Short answer: Harbor Marine repairs gel coat and fiberglass for Alpharetta boat owners at our Buford shop: chips, cracks, ramp scrapes, dock rash and strike damage. Call or text (770) 967-8495.
Where the damage comes from
Alpharetta boats pick up damage in a few predictable places. Trailer boats get scraped at busy ramps and worn by bunks and rollers. Boats in slips get dock rash from pilings, fenders that ride up and neighbors' boats. And anything on Lake Lanier can find a stump, a rock or a sandbar when the water is down.
Gel coat is the thin, colored outer layer of the hull. When it is chipped through, water can soak into the fiberglass below, so it pays to fix damage before it grows.
What we repair
- Chips and gouges in the gel coat.
- Spider cracks and stress cracks.
- Scrapes along the hull side and keel.
- Dock rash on the bow and rub rail area.
- Fiberglass damage from a hard hit.
- Older repairs that no longer match.
How the repair works
We clean the area and grind out the damage to solid material. Where the fiberglass is hurt, we rebuild it in layers. Then we fill, shape and sand the area to match the curve of the hull, and finish with gel coat matched to the boat's color. Each layer needs time to cure, which is why this work is done in the shop and not at the dock.
Color matching
Gel coat fades and shifts color in the sun, so a boat that left the factory white may now be a slightly different shade. We tint the gel coat to match the hull as it is today. On older or heavily faded boats, a detail and polish afterward helps the repair blend into the surrounding area.
Cracks that keep coming back
Stress cracks often appear around cleats, rails and corners where the hull flexes. If they are only filled over, they can come back. We look for what is causing the flex, such as a loose fitting or a weak spot in the laminate, and fix that as part of the repair.
Getting the boat to the shop
Gel coat and fiberglass work is done at our shop at 6516 Lanier Islands Parkway in Buford. Trailer boats can be towed in. Boats in a Lanier slip need to be hauled out first. If you would rather not make the trip, ask about boat transport in Alpharetta.
Send photos first
Before you bring the boat in, send a few clear photos of the damage: one close up, one from a few feet away and one showing where it is on the boat. It helps to wash the area first. We will tell you what the repair is likely to involve.
What affects a gel coat job
Pricing is set when you call for a quote. These are the things that change the size of the job:
- Size and depth of the damage.
- Whether the fiberglass underneath is damaged.
- How hard the color is to match.
- Where on the hull the damage is.
Protecting the repair
New gel coat needs time to fully harden. Wait a few weeks before waxing the area, and avoid harsh cleaners and stiff brushes on it at first. Then treat it like the rest of the hull: rinse after trips and keep it covered when you can. If the damage came from the same dock piling or lift bunk that hit it before, fix that cause so the repair lasts.
Related and nearby
If the damage came from a strike, check the drive too with sterndrive repair in Alpharetta. After the repair, a detail in Alpharetta helps the whole hull look even.
Up GA 400, we also cover gel coat repair in Cumming, and to the east, in Suwanee. For boats kept in the water, see gel coat repair on Lake Lanier, and if you are near our shop, see Buford. Our Alpharetta boat repair page lists everything we do for owners in town, and the main service page covers the details. You can always reach us here.