I hear ya on the character thing. My concern was if left alone would the fiberglass, being porous, get weak or soft at that spot or is that only an issue if it were deeper.
If you are not worried about the cosmetics you can brush clear fingernail polish on the scratch.
To fix it the correct way takes a little time. :
Instructions for fixing a chip/gouge :
You'll need to repair the area with new gelcoat to match...or Marine -Tex if you are not too worried about a gel match.
Marine -Tex can be used on solid colors. can be tinted with the Evercoat repair kit tints.
Follow the directions for the Marine - Tex.
Get the flaked/colored gel coat directly from the boat manufacturer to get the best match, they should be able to send you a small half pint container.
Directions for both are the same when prepping the cracks .
When using gelcoat You'll need some catalyst, MEKP, can be bought at auto body supply or most larger auto parts stores. This is nasty stuff, treat it like you would acid.
If on the top cap it is pretty easy fix. Follow directions on mixing the catalyst in the gel...if on the sides you'll probably have to build it up in layers. You can thicken the gel by adding talc powder to make it a paste type to get on hard to reach areas.
Clean the chip/crack area real well, lightly sand the edges to remove any loose particles, using a Dremel tool, bevel the edges sloping into the repair area. Make sure there are no ledges.
Tape off the area around the repair.
Stay close to the repair. Make sure there are no tape ends in the sanding area. The purpose of the tape is to avoid a mess and protect the area around the repair from the sand paper.
Mix about 1/4 to 1/2 inch of Gelcoat in a waxed paper cup with 5-7 drops of MEKP.
Stir completely, in addition to mixing in the MEKP, the gelcoat is dissolving the wax off the cup and this will seal the repair. ( gelcoat will not cure in air )
If you don't have a waxed paper cup and use a plain cup you will need a piece of waxed paper over the repair to seal it off and help the curing........
Just lay the wax paper directly over the wet gelcoat to keep air off it.
Build the gel a little over as it will shrink some, if you see any air bubbles pop them gently with a pin..........should be cure in 4 hours, but waiting overnight to sand is best.
If the surface is still sticky on top but the gelcoat is hard underneath, wipe off the tackiness with acetone so your wet sand paper does not gum up.
Acetone is also used for the cleanup ( fingernail polish remover )
Use a small sanding block and 600-800 WET sandpaper to get a smooth finish, keeping the paper wet, if sanding lines are still seen up the sandpaper to 1000-1200
If you see a shadow below the sand area you are about to go through the Gelcoat and into the glass and resin, stop sanding.
Once you get the chip sanded smooth you can compound and wax.
