Fiberglass disaster

Some great advice from the experts here Rassy, and lots of useful information from Par too.

I must admit though, that I would be tempted to try to save a lot of what you have done. Assuming that the hull got a good coat of epoxy, taking it off again may not be the most strategic approach.

As its a 'dory', you probably have lots of 'straight' sections, that with a belt sander or a good orbital sander as Par suggested, you could just sand off the rough bits down to about 1mm off the timber, thereby leaving some glass and epoxy for weather and water protection.

Even if you ended up with some minor hollows or holes, you could mix up some epoxy with a suitable filler, and make the hull surface smooth enough to paint.

later, when you can afford cloth, there is not harm in laying it straight on top ( after removing the temporary paint of varnish )

You would have to try a test sand, and see if you felt the trouble and cost of consumables made this a worthwhile idea.

Good luck with it all.

 

Without pictures, we're guessing. If it's a glued lapstrake, which would be a common thing for a dory, then you don't need to tape or 'glass anything. Post some photos as soon as you can, or a more accurate description of what you have (glued lapstrake or glued and taped seam).

Supplies can be ordered on line, which is usually cheaper and shipped directly to you.

 

OK rassy, understood. Once you get to the point where you're comfortable come back to this thread, borrow a camera and post a photo or two.

Herman is right when he says that we're misunderstood. My teenage son had started calling my restoration project "HMS Never Sail" earlier this year as I was in the 4th year of this project. People will think you're nuts until you actually finish. I suppose that's extra incentive for us all to get the job done.

Now, carry on!

 

We are all here to help in any way possible !! just ask and you will get a dozen answers !! just have to match the answers to the questions !!.
Good luck .

 

I feel your pain rassy I also have to remove the fiberglass from my build but for a different resin, I am finishing mine bright showing the wood but somewhere along the lines moister got in a made some cloudy patches. I have done a test removing with a heat gun and it will work fine just be sure to cover yourself up well with goggles and long sleeves as it tends to spit tiny shards of glass at you.
Best of luck I'm sure you will still have a fine looking boat at the end of it all. We live and learn and sometimes the learning is a right pain in the ***

 

An 8 ft boat? I suggest you junk the attempt, buy some 1/4 plywood (not 3/8), epoxy resin and 3 or 4 inch wide fiberglass tape (just epoxy/fiberglass the seams) and start all over....


you'll get more satisfaction on a new restart and probably same time too.
paul oman
progressive epoxy polymers inc

 

Just to waterproof and seal the wood, I would do this.
I would skip the epoxy but you already have some left?

Get the PL premium POLYURETHANE construction adhesive in the large 28oz tubes.
Precut some pieces of FG cloth to fit an area
Get the thin light weight fiberglass cloth
Take a notched trowel and apply some glue to an area of hull.
Lay the cloth on the area.
Smooth with a broad flat blade forcing the cloth onto the surface and saturating the cloth with the polyurethane glue.

Do the entire boat as easy as it gets using this glue. Very strong and very waterproof.
You can stop, start, pick up next day same hour, layering and gluing with this adhesive glue. No need to sand or wash between layers.
It will gas off making bubbles so keep smoothing it down. You can hear them pop as you drag your trowel against the surface, (like rice krispies in milk). Then it reaches a point where you should not disturb the glue for a little while, perhaps an hour.
I think of it like the sludging stage where you see it start to gel. Cure time depends on humidity and temperature.
It is easy to tell what the glue is doing and you will be surprised how fast this sets up, but still gives you plenty of time to work with it. I have used painters tape to hold down stubborn edges and you can use cereal bag plastic in various ways if clamping as it wont stick to HDPE plastics.
Perhaps wear gloves and this glue gets in places you dont think it will. Clean up with 90% alcohol.

Lightly sand it and paint it next day or day after.

What you end up with is a tough rubber like membrane with a reinforcement of glass cloth over the surface. VERY resistant to dings, this wont crack and let in water.

The glue also makes excellent semi structural filler when mixed with sawdust. If it was mixed with strong fibers it would be really durable strong tough stuff.
If you want to fill big holes gouges, mix in sawdust etc... perhaps 50-50. Trowel into area. Lay on some plastic and clamp it down. The mix will swell forcing itself into all the crevices and leave a perfect smooth surface. You can also use it for sealing up wood end grain, gaps between wood pieces that would normally collect water then rot.

 

You've got to be kidding right? You don't charge people for these repair techniques do you? Insurance company approved too?

 

Dont ya just love this kind of mentality !!
There parents should be sued for having children !!!

What ever happened to doing the job properly so it will last for ever almost ! Not going to answer any of that stupidity !!

 

A couple of odd replies indeed.
Dont knock what you dont know much about.

Tell me why you think it does not work.
Because it just seems so freaking weird?
Not a very good reason.

Do tires with rubber reinforced fiber material work on cars?
Does thin rubber reinforced diaphragms work in fuel pumps?
Both of those items are extremely durable, will certainly be flexed and stressed more than a thin skin on a boat.
Now you could not use this except on a more rigid structure like plywood. By itself it would be too floppy.

I have done repairs on boats using a lot of that glue and continue to find odd and unusual uses for it.
I have found it to work fine underwater for years.

Another good underwater glue is the Black PL polyurethane roof sealant. That is very close to black rubber tire when cured.

 

That might be similar to "Pabco brushable hydroseal' I used on canvas kayaks because it was cheap.

It lasted for years with no degradation in sun and water, and always stayed waterproof and flexible. It would even 'dry' in water, so a rock on the beach wouldnt ruin the whole day.

 

He's doing a 4' wide by 8' long little boat. I'd look at it this way. How much material are you going to need to do it right? I'm just an amateur, a hobbyist. I probably tossed enough resin over the summer to do his whole boat. Mixed too much, took too long and some kicked off, just bits and pieces left over in pots.....It won't cost much to do it "right".

Maybe the rubber stuff would work. Maybe that stuff the guy advertizes on TV would work, that spray rubber that seals gutters. I don't know. But I do know one thing.

I only like to swim on my own terms.