Major fiberglass repair

R

rtnky

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exMember
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Dec 15, 2005
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19764
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My boat incurred some major fiberglass damage on the top side. The shopman is going to glass in the busted areas then use filler and then paint the damaged area with an automotive type finish. Is this an acceptable way to repair fiberglass?
 
I hope your shopman is experienced and you're the one that's just glossing over the work.
 
If the damaged area has a gelcoat finish, then the correct way to repair it is with gelcoat, not paint. If you have structural damage, i.e. the fiberglass is cracked or delaminated, the damaged area must be removed, then new fiberglass laid up and sanded smooth. Gelcoat should be color matched to the surrounding area and sprayed on the new laminate repair. It will have to be wet sanded and polished to make it look like the rest of the boat. Do not use filler to make a structural repair, it will crack. You really need to find an experienced fiberglass repair shop to do this type of work correcly. What you described is not the correct way to fix this type of damage.
 
Just curious. How do you wet sand gelcoat. Obviously w/ a certain amount of water and # (?) sandpaper but will it bring back the shine of the gelcoat for a non repair? Thanks for your help.
 
Depending on the severity of the gelcoat damage, you can start with anything from 320 to 600 to get things going. then you progressively work your way up to 1500 or 2000 grit paper to remove all scratches. THen polish with Finesse-It or equivalent then wax
 
I assume you have to keep the sandpaper wet and sand lightly as you go along. Possibly use a spray bottle of water.
 
That is correct. Sometimes it is good to completely rinse the area to see how it is going as well.
 
The Reason it's Wet sanded with Water is to Flush the debris out of the Sandpaper,......

If you sand it Dry,..... You'd go through a Ton of Sandpaper......
 
You can wet sand up to 600grit, and then use 3m's heavy duty rubbing compound with a buffing machine to get most of the scratches and get a little shine. After that, machine buff with finesse-it and you should have a deep shine. Use 3m's buffing pad...it works better. Oh, and keep your sand paper wet all the time and don't let it get dry. Keep dipping it in a bucket of water. Use a rubber sanding block.
 
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