Fixing cracked fiberglass - Need Help

[ElfPower]

Any suggestions on how to fix something like this? I posted a similar message over on Trailerboats.com and nobody has answered.<br />

<br />The close-up picture makes it look bigger than it actually is...I'd say that whole thing is no bigger than about 2 inches long and maybe an inch wide. I'm not looking for anything fancy. I was thinking maybe epoxy since that part of the boat doesn't really ever get submerged. <br />Also, any idea how to get those blue "smudges" of paint off? I'm not exactly sure what caused it, I just bought the boat used. I think the guy said it was from a dock. <br />Anyway...what would be the easiest way to fix this sort of thing?

 

[RICKRICK1]

Re: Fixing cracked fiberglass - Need Help

NOT SURE ON THE REPAIR, BUT TO GET THE BLUE SMUDGES OFF TRY DENATURED ALCOHOL. Caution when using denatured alcohol test a spot first as it may take off the the primary color and have fresh air ventalation as it is EXTREMELY flammable.

 

[Solittle]

Re: Fixing cracked fiberglass - Need Help

Eric, I'll offer a couple of suggestions. If the denatured alcholol does not work to your satisfaction try acitone. It too is highly flamible.<br /><br />On the repair it is a bit hard to guess from the photo - which was excellent - because we can't tell the depth. I would first grind off the loose chipped stuff. Then I might start with a layer of Marine Tex - it is great stuff and hardens like steel. If the gouge is really shallow you might skip the marine tex. When it dries I would grind off any high spots. I would then cover with strips of fiberglass cloth and epoxy. Saturate the cloth and try to build up enough thickness so that when it hardens you can rough grind it down close to the level of the original finish. Then sand smooth. I would then mask with paper and sprey with a cheap primer. This is to show you where you need to do additional sanding to get really smooth. Then use a quality marine paint to finish. I haven't a clue on how you might go about matching color though.

 

[crab bait]

Re: Fixing cracked fiberglass - Need Help

yeah,, i take some thin deck cloth & soak it with thin epoxy .. lay the cloth down on a board .. mix up some 'poxy.. paint on 'poxy with a throw-away brush.. then lay <br />'wet' cloth on the area.. over lap it good.. take a squeege or anythin' for-that-matter,, & lay flat the cloth..( easy to do).. next day,,, mix up some marine-tex epoxy putty.. smear the whole area & more with the stuff to 'hide-the-weave' & to feather edge the cloth.. next day,, sand putty almost off & feather edge sand to the normal hull.. <br /><br />wash down with 50/50 ammonia & water to remove any ' ammine blush' ( wax ).. & paint .. no primer needed or wanted.. <br /><br />everythin' alvailable at your local marine center.. and clean up slopped epoxy on hull & everythin' else with plain ole' vinegar.. before it ' kicks-off'...

 

[Basenjib123]

Re: Fixing cracked fiberglass - Need Help

Hi Eric,<br />The picture seems to be a little deceiving. The are to be patched is 2" X 1"? Is it the gel-coat that is only damaged? Can you see the fiberglass exposed underneath? Are you able to see the other side of the damaged area?<br /><br />First things first, to remove the blue paint, I would suggest acetone (finger nail polish remover). This is a great product for removing many things off the gel-coat. It evaporates quickly.<br /><br />There are 2 ways to approach this problem, polyester resin or epoxy resin. Since the repair is above the water line, you can probably get away with polyester resin (autobody filler). It will breakdown over time and is not as strong as epoxy resin. It is easier to work with and more forgiving. If it is only the gel-coat that needs repair, polyester resin is probably the best choice. If the fiberglass is compromised, then I would suggest using the epoxy resin. <br /><br />I am more familiar with epoxy resin. I am going to assume that the damage is worse case senerio. Most important is to remove the damaged loose debris so that your bonding surface is clean. This may require sanding down of the area with a power sander or dremel. How deep is the damage? You may need to use fiberglass cloth to build up the area. Assuming this is the case, you will need to make the 'patch' area larger than it is. The West System suggests you use a 12:1 ratio for bonding in stress areas. This is a stress area and I would make the patch area 3" X 6" and bevel the edge like a shallow bowl with the 12:1 ratio. There are several types of fiberglass cloth. I almost always use biaxel cloth. You will cut the first patch the size of the hole. The other patches will decrease in size slightly until the hole is filled. The West System puts out a great hands on booklet for fiberglass repair with pictures. It is $3.00 through West Marine. <br /><br />It seems more complicated than it is. My wife and I ripped off our transom and rebuilt it with no experience. Rather than go into the details here, please e-mail me with any questions you might have and I will walk you through the process. I hope this helps.<br />Joe (BasenjiB123@yahoo.com)

 

[ElfPower]

Re: Fixing cracked fiberglass - Need Help

Yeah, I don't know why, but for some reason, the picture makes the thing look huge. When my wife saw the picture she said "Who's boat is that??" I told her it was ours and she didn't believe me. I had to go out and show her. I think the whole thing, from the steel part of the bow down to just above that blue smudge is probably maybe even only an inch and a half long. <br />It is broken through the gel coat though and fiberglass is exposed. I'd say the thing is maybe 2-3 millimeters deep. It's not deep. And it's not very big. I was trying to avoid going through a big production to cover it up. I thought maybe some stuff that I used (now don't laugh...I'm new to boating and this is my first boat) to plug a whole in my bathtub. I thought it was epoxy, but it was so long ago, I can't remember. That seems like it would be plenty. I guess I just wanted someone to tell me whether that would be completely stupid or not. All I wanna do is keep water from gettin in there.

 

[snapperbait]

Re: Fixing cracked fiberglass - Need Help

I would use some thickened gelcoat to repair that.. Basicly it looks and sounds like a cosmetic problem.. First remove any loose bits and sand around the edges a little with some 320 grit paper... Then clean the area with acetone to remove any oil or wax... Evercoat makes a polyester gel paste that should work just fine and you can use there coloring agent to match the color of the hull.. For that particular repair you should use a couple of layers of the paste letting each layer harden before the next layer.. On the final layer you will need to apply a PVA curing agent(mold release)by spraying it over the wet gel coat to aid in curing and to make it easy to sand..Once thats done sand it down(wet sanding is best) with the ligthst paper you can(320 max grit) then 500 and 1000 grit.. Once you have it flat and smooth use some medium duty rubbing compound to make it shine like new.... Remember NEVER use gelcoat over any epoxy because it will not stick...