carbon repairs

Hi!

I have just switched to a boat with carbon daggerboards and I would like to ask if someone could comment on how to do little repairs (dents on the trailing edge from contact with dagger slot) with carbon boards. On my Tiger I just used gelcoat w/ sanding, is this the way to go for carbon too? Maybe black gelcoat? Or should I use some special epoxy resin?

Fill the chips with epoxy resin thickened with coloidal silica/cabosil
Sand it down
Colour it in with a black permenant marker pen
Overspray with lacquer
1200/1500 wet and dry
polish

Use epoxy with some west system graphite for color, a little mil fiber for strength and thicken with cabosil ( It's called fumed silica now ) . If you can't get the graphite then what VMG said. I wouldn't use the black gel coat. No point in mixing polyester with the epoxy.

I'd gelcoat the whole thing white.

I like the exposed carbon on the edges on my last couple of Vipers, but you can never make it look 100% like you can if its just white.

Thanx a lot, looks like epoxy is the way to go. I have found this product, which is black and seems to be thickened, do you think it is apt?

http://www.carbonmods.co.uk/products/epoxy-resin-repair-filler-sealer.aspx

You don't need a specialized product. Some regular epoxy (West System), cabosil filler, black dye (www.uscomposites.com). Mix in the filler to get a thick, almost peanut butter-esque, consistency, stir in a few drops of dye, use some tape as a guide on one side of the board, apply goo to the board. Let it cure, sand to a finish.

I agree with Jake thickened West System and dye or pigment. Be careful when sanding to not cut into your "good" Carbon Fiber laminate around your repair and weaken the area.