Fiberglass boat repair.

leslie riggan

leslie riggan

Well-known member
I have a nice chip n the top side on the outside of my boat. It is above the waterline and hasn't been noticed until now. My boat is not foam filled or wood encapsulated, just fiberglass woven and chopped stranded mat. The spot is very spongy and about the size of a quarter. What would you guys suggest as a repair? I'll try to post a pic when it quits raining so hard. Thank God for the rain.
 
I can't believe it either, but this wet stuff has been falling out the sky for at least 30 hrs straight. of and on for the last 3 days. It only needs to keep going for 12 more days.
 
I have a nice chip n the top side on the outside of my boat. It is above the waterline and hasn't been noticed until now. My boat is not foam filled or wood encapsulated, just fiberglass woven and chopped stranded mat. The spot is very spongy and about the size of a quarter. What would you guys suggest as a repair? I'll try to post a pic when it quits raining so hard. Thank God for the rain.
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Sounds to me like you've got a void in there and it has merely broken down with time. Voids are typically with anything that's chopped.
Grind it out, back it up and reglass it. Begin repair with CSM (Chopped Strand Mat) and follow with some cloth if you'd like. Be sure to grind in a "disc" shape and begin with the largest piece to cover it and then size down to the smaller size until the area is filled.
Lou
www.lockstockbarrell.com
 
Lou, when you say grind it, should I go all the way through the hull? It's paper thin in that area, everything around it is solid. I think there's only three layers total, and 2 are missing.
 
Lou, when you say grind it, should I go all the way through the hull? It's paper thin in that area, everything around it is solid. I think there's only three layers total, and 2 are missing.
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Yup.........grind right through and as far as necessary to get to solid glass. Back it with something i.e. formica, to give you a surface to laminate against.
Holler with more questions.
Lou
 
Make sure that you grind /sand the surface down to the fiberglass. If you place the repair over any gelcoat, it won't hold. I used a 36 grit disc for my repairs.
 
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