Boat Repairs - How To Repair A Fiberglass Hull On A Boat
Fixing a fibreglass hull may seem quite easy because it basicallyincludes patching any weakened areas withgelcoat
. However, the preparation that has to be carried out is the most vitalstep in the process and will have the greatest impact on the soundness of the work you will accomplish. For this reason you will need to be precise when repairing the hull on your boat. Essentially the process requires a bit of sanding, application of polyester resin, waxing and buffing to restore the original gloss. It is critical that you do not simply fill any cracks with more material as this will be liable to break off. This is because gelcoat is very brittle on its own and will crack soon after being fixed to the area.Required Materials
Polyester Resin
Pigments of various colours
Hardener
Tape
Rubing Compound
Required Tools
Sand Paper
Gloves
Rotary Tool
Screw Driver
Popsicle Stick/Plastic Scraper
Instructions
To begin you will need to make your surface rough to add your filler composed of gelcoat, pigment and a hardener. To accomplish this you will have to use your sandpaper, rotary tool and screw driver. Essentially you will be enabling the gelcoat to have a stronger grip on the flawed area. Omiting this step as stated before will cause the gelcoat to crack after it has been laid. Ultimately you will have to take your sandpaper and create a rougher texture to your area. After you do this you may utilize your screw driver or rotary tool to create a valley in your work area, thuscreating a satisfactory number of rugged edges. Once the valley has been created you can then smooth out the surrounding areas and use a bit of tape to distinguish the area that will be patched. To make certain you don't ruin the areas that are undamaged closest to the work area, use additional tape to cover those areas.
You are now ready to make your filling. The hardest part of this exercise will be to get your gelcoat to look like the exact colour seenon the hull as it is now. The best advice will be to mix your colour before you actually mix your polyester resin and hardener to create your gelcoat. If you mix all of the aforementioned items together at one time you will have only 20 minutes to get the colour right by trial and error. Therefore for this part of the process combine only the pigments and polyester resin together and test on a small section of material that is similar to hull and wait for it to dry a bit. It is likely that the colour will look a bit different when the colour is dried. This portion of the process will need a bit of artistry and some patience will be necessitated.
When you have got the colour to match the hull you can then put in your hardener. However, before putting in the hardener pay close attention to the instructions and ensure that you put in the correct amount to avoid a poor mixture that will lead to a change in the colour you've mixed and an inadequate finish. You should not add the hardener to the entire amount that you have mixed but instead to small portions as you go along. This will ensure you will not have to remix the colour which as you may already know necessitates a considerable amount of time. It will also guarantee that the sections being patched will be uniformly coloured.
To fill the area put on the mixture with a popsicle stick or any other type of flat applicator. Try to do this as smoothly as you can. It doesn't have to be extremely smooth because it will be leveled with sandpaper. When you have done filling the space it should be a bit more raised than your surrounding section, this allowance should be left to enable easier sanding of the area. You may have to put on a few more layers while sanding in between to get it to be raised. Let this set for 24 hours.
After it has dried you may then sand down the section and remove the masking tape from the untouched areas to get the section as close to this as you are able to. You can then apply another thin layer orf resin and let dry overnight.
You can then buff your area with the rubbing compound until it appears just as good as the undamaged areas.
You can add a bit after you are finished to give extra protection against UV rays.
Tips
You may want to put on your gloves to prevent the mixture from touching your hand.
Try to work carefully so that you do not end up damaging any areas that are still in proper condition.
by: Brian Jones Do It Yourself - Build A Wooden Boat Where Did All The Inflatable Boats Go Boat Insurance For Tropical Sailing Boating Hand Signals EVALUATING A BOAT FOR INSURANCE Cheap Boat Insurance Prices San Diego Boat Accident Lawyer - Will a Limitation Action Sink Your Boat Accident Case? Grab The Chance And Enjoy The Grandest Holiday Sailing Across Calm Stretches Of Water Courtesy Of Me How To Build A Model Sailboat? Boat Tour In Negombo- An Experience To Remember Sell Your Used Boats Online and Acquire the Best Deals Snake Boat Race In Kerala Women's Flotilla - Sailing Your Life's Journey!