Fiberglass Repair

Fiberglass hulls are very tough. Their strength comes from the chemically bonded laminates that accumulate around the boat mold. The gelcoat we see is the surface of a 'new' look sailboat. It takes its shine from the mold in which it was made.

Working On The Inside To Fix The Outside

The important aspect of hull repairs, is to work from the inside to repair the outside. This way you are emulating the production process of the boat. Benefits include minimizing gelcoat repair and finish, but also the amount of work overall. This is due to the curve of the hull.

Understand The Fix Materials

Boat hull repair is straight forward. Apprehension comes from not understanding the material used. Meet laminates!

If laminate was your buddy, your buddy would be:

• Easy going – means easy to apply

• Responds predicably – know the drying times

• Is faithful – Once bonded always bonded

• That’s it!

Fiberglass repairs is all about replacing those laminate layers in the style they were made.

Prepare The Damage For Fixing

Preparation by cleaning and grinding ensures boat repairs are equal in strength to the rest of the hull. The layers which make up the hull can be damaged. When repairs are being undertaken, attention needs to be given to them before gelcoat repair can begin.

Look Out For Blistering

Unlike other blistering, this material blisters whilst the boat is in the water. The gelcoat is weakened and osmosis takes place as a result. The water bonds chemically with the laminate forming a blister. One in four boats is susceptible to blistering.

By opening the blister and allowing to dry over laying up time, you remove the problem. You need to allow the area affected to dry out over a matter of months, rather than days. Depending on the severity

Impact Damage

Impact damage for boat fiberglass repair can be daunting. The difficulty lies in getting the laminates to be continuous with the rest of the hull. Cutting out the damaged area and using resin to cover the hole makes the job easier.

Locate the damaged area from inside. If there is nothing in the way of cutting the damage out - then do so. Remember that there will be delamination around the damage, so tap around the edges to evaluate.

Delamination occurs as the water gets between the laminates in the area of the damage.

Here is a video presentation for your information:

Want more for your money? West Marine are giving away 10% on orders over £100!

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