April 13, 2003

• FIBERGLASS
  
  I used to think repairing a boat would be something really hard. It isn’t. Fiberglassing is really easy. The hard part is the boredom you get as you sand the gelcoat off.
  
  If you want to buy a small sailboat (< 18') but can't afford a brand new one (Brand new Lasers run into the $5000-6000s.), it isn't a bad deal to buy a used and slightly bunged up boat.
  
  My sailing club has a couple of really old boats that are still in pretty good condition. They’ve been patched in more places than I can count on one hand, but they are watertight. So don’t let a couple of holes or gouges get you down. I mean, cosmetically, it ain’t gonna be as pretty as a professional job, but if you don’t care about looks, and all you want to do is sail and not sink, all you need are the following:
  
  

  
  
  

  1. two disposable aluminum pie pans This is to put the resin or Bondo in. 2. latex gloves (or neoprene if you’re allergic to latex) This is so that you don’t stick to everything you touch after fiberglassing. 3. a cheap disposable brush This is to paint the resin onto the fiberglass. This brush will be virtually useless afterwards, so don’t use a brush you want to keep. You could use your hand too, but that’s really, really messy. 4. some scissors To cut the fiberglass to the proper shape 5. fiberglass mat It doesn’t matter what kind. Some people argue that you should get the “cloth”-like kind. Some say the “mat” kind. It really just doesn’t matter cuz it’s the resin that hardens either kind. 6. fiberglass resin When you buy the resin, make sure the little tiny tube of catalyst comes with it and hasn’t fallen off or out of the package, in the store. The catalyst is what hardens the resin. Otherwise you’ll be waiting for a long time to be able to use your boat. 7. Bondo-brand filler This is for if you have really big holes, and you need to fill them in to make the fiberglass mat flush with the rest of the boat. This stuff has a catalyst too. 8. dispensable paint scraper This is for if you’re going to be using the Bondo. 9. sandpaper Large grit is better for the first sanding. Then some finer grit for smoothing the fiberglass after it’s done hardening. 10. mask Fiberglass ain’t a very good thing to breathe. Especially if you’ve been sanding small particles of it into the air. 11. Paint thinner To clean your hands or spills of resin. (Don’t store this near anything you think can catch on fire. And don’t soak rags in it and leave it in the kitchen garbage overnight, as it can combust really easily.) 12. A nicely ventilated place to work This is really important, unless you like getting high off volatile fumes, and have a yen for brain damage. And so, to patch a hole, you want the spot to be as dry as possible. Some people claim using a hair dryer for a couple of hours over the spot helps. I think it’s easier to just let the boat dry out for a couple of months. Saves electricity anyway. Sand the spot around the hole until you can see the stuff under the gelcoat. Since I’m an impatient person, this seems to take forever. You should see the fiberglass beneath the gelcoat. Exposing the fiberglass will make for a better bond with the mat you’re about to put on it. Make sure and clean all the dust off the spot. Decide if the hole is too big for just fiberglass mat. If it is, mix up some Bondo in a pie pan, and use the paint scraper to mush it into the hole, sort of like Philadelphia cream cheese. Let it harden. Next make sure you have enough fiberglass mat/cloth to cover the hole before you even mix the resin. Or else, you’ll be fumbling with very sticky fingers and your scissors will be worthless afterwards. (speaking from experience) Then mix the resin with the catalyst in a pie pan, stirring with the brush or a clean stick you pulled off a tree, or something. Place your fiberglass mat (already cut to shape) in the pie pan and gently wet it with resin. It shouldn’t be dripping with resin… Just coated on one side. Lift it out and place it over the hole. Use the brush to gently paint resin on the other side of the mat until it’s fully saturated with resin. Let it dry! Put another layer on afterwards, if you want to. When it’s dry (here’s where some people use hair dryers to speed the process up), you can sand the roughness out of the patch, and then repaint it.

  
  
  Voila! Boat patched.

  • 9:09 am
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