fiberglassing for the first time. . . need help repairing the disaster

Discussion in 'Boatbuilding' started by kjprag01, Jun 26, 2016.

  1. kjprag01
    Joined: Apr 2016
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    Location: louisville

    kjprag01 New Member

    ok ladies and gents. The lady and I just finished the fiberglassing and gooing of our first boat build. The boat itself was easy, frame + plywood + our workshop = easy. but honestly those of you who can fiberglass, hats off to you, my god... its an art skill craft workout all in one. Really i used to think i could do just about anything. . . from home repair to advanced transmission rebuilds. but fiberglassing. WOW. You're gods amongst us mortals. So the epoxy set up just as it should the fiberglass was well laid out and taped down, but we have every possible first time fiberglassing mistakes, which i do assume are, expected at this point in our experience. LOL. we got spots where the fiberglass is solid but is not on the ply, we've got white areas that are coated but not saturated, we have areas (few, very few, like one-ish) that are perfectly filled clear and coated like glass smooth and beautiful, table top finish or a bar top. we have rough spots that the fiberglass folded over itself and hardened. . . runs, patchie spots, etc, etc. And we both have wicked sunburns, aloe is not in the budget. what do we do? No we are not giving up, we are actually in good spirits about this(the adult beverages help). But we need advise on how to fix and repair such things. My thought is to sand off those areas and apply more fiberglass and goo. Or slit open those areas and pour goo in the void between the ply and glass and sand smooth and fair. But since its one big gut punch when it comes to newbie and fiberglass we need guidance. please help.

    K and O
     
  2. Mr Efficiency
    Joined: Oct 2010
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    Mr Efficiency Senior Member

    I'd say some good pictures of the catastrophe would assist others to judge the gravity of the situation !
     
  3. gonzo
    Joined: Aug 2002
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    Location: Milwaukee, WI

    gonzo Senior Member

    If you got a sunburn, that means you were laminating in the sun which is a very, very bad idea. Pretty much the only solution is to grind the whole mess off the boat.
     
  4. upchurchmr
    Joined: Feb 2011
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    Location: Ft. Worth, Tx, USA

    upchurchmr Senior Member

    Agreed about taking it all off, but don't grind/ sand.

    Use a heat gun (Harbor Freight - $15). The glue will soften, peal up an edge and just keep pulling while the heat is applied just ahead of the peel point. Keep the gun moving.

    Then sand off the reminant glue.

    Like Gonzo said, don't do it outside, use slower hardner for your first time.

    Use squeege's to get a smooth full coat, but not so much that you can't see the weave of the glass - on the first coat.

    It will work, even I got it after a little while.
     
  5. SamSam
    Joined: Feb 2005
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    Location: Coastal Georgia

    SamSam Senior Member

    I never had any good results laying glass on unprimed plywood and then applying resin.
     
  6. ElGringo
    Joined: Mar 2014
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    Location: Amarillo Texas

    ElGringo Senior Member

    Watch a dozen or two videos on YouTube. There are some that I would call excellent and most I would call good. And just seeing it done will put you miles ahead.
     
  7. kjprag01
    Joined: Apr 2016
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    Location: louisville

    kjprag01 New Member

    by request here are some photos. I turned them into an easy zoom, comment, edit, PDF File. ohhh out in the sun weather is the best we have, we have a great backyard. no garage and the shop isn't big enough for this beast.

    k and o
     

  8. rwatson
    Joined: Aug 2007
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    Location: Tasmania,Australia

    rwatson Senior Member

    Please advise if you used Epoxy or Polyester Resin. Also, what weight of cloth, what did you apply it with and how much ?

    There is nothing like failure to make a person actually read and/or Youtube instructions.
     
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