Restoration Questions (Can I bondo my fiberglass boat?)

[Coreyb760]

I have a couple questions, is it possible for me to bondo over the fiberglass on the boat? If not can i fiberglass over the paint or do i have to take it down to the old fiberglass?

[longliner45]

first please be more precise of your intentions,,,if you are repairing damage ,,or refinishing the hull.however for patching use a fiberglass product ,,such as dura glass with fibers in it,,bondo dont last ,it dont flex well and it aborbs moister and yes take it down to the core material,,,,,picture of your project would be cool .good luck ,,longliner

[Coreyb760]

I am refinishing the hull. Here are some pictures of the boat it is a 66 flatbottom "fresno". Im just trying to fill in the valleys in the fiberglass so when i paint it it looks good.

[longliner45]

nice boat ,,use dura glass ,get it at car part stores or car paint stores,,,,what are you gonna paint it with? longliner

[Coreyb760]

not sure, i was just gonna leave it up to the paint guy..... any suggestions

[Coreyb760]

When I fiberglass it should I take it down to the old fiberglass? And does it matter what kind of sand papper I use?

[Coreyb760]

And I already bought fiberglass jelly do you think that would work?

[jimslade]

Use a waterproof fiberglass filler. Grind any and all repairs down to original glass with 24 grit. Sand filler with 80 grit than 180 than prime with a hard epoxy primer. Let your painter finish to whatever he wants to use. I like 2 stage urethanes. Have fun!

[Coreyb760]

Originally Posted by jimslade

Use a waterproof fiberglass filler. Grind any and all repairs down to original glass with 24 grit. Sand filler with 80 grit than 180 than prime with a hard epoxy primer. Let your painter finish to whatever he wants to use. I like 2 stage urethanes. Have fun!

Does Anyone have a second opinion on what kind of paint to use?

[PAR]

Paints are user preference, after you get past the hardness factor. The hard stuff is the two part polyurethanes, but it also is more difficult to apply. Any other paint choice will be less durable, less hard and will have to be justified in some way, which is an end user issue. Most painters know their products and are comfortable with them, so it's a wise choice to let a painter select the paint type for your application. Modern paints aren't like the good old days, when some spirits and paint got tossed in a cup and you shot the job. Now you need to understand the product, or you'll have one screwed up paint job, unless it's house paint coming out of a Wagner hand shaker.