I need a fiberglass tutorial

Andy Dostal

Andy Dostal

Active member
I have never built a boat and know very little about fiberglass repair. But, the new used Carstens went in the water for the first time tonight. I knew that it was gonna leak when I bought it but the price was right, and I want to learn more about fiberglass. Anyone know of a good photo tutorial? Or by looking at the pictures, have any good advice? Sorry forgot to bring the camera to the lake, but I was impressed with the stability and happy with the speed. Powered by paddle and loving it.

DSCF0801.jpg
DSCF0803.jpg
DSCF0802.jpg
 
Last edited:
Andy,

Thats a Carstens Pintail you got there. It's a relatively easy fix. I can't give you an online link but I'm sure others can. My typing skills suck, so I'll discuss this repair with you on Friday. Nice thing about this particular repair is, you can use locally available poly resin and do just fine with it.
 
Thanks Dave, I can tell the guy I bought it from did not baby this baby! Tonight was the second time I ever had it in the truck, with the first being the day I picked it up in late Nov. All the water was hard here then. Anyway, the leak was real slow, with very little water coming in for the hour I was paddling around. I think he had tried to patch it, and it probably worked for a while. His patches look like either JB or Elmers Epoxy?? I want it done right, so I can lay in it for about 4 hours at a time>:)
 
The mistake most make on this type of repair is not allowing the composite to dry before sealing. Water inside a composite will ruin the repair and eventually the composite structure.

I can't tell if the repair areas are "weeping" of if the boat was just pulled from the water. If this is composite weepeing, you have a very wet laminate.

I would thoroughly dry this before attemptig any repair. A nice heat lamp for a couple of weeks or more would be a good first step.

Mark W
 
I'm with Mark on this one. I'd sand the gel coat down to glass in that area..and a good ways around it..get rid of that poop the guy tried to plug it with and let her dry out. After it's dry you can use resin and glass strips to build it back up.
 
The boat was just pulled from the water. The cracks will be left to dry for a while and then I will patch with poly and cloth. I just did a google video search for "fiberglass repair", and found some really informative info from JD. Look for a repair posting in 2-3 weeks. Then I'm gonna have to get on the Muskrat house blind!
 
They are little holes a would marine tex it. I do glass work and marine tex is some nice stuff
 
Andy-
Someone above mentioned using poly resin, I would advise against it. While the boat is likely a poly boat, not all polys go together well. You are better off using a high quality epoxy resin. Since you are fixing "holes" I would want to rely on the best bond that could be made and not rely on one that might fail. One of the problems with poly is it will skim out and long term cure to a waxy finish stemming good bonds and all the formulas are not "sticking" compatible.

Neat boat - have fun.
Derek
 
I would third that don't use poly. You can pick up epox in different places. I've piked it up in or seen it in Hardware stores, Hobby shops, Auto part stores. Some big box stores. Cloth also. Prices vary also quality. The best was from a hobby shop where they sell RC aircraft. A quart ought to do for your boat. Are the smelt running yet or is that over? I use to get up in your country years ago. Beautifull area.
 
Smelt are done, but from what I heard, it wasn't a very successful run. Advice on Epoxy resin heeded, I will call the craft store tonight.
 
I would use the polyester resin....much cheaper and the repair should be good as long as you have prepped the surface properly. Grind with 24 grit paper prior to laminating and you MUST use Chopped Strand Mat (CSM) as your first layer (you need the csm to HOLD an amount of resin in order to get a good bond. For filling, mix the catalyzed resin with cabosil and use that to fill voids. Or.........to fill voids........build it up with layers of CSM.
I would not go the extra expense of epoxy on a repair on that if it were mine.
But.........that's just mho....... :) Lou
www.lockstockbarrell.com
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top