Fiberglass Repair

[ralphy670]

Hey folks,

I have an in hull transducer which is epoxied in. I bumped it tonight completing another repair and the epoxy let go. A small piece if fiberglass broke off and was stuck on the transducer. The fiber glass material is showing under the broken piece in the hull. Should I repair with fiberglass resin or should I use 3m 5200 to cover it or some epoxy?. I just don't want water intrusion under the fiberglass.

Thanks in advance for any information. The broken piece is about 1/4 " by 1/2".

 

[ondarvr]

It won't make a difference what you do because it will be fine as is. You can cover it or not, you could just use some 5 minute epoxy if it bothers you.

 

[ralphy670]

So even if the fibers are showing, it should be fine? I think I will epoxy it but is it resistant to oils and fuel?

 

[ondarvr]

The fibers and resin are both basically waterproof (actually nothing is waterproof, some things are just more water resistant than others). A small amount of water is absorbed by the laminate, and it's absorbed whether the glass fibers are showing or not. In a lab you can measure the difference in uptake, but in the real world the difference is insignificant. Most bilges in boats aren't treated in any way to prevent water coming in contact with the glass.

 

[ralphy670]

Thank you for the information ondarvr