Gelcoat repairs involving strake grooves

[Bob L]

I'm looking at a boat similar to a Tayana 37. It has strake grooves (?) in the topsides to mimick wood planking. There are several areas of delaminations, scrapes, and gouges that will need shallow repairs and then gelcoat. How do I get the groove in the repair? Any tips are appreciated. Thanks,'Bob

[Tim]

A router with a v-groove bit might do the trick, if you can find a bit that matches the molded grooves.

Other options include handwork using a variety of files, or sharp cutting tools, or sandpaper wrapped over a wooden form that matches the contours.

I'm sure there are other ideas as well, but this is what came to mind so far.