boat repair?

[Toller]

A fiberglass canoe washed up on a friend's property a couple years ago. He stuck it over on the side and forgot about it. I would like to fix it up for my sons to use.

It has two holes in it that were very crudely patched with some sort of caulk. It was also painted; much of which is flaking off. I would like to put a layer of fiberglass over the holes, and then a layer of fiberglass over the whole bottom to stiffen it and reinforce the hole repairs.

That will require removing all the paint. The original fiberglass is pretty thin, so I am reluctant to sand the paint off, but I am afraid that chemical stripper will not be kind to the fiberglass.

Suggestions?

My older son doesn't have much to do this summer and is willing to do this project, so labor is not an issue.

[jaykchan]

You will have better luck getting replies if you post it in rec.boats.building newsgroup.

Jay Chan

[HotRod]

I've done several boats that I stripped with a wire wheel on a grinder and then layed up a couple layers of fiber glass. Make sure to recoat with marine paint in order to get some good UV protection.

[Joey]

For fiberglass to stick correctly you will need to remove any layers down to the original fiberglass so the new can overlap the old area by at least 3-4 inches. Make sure you use a fiberglass mat cloth made for marine use so it won't tear as strongness is the key. Several layers are in order. The final layer can be sanded smooth to blend with the original layer. If you don't care about the finish you can try to match the paint using a non-water based paint. If you prefer the original quality, then you will need to learn how to do gel coating. They sell small kits on EBay for that. You can also get your marine fiberglass there also. You can also tint fiberglass resin with color.

J

[trader4]

Given all the work involved, the materials, skills needed for it to come out right, the fact that sanding fiberglass isn't the most pleasant or safest job without good breathing eqpt, etc, I'd think long and hard before deciding to do this.

If it was just a couple of small repairs, it would be one thing, but to patch and then resurface the whole bottom is a big project. I'd see what used canoes go for first.

[Toller]

Well; I have fiberglass, epoxy, and free labor. It be a good chance for my son to actually learn to do something!