Help boat leak fiberglass

[jeff6898]

Had the boat out yesterday and noticed my feet was getting wet. Water was coming in. Got the boat home and found the problem. See pic. Anychance this could be fixed or is the boat now junk?

 

[gcboat]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

From that can't tell what I'm looking at - the keel?

 

[instanttanger1]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

if its on the out side of the boat youll need to re gel coat it.
plus youll need to determine if its cracked if so youll have to terminate both ends of the crack with a drill bit..
dyi web has page on re gellin

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

needs some work from the interior also, backing.

 

[oops!]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

i think we need some more pics that looks like its on the speed strake area....

at any rate.......youll have to repair the hole....that means (as td said) get in there behind and re laminate some glass in the area.....

the pics will determine the next corse of action for the outer strake area

 

[jeff6898]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

Here is a better view. IT is located on the right side of the boat just below and to the front where the steering wheel is. I dont see how I get to the inside to repair unless I cut and take out a section of the floor.

 

[oops!]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

thats nasty....but repairable.....

youve got to make the decision weither to go behind....and not see the repair....or on top and see it....

id suggest....to go in from behind.

you might get away with a simple marine tex filler....but thats a big area

if you go in top.....grind the gellcoat back, clean with aceitone and do a 1708 laver over the repair and then a veil...or csm for a smoother finishing layer.

then paint or re gell the area.....


once you make the decision....we can give you step by step instructions.

 

[jeff6898]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

I am gonna try and repair it from the outside. I am not sure I am capable of cutting the floor out and replacing it. If the outside repair doesnt work then during the winter I guess I will try and tackle it from above. SO if you can give me directions I would really appreciate it.

 

[jeff6898]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

Here is what I did from the outside, I sanded the area put on a coat of resin, then cloth, another coat of resin, cloth then let dry. After that I did another coat of resin, cloth and resin. DO I need to put anything else on it? I keep hearing about gel coat or tex marine. ANy help is greatly appreciated.

 

[oops!]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

define "cloth" plus weights please


also was the last peice the biggest, and the first the smallest?


and you can paint........

but make sure the repair area is flush or just above flush......make it as smooth as you can.....

 

[oops!]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

btw ....sorry i could not get back to theis post before now.......

 

[jeff6898]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

Not sure of the weight of the cloth all I know is it is white and stringy my brother in law used to work at a placed that made boats and got it from there, I will have to ask him. I did overlap the cloth small to longer.

 

[oops!]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

stringy.....means csm.....chopped strand matt.....

3 layers....while thin.....will keep the water out but if you whack it again....you start all over......try putting a layer of thicker "cloth" over the csm.......1708 bi ax.....if you can.....again....larger than the last.


if you wanna try it the way it is......i would suggest....rolling a thick amount of gellcoat over the area....then sanding it down.and polishing....gellcoat is very tough stuff......but again....one good hit.

another alternative is emeron paint....really tough stuff as well.....but cant be repaired after scratched

 

[jeff6898]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

Here is a pic of what I actually used.

 

[jeff6898]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

Guess I better use that gel coat, took out the boat this morning and it was doing good no leaks until the end. THe cloth on the ends peeled up and ripped.ot the leak again. Will the gel coat prevent this from happening? Also is this something I can brush on? I dont own a sprayer.

 

[tinmann23]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

Fiberglass is easy to patch. It takes some work but your boat is far from junk. Just remember whatever you put on it might have to come off doubling the required work. Use fiberglass sheeting with EPOXY resin not that cheap crap resin. The cheaper polly resin will deteriorate and cause more problems. Patch inside and out and remove all damaged glass and gelcoat with a grinder before applying new glass then apply new glass and resin 4'' beyond damaged area sand and paint. Good as new.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

The problem is that there was no mat used as a first layer, this helps with the bond and will follow the contuor of the repaired area better than cloth alone. The polyester deteriorating idea, is, well, "crap", if you haven't noticed virtually all boats are made with it, so somehow I think it works.

Epoxy is a better product, but I rarely find that it's required for boat repairs.

 

[jeff6898]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

Ok I hate being this dumb, but can someone tell me what I need to p/u so I an try this again. WHat the name on the materials will say I am looking for. Here is picks of the repair and what happened afterwards, and materials I did use. Sorry to be a pain I am just trying to learn and do this right second on the second try. YOu guys are great. I will be going to West Marine or Boaters world for my stuff.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

Your best bet for learning the process would be to read a few of the other posts that relate to F/G repairs, then you'll have some questions that relate just to this repair, but you'll understand the basics.

 

[tinmann23]

Re: Help boat leak fiberglass

When I do fiberglass repairs I use 3M epoxy resin it is a two part mix and the fiberglass sheeting you can get at any paint supply shop. Shop around you will be surprised how cost will vary. Apply resin to freshly ground area and apply sheeting and dab with a short medium paint brush. wet the brush with resin and keep working sheet until it is fully penetrated with resin. let dry sand roughness down and repeat making sheet glass larger than the first. This will prevent large areas of hard edges and will feather better. if you need a third coat go a little bigger again. let dry 6 to 8 hours and sand with 120 grit and orbital sander. Do it by hand it will take forever. If you have a lot to work down use 80 grit and finish with 120 grit. When you are satisfied with shaping, mix a small batch of resin only and spread over sanded area with a plastic bondo applicator this will fill any sand scratches. Finish sanding with 600 grit wet dry, add a little water and keep it wet with a sponge. You can do this with a sanding block sanding with right hand and holding sponge with left above sanding area letting water moisten sand paper. Now your repair should be smooth as a babies arse but you aren't done yet. Wash whole area with mild soap and water and let dry thouroughly and wipe down with a tac cloth. This is a cloth impregnated with a bees wax and will take off any dust that will make your paint peel off. Now wipe area down with a cloth slightly dampened with lacquer thinner and shoot with a primer sealer and you are ready to paint when sealer is dry. no need to sand the sealer. Practice on a piece of old scrap fiberglass first. Use numerous coats of thin paint not one thick one. It WILL drip and that looks like crap. Shoot thin coats and allow it to tac up awhile and then shoot another. Painting is an art I have done it for years and still remember the first car I painted. It looked like Pacific Beach it had so many waves in it. But I did get better!
Practice, Practice, Practice.