fiberglass repair, albin 28

[tomcat rio]

about 40 years, ago i used to repair the fiberglass on my surfboard a lot. i haven't done much since then.
i need to touch up the edges of the swim platform and some stress cracks in the deck around some hatch screws...has anyone here done any glass work recently? if so, would you care to post some pics and recommendations?
thanks,
ed
...

[Veebyes2]

My introduction to resin was surfboard repair as well. It is still a messy job. At least you can sand/grind out mistakes & do it again.

[Merry Kate]

Tomcat -

I repaired the corners of my swim platform where it bolts to the transom, which had cracked and separated from stress. I just chisled & ground off the damaged laminate, leaving enough there to keep the shape defined. Then laid up 8-10 layers of 20 oz cloth wrapping the corner to about 5" on each side (most layers inside the radius) with West epoxy, and sanded it to shape. Took the thickness from the original 3/16" to about 5/8" to make sure it won’t break again. I reinforced all the transom attachment points while I was at it and repaired some surface delamination between the top skin and plywood core.

Not hard: use a good quality epoxy system like West or Maas and follow the directions carefully (slow hardener gives you more time to work). Epoxy is a lot easier and neater to work that polyester resin. Trick is not to try & get it perfect on the layup; glop it on and sand it carefully to shape after it sets. I'll try to post some pictures. Good Luck with it.

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/ ... 0095-1.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/ ... 240096.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/ ... ril063.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/ ... ril064.jpg

http://i172.photobucket.com/albums/w35/ ... ril132.jpg

[tomcat rio]

great information and nice pictures.
it looks like several layers of resin saturated cloth is a much better way to go than just using some kind of filler..
i think one problem may be an initial reluctance to remove enough original material prior to starting the repair.
one comment i read:
"fiberglass repair...its not a project, its a commitment."
...
i'll post pictures of my work as it progresses. i hope it comes out as well .
ed

[Mariner]

Growing up, my dad owned a fiberglass company, so I've been living and breathing fiberglass my whole life. Fiberglass repair is just like woodworkingin that once you know how to do it, it's easy. Most people just don't understand the material and it's limitations and strengths.

One common mistake people make is to try to use fillers or puttys when making repairs. They think of fiberglass as being like plastic, which it is not. There is plastic in fiberglass, but it's only purpose is to hold the glass strands together. Fiberglass putty is only suitable for cosmetic repairs. If the part you are repairing is structural, putty simply won't work.

Repairing fiberglass is all about understanding how the load is distributed. The key is to grind away a lot of material. It's no easier to repair a small patch than a large patch, so don't be intimidated by grinding away extra material. If the part you are repairing is cored with another material, you obviously want to avoid that, and understand how it is bonded to that material, but otherwise, be sure to always grind down to fresh glass. Feather the edges as much as possible, giving your patch lots of room to bond to the existing material. Overlap and lay down extra glass well past the edges of your patch. No worries, you will grind it down later. Finally, apply a gelcoat finish in visible areas for cosmetic effect as well as to prevent blistering. Gelcoat is an animal all it's own, but it's pretty much just like wood putty or Beadex except that you have to catalyze it and isolate it from air during the curing period. Apply it with a putty knife, scraping up any excess, cover it and let it harden, then come back and sand it smooth. I would say it's remarkably similar to mudding drywall seams, if you've ever done that.

[tomcat rio]

"...so I've been living and breathing fiberglass my whole life."

i'm not sure that's a healthy life style.