Fiberglass question

D

danielcooper9

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exMember
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I posted before that I had a leak problem somewhere on the bow that I have had trouble locating. So I removed all screws and through bolts on the bow and resealed everything. I also took out the hatch and resealed. I noticed the fiberglass was delaminated in sections around the hatch opening. So I asked on this forum if that was an issue as long as the hatch was sealed tight so that water could not get in there. The response from several members was that I should have inserted something to rebond the fiberglass to the plywood core (the core is sound). So I took the hatch back out and since I used 5200 to put it in, most of the gel coat pealed off the fiberglass where it was sealed. The gel coat is fine outside the perimeter of the hatch. Question is, do I have to redo the gel coat in this area or if I apply 5200 again will that be sufficient since water shouldn't reach the exposed fiberglass? I'm also debating on buying a new hatch rather than trying to get all the 5200 and gel coat off the old one. I'm using a disolver for the sealant but it's not working to well on the 5200. I don't want to do this again and I'm worried that I won't get a good seal on the old hatch. I appreciate your help.

Dan
 
maybe buy a little larger of a hatch so you cut away the bad parts then seal the frsh cut edges real good and install new hatch
 
Sorry to hear about your problems.

Sounds like you found out why 5200 is not the greatest for fixtures that may need removing in the future. I prefer 3M 4000 UV, but there are others.

Are you using the product DeBond to remove the 5200? If not, go get some. It will be cheaper then a new hatch.

I would rebuild the area. Marine-Tex might be the easiest, gelcoat or even thickend epoxy would also work.

As long as you have the hatch out, make sure the plywood edges are sealed.

Good luck.
 
I have also found 5200 not to be the 'miracle' substance once thought. I bed my windshield in it and you can see the cracking from UV. I also found it is not nearly as good an adhesive to plexiglass and found it subject to a 'ozone' affected surface if left exposed that can turn it gooey. It also need a very clean and dry surface to adhere to and needs to be pressed to the surface to make a good bond. I have almost universally switched to silicone as it's a better bond to different surfaces and substances and is less effected by UV.
 
5200s claim to fame is for thin coating underwater, thru hulls and such. For topside you should use a flexible silicone caulk not an adhesive.

No you dont have to fix the gelcoat to rebed your hatch.
 
+1 for 3M 4000UV.I rebedd hatches and deck rails with it which are holding up very well. It's adhesive but not to the extent of 5200.

Agree on 5200 for all below waterline fittings but things that can be exposed to the sun need something different. 400UV is also more flexible which may be where the gel coat issue is coming from
 
Boatlife makes a product, I think it's called "release" softens up 5200. Works magic. BoatFix has it part# BTL 1288 for the 16oz. Helps with the cleanup on a new chalk job too.
 
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