I have at least 1 foil, and probably 2 more, that are in need of similar TLC. I made the mistake of applying gelcoat by hand to one of my Nacra Gen-3 rudder blades a few years back. It looks like sh$t, no more shininess etc. All in an attempt to make the foil better (dumb, this was a hand tuned blade by Phil's Foils, aka C-Class foil builder extraordinaire) .

My current plan is to at least sand down all the crappy gelcoat. From there I am looking for tips. One area of concern that is difficult to clean up is the tip of the blade, which is showing the fiberclass. Should I try and spray new gelcoat in this area? Any tips for blending it back into the original paint? Is gelcoat the actual material used here, or is it a 2 part polyurethane (Interlux Perfection). How about fairing the nicks in the TE back into the original board?

I have more experience with composites and paints this time around but still would like hot tips from the experts. I also have access to proper painting gear and expertise from my shop team that shoots 2-part epoxy based paints on a regular basis, but normally on freshly prepared metals. Should I sand all the way back to the base primer/glass and shoot fresh coats of paint?

Thanks for the help,
Sam