UPDATE 11 APRIL 2018 – The generous folks at East Coast Fibreglass Supplies have given all Rowperfect readers a discount of 5% off any online purchase during April 2018 – just use the coupon “rowperfect2018” when you check out.  Thanks guys!

I noticed that a number of our boats have gel coat damage on the hulls.  These nicks and bumps seem to happen just as part of wear and tear – hitting a log in the water, nudging the boat riggers on the rack above.

I watched the YouTube videos on gel coat repair.

And there are now little kits available off the shelf from £15-20.

I bought a pre-tinted white coat repair kit and I already have a dremel at home that has conical grinding tips for cleaning out debris and widening hair cracks ready for repair.

I thought I might have a bit of a crack (pardon the pun) at some repairs over Easter.

Why repair rowing boat hulls?

One of the things we learned from surf boat rowing about hulls and cavitation and drag was that the first 3rd of the hull contributes 2/3rds of the drag.  In other words – worry about the design and condition of the first 3rd and not so much about the rest.

(Note: There were other gems about little bubbles vs big bubbles vs no bubbles on the hull surface (little bubbles are best) – and it is an area that will contribute tiny bits of value which cumulate over the racing distance, especially 2000m to affect the result.

Anyway – geek speak aside – your thoughts and guidance would be appreciated.  Comments below please.