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⛵️ The future of this YouTube channel and our massive gelcoat issue 😬 Ep 662
January 11, 2026 · 26 min · 91K views · North Carolina
What this video covers
Widespread gelcoat crazing across nearly the entire hull and deck of Spiffy, a hurricane-damaged 44-foot catamaran, is shaping up to be the most labor-intensive phase of the refit.▶ 0:12 Mads examines a removed hatch under a Festool sander to assess the damage: the crazing — dense networks of fine surface cracks — covers every sun-exposed surface on both hulls and the deck, sparing only the underside of the bridgedeck.▶ 2:38 Sanding reveals the underlying laminate looks healthy, ruling out dry-glass delamination, but the gelcoat damage is too extensive to buff out or spot-repair.▶ 12:13 In a video call, Andy from Boatworks Today walks through two remediation paths: sand all gelcoat off and hope the crazing doesn't return, or go "nuclear" — lay a full layer of fiberglass cloth over the entire surface to stabilize it before fairing and painting.▶ 12:56 Both agree the nuclear option is the more reliable one-and-done fix.▶ 15:07 They debate epoxy versus polyester resin for wetting out the cloth, and plan a side-by-side test of both.▶ 17:58 Separately, Mads outlines the channel's near-term direction: searching for a North Carolina property to shelter the boat and run DIY training courses, while tackling smaller jobs — including replacing the water tanks — that don't require gutting the interior before the boat can be moved.▶ 22:41
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