fiberglassing the kneel

[rookieboater59]

hi folks
I have a older 16' glasspar and the kneel is in need of repair. The gel coat is gone so all i see is the old fiberglass & resin. I plan to sand back about 1" on each side of the kneel and then re-glass the whole area.
My questions are can I re-glass the kneel while the boat is on the trailer or should I take the boat off the trailer and flip it upside down to re-glass it?? I rather not do it that way since its a hassle to get it off the trailer and flip it. My other question is once I have re-glassed it do i have to prime & paint or can I put it right in the water? I only plan to keep the boat for a couple seasons,
Any tips or advice would be great

Thanks WC

 

[Plainsman]

Re: fiberglassing the kneel

WC, I am in the same situation as you are and I am going to do the repair on the trailer, then put some gel coat over the repair.

 

[sdunt]

Re: fiberglassing the kneel

I also have some keel work to do and eventhough my boat is small, I would not consider flipping it for what I consider a small repair, so I get to lay on my back under the trailer and do the repairs.

I planned to fill and then glass over the keel, but with epoxy. 1 for water proof-ness and 2 because the thick epoxy I can get is less likely to drip off of the repair.

I do plan to prime and paint once I am done because epoxy does not like UV rays.

Many have suggested using a keel guard instead of the patch job, but keel guards are not that cheap either.

 

[epresutti]

Re: fiberglassing the kneel

Rookieboater59,

You should consider grinding back 4 inches on each side (1 inch is not enough). You cannot glass over gelcoat, the fiberglass will not stick. So grind the gelcoat off 4 inches on each side (8" patch, careful not to go too deep, just get the gelcoat off). Depending, you may need to fill some holes, then re-glass (more than 1 layer, depending). Hard to say without a picture.

You can then re-gelcoat the repair or prime and paint. You should not leave bare glass exposed.

You should be able to glass on the trailer, just watch for sags.

If you use epoxy for the repair, you should not gelcoat, it will not bond well to the epoxy. You should prime and paint.

Peace.

Ed.

 

[studlymandingo]

Re: fiberglassing the kneel

As long as you can get to the area well, you will be fine, do as others have said and grind back further than 1". Fiberglass alone is porous and does need some paint.

 

[rookieboater59]

Re: fiberglassing the kneel

Thanks guys! for the great advice I hope to be back on the water by mid july.

WC

 

[KYHunter2]

Re: fiberglassing the kneel

The Keel guard/ shield stuff. Seems to be a good alternative.

I've checked it out on boats , and the owners seemed very pleased.

Might want to check it out.

KYHunter

 

[Plainsman]

Re: fiberglassing the kneel

After the repair is done correctly as I have learned!