I got a 1976 H16 with - surprise! - no soft spots, but there is one little thing that i think needs repairing. some of the outer layer chipped off from hitting something i guess and now there's a small, maybe .5 square inches, area where the feam part is exposed. what substance should i use to cover this back up?

see the pic attached.

the substance is called gelcoat. Applying new gelcoat will not match the color of your decks very well (although you can buy pigment) due to the oxidation. I would purchase and cover that with Formula 27 (grey color). It is easy to sand smooth and a WHOLE lot cheaper than gelcoat. BTW, you can pigment the Formula 27 as well.

so wait what are the advantages of going with gelcoat rather than Formula 27?

is gelcoat stronger?

what should i use if i plan to maybe do a new paint job on the boat?

John, thanks for the tip!

Gelcoat is the original finish surface. From the photo, you have some serious oxidation of this surface. All I was suggesting is the easiest/cheapest way to cover the exposed fiberglass and prevent water from infiltrating. If you really want to restore this boat get some 240 grit sand paper and wet sand an area, follow with 400 or 500 grit wet sanding, then rubbing compound. If you dont end up sanding comepletely through the old gelcoat (to remove the oxidation damage) you MAY bring back the original lustre. If you're inclined, after this exercise, to do the whole boat you may consider the added expense and time of a gel coat repair.

Don't know, I'll refer this to others.

I owned a painted '82 Hobie. Every little scratch or ding seems to stand out more. <img src="http://www.catsailor.com/forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />