What all fiberglass supplies do I need?

[deerslayer303]

Hello Again,
What kind of fiberglass do I need to buy? And what kind of Epoxy etc. I'm doing the transom and a floor section, so far my stringers look good. I hear alot of talk about 1708 (who makes this??), fiberglass tape?? (what is this??). Please forgive me I am a complete NEWB when it comes to fiberglass, I just want to start buying some of this stuff. Please give me a list of what to buy, what to stay away from, what kind of brushes, measuring cups, etc. I really don't know what to get?? Thank you for all the help,

Shawn

 

[deerslayer303]

Re: What all fiberglass supplies do I need?

Oh yeah and what weight of fiberglass cloth, I really don't know much LOL, But I'm not paying 2,500 for someone to do what I can learn to do.

 

[Yacht Dr.]

Re: What all fiberglass supplies do I need?

Hello Deerslayer..

Err.. after your safty equip...all the resin, glass, beer, disks, epoxy, acetone, rags, tape, beer, wood, screws, cabosil, spreaders, gloves, beer, gelcoat, wax, misc tools you will need to buy, sand paper, etc.. you will will probably wish you paid out the 2500 bucks

However..If your the quick learner type..I would suggest you search out the forums as they have Extensive information about ALL that you ask. Looking up local fiberglass shops and ask them if you can buy in bulk or who they buy from would give you a chance of saving some cash. ( bulk resins and other Hazmat materials either can only be bought by a distributor or have extra fees on delivery.. )

search iboats..

YD.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: What all fiberglass supplies do I need?

Go to the top of the page and read the sticky, you'll get many of your questions answers there. Then do a search on "rotten floor", "rotten stringers", "rotten transom", you'll be reading for a long time. After those thing are done you'll have some other questions about your specific project.

Its not too hard, just time consuming.

 

[Robert D]

Re: What all fiberglass supplies do I need?

I use AeroMarine Products, Inc., 4128 Napier St., San Diego, CA 92110 for epoxy resin, non blushing. You can order from the web site at: http://www.jgreer.com/comprehensive_price_pages.html

You want the AeroMarine 300/21 epoxy kit. I usually order the 3 gallon kit at a time. With shipping, around $162 to Oregon. He sells some other related items as well, cabosil, pecan flour, etc.

The high points: This guy ships very fast. Never had a problem with the product. This is advertised as a non-blushing epoxy.....and it really is. It's a 2:1 mix ratio. (2 parts epoxy to 1 part hardener) Order the $132 3-gallon kit without the pumps, and just measure your stuff for accuracy. I used around 13 gallons on an 18 foot bow rider, doing the stringers, transom, complete new splashwell, deck and a lot of reinforcement.

I'm usually rather picky and quick to complain about something less than what I expect....and it's been a pleasure to do business with this guy that sells this epoxy. I'm quite impressed. Even the price is reasonable. (3 gallons of his epoxy with shipping = the same I would pay here for polyester resin!)

I get my fiberglass from http://www.fiberglasssite.com
They ship fast and it comes in rolls, packaged nicely. Ships quite fast as well.
Have fun!

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: What all fiberglass supplies do I need?

You'll be surprised about the amount of consumables you'll use like gloves, paint brushes, stir sticks, plastic spatulas, mixing pails and disposable paint tray liners, etc. If there's a Harbor Freight nearby, they're a good source for some materials but not allways the cheapest for everything.

Buying resin, mat, and cloth from a local boat shop is an excellent idea and they're a good resource for seeing work in progress and completed work to give you an idea of how things are supposed to look. If you're going to buy from a local boat shop, be aware that the shelf life of resin in your old mlk jug won't be as long as in a sealed can. It's nice to be able to run down and pick up a gallon or two of fresh resin and a few yards of mat - just be aware of the time limts if you don't use the chemicals in the first couple of weeks.

And of course, as everone else has mentioned - keep reading the threads here for information. Lots of expert as well as beginner (like mine) experiences here.

Jump in and good luck!

 

[Robert D]

Re: What all fiberglass supplies do I need?

PS: Go to harbor freight...maybe off their web site if you dont have one around. I bought a case of 100 of those cheap throw away brushes for about 10 bucks. Then go to a 'Dollar Tree' store if you have one. Buy a bunch of packages of those plastic cups, the quart size plastic storage things people use in the fridge for food. They work great for mixing epoxy, thickeners, etc. You'll walk out of there with all sorts of disposable cups, mixing items, etc very, very cheap. Oh ya, at Harbor Freight buy the $10 box of latex gloves. The purple box, get the extra large. They aren't that large. Grab 3 boxes, actually. Not too thin, they don't tear easy like surgical gloves.....very nice. Nows the time to buy their less-than-$20 4 inch grinder. The mask with canisters will be about $24. Go to Depot or Lowes and get their 5 inch orbital sander and sanding disks. A bunch of 60 grit, 80 grit, 120, 240, etc. You'll want a circular saw, sawzall, and jigsaw if you don't already have them. By the time you collect everything....and this is just the start of a long list...you'll be ready to do a boat every winter to keep you busy

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: What all fiberglass supplies do I need?

I'll second what RobertD said about AeroMarine (jgreer) in SanDiego. Fast shipping, fair prices, and fresh product.

 

[xmos]

Re: What all fiberglass supplies do I need?

John at http://www.jgreer.com has said that using #300 and #21 Epoxy is a good fix for rotted wood stringer. Basically add that mix to the wood and it should be much stronger then the original. provide a 1x4 sandwich support on the stringer if needed to add additional strength and incase the wood in fiberglass. I have a rotted middle stringer on a 84 Ebbtide 15 foot bass boat (75HP) and would like all opinions on taking the quick route to fixing as suppose to tearing out the original stringer and using wood. I'm a newbee to boating.