| Not understanding fiberglass boat repair makes | | | | The finished product is the hull. |
| people unsure about taking up the work | | | | Practical Application Of Knowledge |
| themselves. That and the fact that it has a very | | | | Hull and deck repair. Both important. Must stop |
| important job to do. What with keeping the | | | | water getting in to either of them. Let's discuss |
| fidelity of the hull and stopping water coming in, | | | | hulls first: Study the damaged area. Is it the |
| and all that! In order to shed some light on this | | | | gelcoat that is chipped? or is the GRP exposed? |
| murky aspect of sailboat maintenance, this article | | | | May be there is a hole through the hull. Repairing |
| will hopefully provide some insight. | | | | the gelcoat is straight forward. The replacement |
| The majority of modern hulls these days are | | | | coat can be found in liquid form which you paint |
| made from glass reinforced plastic - it's an alias | | | | on. Make sure the coats are fully cured and |
| for our chosen topic. Which hi lights another | | | | colored to match your hull. Read the instructions |
| problem - confusion. If everyone is calling | | | | on the tin for curing times. |
| something by different names, then confusion | | | | If the GRP is exposed then you must mix up |
| sets in. The reason several names are in | | | | some fibers with the polymer catalyst to produce |
| circulation is due to process by which this resin - | | | | a resin - paste it in to the damaged area, up to |
| there you see, another alias! is made. | | | | the level of the gelcoat. Wait for it to cure before |
| In order to reach the finished product, there must | | | | applying the gelcoat. The glass comes in two |
| be a chemical reaction between two separate | | | | forms, either as strands or chopped strand mat. |
| compounds. Before getting to that, lets take a | | | | Depending on the area damaged you may wish to |
| step back. Ask the question - what is fiberglasss | | | | use the mat variety. Simply place layers over the |
| anyway? Once you get that bit the rest is a snap! | | | | damaged area and gradually fill out. |
| So let's see, fiber and glass. By splitting the word | | | | If you have a hole, you will need to identify the |
| up you have a good idea of what it is. Simply | | | | area in the boat to work from. Because the hull is |
| fibers of glass, it is used to reinforce polymers. | | | | curved, repair of holes are easiest from inside. To |
| Polymers? Help! what are they? Well it's a type of | | | | perform the same level of repair from the |
| plastic that has opposing but complimentary | | | | outside would involve more work. By layering up |
| characteristics for bonding with fibers. The plastic | | | | the hole from the inside with your mats of glass, |
| offers compound strength, whilst fibers give | | | | you will be able to fix the problem. as the laminate |
| tensile strength. So one is good at being | | | | dries you can mold it, to the curves of the hull. |
| compounded and the other acts like a kind of | | | | Make sure that you have studied the area |
| glue. The finished product's technical name is glass | | | | concerned prior to fixing. Once the hull is ruptured |
| reinforced plastic (GRP). | | | | to any degree, osmosis begins. One in four boats |
| The shiny outer surface on your hull, is gelcoat. | | | | suffers from osmosis. |
| This is in fact the first coating to be applied to the | | | | Deck repair is similar to hull repair. You need to |
| mould when a boat is built. This layer is between | | | | replace crazed glass, perhaps were the anchor |
| half a centimeter to one centimeter thick. It is | | | | has been dropped. Voids may appear around tight |
| also the product of two materials. The first is a | | | | corners in the cockpit. Literally because the glass |
| resin - being a type of plastic, and the second is a | | | | has not got great flow characteristics. Hence |
| another plastic or polymer. The two together are | | | | voids in the finished product. Blame your |
| cross linked, meaning they alter chemically forming | | | | manufacturer! Oh! and it's to do with humidity too! |
| the outer surface of your boat. They are applied | | | | Of course deck repair is as essential as hull, if |
| to the mold as a spray. The layers are built up | | | | water gets in to the core then you've got real |
| over time. Just like the laminates - layers of GRP. | | | | problems! |