Fiberglass boat repair and maintenance manual

Detailed Repairs. Fibreglass Boat Repair and Maintenance. Solutions for seven common fibreglass boat repair projects that can be completed with WEST SYSTEM epoxy are outlined in this section, with illustrations and step-by-step procedures to follow. Loose Hardware. Loose Hardware Hardware such as cleats, turning blocks, shaft struts and pad eyes may become loose, resulting in enlarged bolt holes. Solution 1 Repairing loose hardware — Bonding new hardware in place Remove the existing hardware.

Clean dirt, old sealants and other materials from hardware, deck surface and fastener holes. Drill over-sized holes to expose uncontaminated deck material and increase bonding area.

If backing plate and bolt are not used, drill the oversize hole only of the pilot hole depth. Place hardware in position. Trace the perimeter with a pencil. Remove the hardware and tape the marked perimeter with masking tape. Sand the surface thoroughly to a dull finish.

Coat both the deck surface and the hardware mating surface with the epoxy mixture. Wet-out the inside of the fastener hole with an epoxy-wet pipe cleaner, or by injecting epoxy with a syringe. Scrub all epoxy-wet hardware surfaces with grit sandpaper. Apply generously to the mating surfaces, in fastener holes and on fastener threads.

Using a syringe to fill holes if necessary. Position the hardware and tighten the fasteners until some of the epoxy mixture squeezes out. Do not over tighten. Clean excess epoxy away with a sharpened mixing stick. Remove the masking tape. Cracks and Scratches. Cracks and Scratches Typically located in vulnerable areas such as exposed corners and coamings, or in areas susceptible to flexing or stress.

Dry out the damaged area if necessary. Feather the edges with a scraping tool or grit sandpaper. Apply enough epoxy mixture to thoroughly wet-out the damaged cavity. Blend a Microfibre Blend with the remaining epoxy mixture to make a thick, non-sagging mixture. Trowel the mixture into the pre-wet cavity. Sand to shape before painting. Use grit sandpaper to level any ridges or bumps if necessary.

Wet sand fair with grit paper. For high gloss finishes, continue wet sanding down to grit. Gelcoat or a two part polyurethane paint both provide the ultraviolet protection required for epoxy. Marine-grade enamels work well on interior surfaces. Delamination of Core Material. Delamination of Core Material Delamination is a common deck and hull construction problem which tends to get worse if left unattended.

Solution 3 — Repairing cored deck, hull and bulkhead delamination Define the delaminated area. Typically, exerting pressure on the skin yields a soft feel before contact with the core and indicates a gap between the skin and core. Thoroughly drying the core must be accomplished before re-bonding. Drill 6mm holes, 25mm apart and about 75mm beyond the delamination area. Use a moderate source such as a hot air gun or heat lamp to accelerate the drying process.

Take care not to damage the skin with excessive heat. A sample drilling from the core will indicate the degree of dryness. Combine the epoxy mixture with Microfibre Blend to ketchup consistency.

Load a syringe. Trim the syringe tip as necessary. Inject the thickened mixture into all holes drilled in the area. Flex the skin several times to work the epoxy into all areas between the skin and core. When the mixture has coated the entire surface area between the skin and core, weights or pressure should be placed on the skin to force it into contact with the core until the epoxy cures.

After the epoxy is completely cured, sand the surface fair with grit sandpaper. Sand when cured and coat with unthickened epoxy. When cured, wet sand with grit paper. Holes and Punctures. In egestas sodales lorem, id egestas lacus pharetra eget. Sed ac mi placerat, placerat nulla ut, imperdiet nunc. Mauris at felis vehicula, commodo est eu, ullamcorper purus.

CLOSE 1. Login Shopping Cart. WEST System. Add a New List. List Name List Name. Create List Cancel. Email Email. Password Password. Login Create Account. Product Details Data Sheets. Frequently Purchased Together. Recommended Products. Jamestown Distributors. Wash the area with water and a nylon scrub pad to remove any amine blush, and sand the repair fair with the surrounding area.

Let the epoxy cure, wash it, and sand it to shape. Wash and sand the cured seal coat of epoxy then apply a topcoat of paint or gelcoat. The environment can dramatically affect gelcoat. Wax can protect it from fading but there is no way to protect gelcoat against the repetitive expansion and contraction of temperature change.

This movement can cause cracking, which may appear in a parallel or a random pattern. Parallel patterned cracks will vary in length from short to several inches and are a few to several inches apart. I have heard them referred to as old age cracks.

Often these are caused by an expansion of the deck laminate, making the gelcoat more susceptible to flexural stress. Short, random cracks are also referred to as gelcoat crazing. Crazing can be localized to a small area or completely cover a deck. I have seen cockpit soles that remind me of a shattered car window. Crazing is caused by the gelcoat expanding and contracting over a given area.

We get customer calls asking if sanding the gelcoat and rolling epoxy over it will fill the gelcoat cracks and prevent them from returning. Sadly, the answer is no. Cracked gelcoat should be removed.

After gelcoat removal, sand the fiberglass laminate with grit sandpaper.