing intended nor needed...I only said what I said because there are more than a few under-educated and over-opinionated boat salesmen that use "chopper gun" in their canned pitch to down the competition. As we discussed, there is no detrimental effect to the proper use of chopped strand in building a high end boat. As noted above, almost all builders use some chop in at least some areas of construction..the dash/seat base example is a very good one. Some builders use some chop as a skin coat to back the gel, some don't. Unfortunately, some of those brands that skip the chop love to advertise the "100% hand laid" hull layup.

I wouldn't want to buy a boat layed up completely with chopped strand, it's just not the hi tech way things are done now. That being said, there are literally hundreds of thousands of old school jet boats and run abouts out there that were built with a gun that are still doing just fine.

I also feel that as a past owner, and having sold and serviced them for 15 years, that the "company that rhymes with anger" produces perhaps some of the finest hulls on the water. Their lamination and construction techniques have been proven over 50 years and on boats with 3000 plus HP bolted between the stringers. I'd put that experience up against multi-million dollar marketing campaigns any day.

Thanks meathead for the clarification on the remark and all the technical information you have provided today.

Just FYI....I have no current affiliation with any fiberglass boat brand...my opinions are based on many years in the industry working with most of the major brands in some form of either sales or service management...I've seen the good and the bad that they have to offer.

I hope my posting didn't come across as bashing. I have never seen an "anger" in person but I know several people who own them. I also researched them recently and I can honestly say I believe they are a top notch boat manufacturer. Also, if you follow the various threads on wakeworld, the "anger" owners aren't just satisfied with their boats, they are evangelists about "anger" boats. The company must be good!

Bump, anymore information would be helpful. I'm waiting for a response from the Boat builder and dealer.

Well, I thought we answered it pretty well.

No..it is not a big deal. It will not effect the gel surface, as it is an imperfection on the backside of the gelcoat surface.

To repair it, it will need to be sanded down a bit and have new gel applied over the top and blended in with the existing finish.

Boats are never perfect. Leave it alone and go enjoy it. My 06 "anger" has the same effect down the sides but it's black and you can see the imperfections easier in darker colors. I've had three, an 88 anger, no gel issues, an 94 anger, no gel issues, and now my 06. Hand layed is always best as the possibility of trapped air bubbles is far less likely, and consistency in thickness and application are easily monitored. Go enjoy the boat and do your best to keep it nice because it's inevitable that it will get scraped, scratched or dinged up eventualy.

Alright I'll leave it alone, I'm just a little an#l retentive and like everything perfect, plus I just laid out 52K for it and thought I was getting a perfect new boat....don't get me wrong I realize nothings perfect and I love my boat, but its still a baby and I want to see it in the best possible condition for as long as possible.

You can have them do some polishing in the areas of concern, but don't do any gel work. I am the same way with my stuff, but like I said boats and gel coat are not ever perfect, and trust me in the overall picture, feel confident your money has been well spent.