A little progress on the boat floor...and a question..
- Thread starter Ed L.
- Start date
Sounds like you are on the right track. Poly has been used for years and years to do these repairs, but as has been said by John and Frank epoxy is superior as far as bond strength (plus you have it already).
Reading to set your mind at ease:
http://www.westsystem.com/...r-fiberglass-repair/
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Dave,
After all the months and money I spent refurbing the Starcraft our first vacation with it was at the lake of the Ozarks. I had it tied off and bumpered up good. That first night a hell of a storm came up by the time it was over two ropes were broken one bumper was gone a cleat was ripped out and the paint was beat to a pulp from banging the dock. I was PO'd to the point of chewing barbedwire and spittin nails. Vickie said "it's a fishing boat lets go fishing". She was right. Later that summer it was tied up at my dock when over night a storm came up and I found it mostly submerged and rolled on it's side in 4 ft of water. She didn't have to say anything. It's a fishing boat. With the help of the neighbors I pumped it out and dried it out and went fishing. If a little dock rash is going to cause me so much greif I might as well keep it on the trailer a never use it. After all I bought for fishing and hunting.
After all the months and money I spent refurbing the Starcraft our first vacation with it was at the lake of the Ozarks. I had it tied off and bumpered up good. That first night a hell of a storm came up by the time it was over two ropes were broken one bumper was gone a cleat was ripped out and the paint was beat to a pulp from banging the dock. I was PO'd to the point of chewing barbedwire and spittin nails. Vickie said "it's a fishing boat lets go fishing". She was right. Later that summer it was tied up at my dock when over night a storm came up and I found it mostly submerged and rolled on it's side in 4 ft of water. She didn't have to say anything. It's a fishing boat. With the help of the neighbors I pumped it out and dried it out and went fishing. If a little dock rash is going to cause me so much greif I might as well keep it on the trailer a never use it. After all I bought for fishing and hunting.
rich scheffer
Well-known member
Ed if these cuts are thru the bottom of the hull, the cosmetics should be the least of your worries. I agree with most comments about veeing out the damaged ares and treating the repair like a scarpf joint. Only difference is I would do the repair from the outside. Kind of like caulking an old plank hull, yes you can stop the water from the inside, but if you do it from the outside the water pressure will be your friend not your foe, I would still lay a couple of cloth patches on the inside as a butt block when the outside repair is done. Go ahead have at it Tod!
Mat will work just fine with epoxy. I use it all the time. The stuff holding the chop together doesn't hurt a thing. Mat/chop is an excellent choice for most repairs on a boat like this. The stuff is cheap, you can pile it on, and when used with epoxy it is strong as hell. As I said earlier you don't want to sand cloth. The strength is in the weave and if you sand the cloth enough to make it nice and smooth the weave will be destroyed. Bury your cloth under some chop and your sanding job will be much easier and you'll have a stronger prettier finished product. Another route one can take is to get some of the plastic used for vacuum bagging and lay it over your repair before it cures. Use a spreader to get all the air out and smooth everything out. This will create a barrier between the resin and the air. Resin can only cure if it is not exposed to the air. That is why there is wax in it. The wax works its way to the surface of the repair blocking any exposure to the air and thereby allowing the resin to cure. The wax has to be gotten rid of before you can stick anything else to the glass. Sanding is the only real way to eliminate the wax. If you cover the resin with plastic the repair is sealed from the air and the wax will not come to the surface. When you remove the plastic you'll have a nice smooth surface that will only require minor scuffing to prepare it to be top coated. The vacuum bagging material is semipermeable and will allow the air bubbles trapped under it to be worked out. You can also improvise and use any other heavy plastic to do the same thing. Shower curtain liners, (the one on the inside of the shower). This will not be as user friendly though. You will need to cut out all the creases in the liner and lay it down in sections. If you don't get rid of the creases they will implant themselves into your glass work. You don't want to try this on a large area your first try. Do it on a small repair so you can get the feel of it and see what problems you will need to avoid the next time. And only use regular ol' plastics with epoxy. The esters will eat plastic.
Mark W
Well-known member
Personally, to repair a 1/16" slit through the hull, I would not go this route. If the cut were wider, this advice is very sound. For the 1/16" slit, there is little worry about the water pressure pushing your repair out of the "Vee" cut you make behind it. Do as others have suggested, cover the "Vee" with fiberglass and glass into the current good glass around the repair you are about to make and you should be good to go.
Differences of opinions I guess. If your cut was 1/4" or wider, I would personally repair from the outside in as suggested by Rich.
Mark W
Mark,
I watched a boat raised and rolled enough with an airbag to ductape a hole in the hull and brought back to the marina one time. The guy was running between the islands when the river was low and hit a stump. I'm really curious to see what gorilla tape can do!
I watched a boat raised and rolled enough with an airbag to ductape a hole in the hull and brought back to the marina one time. The guy was running between the islands when the river was low and hit a stump. I'm really curious to see what gorilla tape can do!