Step by Step Fiberglass Boat Repair Guide
See how to patch a small hole in your boat’s hull using West System epoxy kit. (Video Rating: 3 / 5)
Fiberglass Boat Repair Step by Step Guide
Step 1.
Examine the pattern and location of cracks in your boat’s hull to determine their cause. If the pattern or location indicates flexing, examine the interior side of the panel to determine the best location for additional reinforcing. If the cracks are a result of impact, examine the interior side of the panel to determine whether damage extends through the entire laminate.
Step 2.
Remove any surface contaminants such as wax, oil or mold release. Wipe an area at least twice as large as the damaged area with a wax and silicone remover (Dupont Prep-Sol® #3919S), acetone or other appropriate solvent. Dry the area with clean paper towels before the solvent evaporate.
Step 3.
- Shallow cracks or scrapes that affect only the gelcoat layer may be repaired with the gelcoat repair techniqe. If necessary, reinforce the laminate to reduce flexing as described in Section 2.3. Some small cracks or chips can be filled with a gelcoat touch-up kit.
- Minor cracks or scrapes that run through the gelcoat into the first chopped strand mat layers of the laminate should be repaired with epoxy using the procedures described below. Finish with the gelcoat repair technique. If necessary, reinforce the laminate to reduce flexing.
- Deep cracks extending into woven fabric of the laminate require a structural repair before beginning the cosmetic gelcoat repair. If the crack extends into or through the woven fabric of the skin, follow the procedures. If a core has delaminated or is damaged from moisture penetration or impact, follow the appropriate procedure.
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Good video. Thumbs up.
great to see that peoplestill have the will do repair old things! By the way, I used aluminium tape on backing up the polyester resin, and left it inside the fix, since I didnt have the luxury of getting to the other side, because of the air tank
@beatnic50 I found your taste in boats rather endearing. Kudos for your gentle response to vivitar45′s criticism. I’m currently refinishing the deck of my Allied Seawind II sailboat, and your video was one of those that I referenced for filler work that I had to do on some voids in the deck fiberglass that caused the gel coat to crack in the first place.
3:15-”I hope I know what I’m doing.” LOL
handy man!!
when repairing, you should always go form small to big, in layers around the hole, gives it much more support. good patch job though. why are you using epoxy instead of polyester?
i have a really important question…i just bought a 2002 gtx seadoo and the bottom needs abit of work. theres a lot of deep scratches, some soft spots and a hole.
i know that you cant use bondo so what i really need to know is what kind off kit(products) or what steps do take to fix this problem ??? please hit reply
thanks
thanks for the lesson, helpes me to do some boat fixing, I have some corners chipped of my sailboat, epoxy is a stronger material than polyester and I think I can fix a polyester boat with epoxy. but wouldnt know how to fix corners and egdes again it would need to be tapped on one side
I was thinking which paper would seal of from one side …..
I’m glad you posted this, noone else has been thorough enough to show exactly how to do fiberglass repairs. Only very minor things. I have a compac-16 sailboat that I had my hitch broke and the boat ran into a tree, people say it is easy to fix fiberglass, but daunting unless you actually see someone do it. Most of the stuff on youtube is for people trying to advertise thier services or not showing more major repairs, like a real hole in a boat. Good job!
@vivitar45 I do not think your comment has any value either, yet you still decided to waste your time posting it! This man took the time to record his repair work in hopes of helping others who might have a similar situation. To say it is not worth fixing is lame and shows that you are a product of today’s negative society. Everything has some sort of value to someone.
@beatnic50 what about the satisfaction of fixing something. im buying a project boat for myself even if its not all that great
Impressive. Nice work. I myself am repairing a canoe that I bought second hand the other day. I will use your method of repair a fiberglas boat. Thank you for all of the good tips.
@vivitar45 I have to admit I too put values on things. My time is worth something I guess. It depends on how you look at it. If I hadn’t done this repair and made this video I’d have done something else. Would that something else be more valuable? I know you are talking money and like I said I put value on things. I named my other little boat “Gettingthere”.
i don’t think you get anny thing for that thing or evon not worth fixing
@Thermos017 The glass beads work real well. I am impressed by epoxy. It is high tech stuff. I think this patch will be strong as it is. I had thought about reinforcing the entire boat, but it is just a dingy and those hard chines will always be a weak spot. My other dingy has a nice rounded form and is amazingly durable.
on your next repair i would try chopping some glass cloth into short (1/2″ to 1″) strands to mix into the resin as filler. it will make a stronger fill material and the bond will be less likely to crack from future shocks. ideally you want to put multiple layers (3 to 5 on this small of a boat) of glass with each patch getting progressively larger by about 1″ around the edges. that will require sanding away layers of old glass to avoid getting a weak spot and/or bulging patch. looks nice tho
hope you live forever
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