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repair of fiberglass
wlfmn323
Member Posts: 4,712
i know where there is a boat at that has a 4 cylandar inboard outboard motor. supposed to run good, only catch is the fiberglass hull has two or three cracks in it. he says he knows nothing about fixing fiberglass and i have to say, neither do i. but at the price hes asking i wonder if it would be worth it. its an 82 thundercraft, walkthrough windsheild. i just dont want to dole out cash for something i could never use.
Comments
1-sand/grind the surface to get rid of dirt/grease etc.
2-cut cloth to slightly larger than damage area
3-mix resin hardener according to dirrections (drops of hardener per ounce
4-spread mixed resin over cloth placed on spot to be repaired
5-repeat as needed as each layer dries
best to do the repair itself on the inside of the hull as it will be less noticeable than on the outside,
the outside is a layer refered to as top-coat, and is the first layer in the mold at the factory
it is clear compared to the amber shade of normal fiberglass and contains the color, metalflake etc that you see as the finish
a repair can be done on the surface and finished smoothly to blend to contour, but then you have the visible repair or have to paint the entire hull
if the crack is THROUGH the hull and pretty serious looking, do repair on both sides and paint, or get a small amount of resin mixed and carefully pour in the crack and brace as needed to press it shut on the outer surface to bond the edges
(use some plastic wrap from the kitchen or a plastic trash bag against the wet resin so it doesnt stick to your brace, the resin will not stick to those plastics OR pvc)
doing this and a bit of luck you can wet-sand the excess and polish out the finish and still look fairly decent
If the cracks are structural, and a defect, repairing it is just putting lipstick on a pig.
If the crack is from damage then a repair will solve the problem.
Margaret Thatcher
"There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies and statistics."
Mark Twain
That's it, in a nutshell. If you're talking STRUCTURAL, like, broken stringers/the ribs of the hull, pass on it. "THUNDERCRAFT" is NOT one of the better names in boats, actually about a rung down the ladder from a "BAYLINER".[xx(] BUT, If it's a little Mercruiser Chevy 4-cyl, it could be worth buying, just to sell off the Outdrive, intermediate, and engine. Some of them have the "trim" system on the engine mount, that it's self is worth $700 USED, as long as it works.That stuff all costs a fortune down here tho.It's obviously a fresh water boat, they don't live that long here. Could be worth it!
+1
If you don't know boats, find a friend who knows them and grew up with them. Fiberglass is easy to repair but if they are stress cracks, the wood inside could be cracked and it would be pointless to fix.
How much? Photos?
Make sure to check out that motor as well. Take it out for a cruise with the owner.
Break
Out
Another
Thousand
B.O.A.T.
Get a can of Fiber Hair fiberglass repair filler and two or three tubes of hardener. I suggest more than one tube of filler for one will not mix an entire quart if you like rock hard filler. It's a lot like Bondo. The filler is much easier to work with than using the fiberglass cloth - epoxy system and sticks much better also. Locally it comes in Fine, Medium and Course each describes the length of the fiber or hair in the mix. The medium and fine are the easiest to work with for cracks and smaller repair jobs.
Use an angle grinder to follow the crack forming a shallow V into the crack. Use 90 grit sandpaper to roughen the area along each side out about 1" out from the crack. Follow up with some 150 or so grit to roughen the edges out more to about two or three inches.
Clean the area of all grit, dust, oil and such. A good alcohol works best.
Then mix the fiber hair, work it hard into the crack feathering it out from the edges.
Sand smooth, primer and paint.
We carry a can of it with us on canoe trips in case we need to make a quick repair during the trip. Fiber Hair sets up hard and can be sanded in about 10 to 15 minutes. So mix small batches and work quickly. I need to tell you. The stuff gets hot. The more hardener you add the hotter it gets.
Run, don't walk, away!
My uncle got a "free" boat and put so far over $25 k into it, it still has not seen the water. Before he even picked it up (in the water) he purchased a $4000 trailer. For $4k you can buy a lot of used boat that actually runs.
Run, don't walk, away!
Is your Dad named Jimmy and run an Aqua Logging operation out or OR?
If just a surface crack or similar, depending on how big, anything from some epoxy to a repair kit is in order. We had a 67 Sea Ray runabout that hit a log at speed and took a hole out of the side; we filled it in with epoxy and fiberglass cloth, sanded, and repainted. Worked a charm.
Any cracks where the transom joins the hull should be repaired by someone experienced in this work. This may involve repair of the transom plate and reinforcement of the repair are.
If there is any separation or offset what looks like a three inch crack could affect a two foot long area. These are a lot more than a band-aid crack.
Not being familiar with that brand of boat myself, there might be wood structural supports between the deck and hull. If it were left tied to a dock, that wood will have suffered water damage and needs to be replaced.
quote:Originally posted by slipgate
My uncle got a "free" boat and put so far over $25 k into it, it still has not seen the water. Before he even picked it up (in the water) he purchased a $4000 trailer. For $4k you can buy a lot of used boat that actually runs.
Run, don't walk, away!
Is your Dad named Jimmy and run an Aqua Logging operation out or OR?
yep but someone done stole our logs!
i guess i could run the idea past the wife, that should pretty well kill it.[;)]
the day you buy it
and the day you sell it.
My uncle got a "free" boat and put so far over $25 k into it, it still has not seen the water. Before he even picked it up (in the water) he purchased a $4000 trailer. For $4k you can buy a lot of used boat that actually runs.
Run, don't walk, away!
Sometimes it is not about what money is spent it is about having a pair
dont forget the 2 best day for a boat owner.
the day you buy it
and the day you sell it.
+1 if I want to go boating I just rent one cheaper in the long run
I used to do a LOT of corvette rebuilding and putting stripped cars together when i had the bodyshop
Tom