Gelcoat protection
1 article in Blog
Crocpad’s Gelcoat protection articles — cleaning, drying, repairing and storing water gear so it survives more than one season.
Expect the specifics a manual skips: what to rinse and when, how to dry something that will not fit on a line, patching and seam repair that holds, and the storage conditions that decide whether next summer starts with working gear or a bin run.
What’s covered in Gelcoat protection
- Dog Boat Ramps: Safe Water Access for Your Dog — Make boating with your dog easy. Our guide to the best dog boat ramps shows you how to protect your back and boat while giving your furry mate safe access.
About looking after this gear
Almost nothing in this category dies of use. It dies of being put away wet, folded hard along the same crease for eight months, or left in full sun from November to March. UV breaks down the outer coating, heat softens adhesives, and trapped moisture grows mould in the one place you cannot scrub. The fix is boring and takes ten minutes: rinse off chlorine, salt or lake water, let it dry fully before it goes anywhere, and store it loosely rolled somewhere shaded and dry rather than compressed in a hot shed.
Gelcoat protection: common questions
How should I store this over winter?
Clean, completely dry, loosely rolled rather than hard-folded, out of direct sun and off a concrete floor. Hard creases and trapped damp cause more off-season failures than anything that happens during use.
Can I repair a puncture or seam myself?
Usually, yes. Clean and abrade the area, degrease it, use a patch matched to the material, and give the adhesive its full cure time before reinflating. Brittle, chalky fabric is the exception — that is age, not damage.
Browse the full Blog index, or shop accessories and spares.