Fiberglass Repair

[cpriest]

Anyone have a local contact that does fiberglass work? I have a Gheenoe (think stable flat back canoe) and I cracked the bottom of my hull and have a small leak. Read a few DIY articles but it's more of an issue of time as it's busy at work and duck season is right around the corner. Thanks!

[J-Doc]

No but ibhighly recommend West Marine Epoxy system. If it repaired my 15ft fiberglass boat, it will be the strongest part on your canoe. It's as strong as steel.

[cpriest]

J-doc that's what I was leaning towards. Did you have to do extensive sanding? Did you repair from the inside or outside of the hull? How big of an area does the kit cover? The impacted area is about 3". Thanks.

[J-Doc]

No sanding that I recall. Probably would help with a very course sand paper and then clean thoroughly afterwards. The West Marine kit is expensive but it's one of the best of not the best available to the public.

I had a gash where the hull was separating. About 3-4" long. I made a batch of "peanut butter" which is silica powder mixed with the epoxy resin as a filler and then overload it with fine woven glass in 3 layers. Then came back with a generous top coat and I'll be darned if it was not the strongest part of the boat afterwards. I drove that boat like I stole it on rough water and it's still going strong today. I just saw it yesterday for that matter. The new owner was taking it fishing. That's been almost 2yrs now. I think....maybe a year. I have pics but for what you're doing, it's way overkill.

With West Marine, you can cut a hole in the boat, glass it, and then gel coat it. If it's going to see a it of Sun, you need gel coat to seal it from UV which will dry it out and yellow over time. Again. ...this is for a big boat. For a canoe, the repair cost may warrant a new one compared to the West Marine system. Easy $200 for materials. Maybe more. Tulsa has the closest West Marine but you can ship it too. Just not express mail because it's a hazardous material.

Call Ozark Trading Company out in Pea Ridge and see if they repair or would make a trade for a comparable canoe. They have lots of stock. Just something to explore before plunging into fiberglass repair. It's actually quite simple but the supplies......that's where the cost is. And why bass boats cost so much.

[J-Doc]

Here is the photo from the bottom of the hull

I had to cut a hole in the floor above to access for repair. Below you see the finished repair with the filler securing the joint and resin coated glass laid over in 3 separate layers.

A view of the filler prior to the resin laid glass overlay.

I should forwarn you.......this stuff will get hot and will setup hard within about 2-3 mins. You MUST keep stirring it or it will begin to smoke and harden and once it's hard.........that's it. You just wasted a lot of resin. Yes I said smoking. So wear a ventilator or mask of some type. The chemical reaction gives off smoke once it starts to harden if it's in a large quantity like in your mixing pale during application. It won't smoke or reaction when on the boat itself. Only the mixing pale. I used plastic disposable paint mixing pales because of this.

[Jason R.]

I used a fair bit of Marine-tex epoxy on my Shawnee and it is very easy to work with. Only cost about 30 bucks on amazon for a decent sized container. I was only filling in superficial scratches- but I hear it is extremely strong.

[kjackson]

I would check in the forums at bateau2.com. There is a wealth of information and help there. However, a simple crack is relatively easy to repair with epoxy.

To do a good job you have to sand. What you're trying to do is clean off any loose material as well as get rid of paint, gelcoat, etc. The sanding should be rough--not super smooth. You want plenty of tooth for the epoxy to grab.

Not having a good idea of how extensive a repair or the underlying damage, I still would suggest you lay a bit of fiberglass cloth or tape (saturated in epoxy) over the crack and then support that with some filler--perhaps wood flour mixed in epoxy. The tape will give you the strengh and if done properly will keep the crack from reappearing.

However, a quick question with a photo of the crack will get you all the info and help you need from the bateau forum.

[Terrierman]

Here is the photo from the bottom of the hull

I had to cut a hole in the floor above to access for repair. Below you see the finished repair with the filler securing the joint and resin coated glass laid over in 3 separate layers.

A view of the filler prior to the resin laid glass overlay.

I should forwarn you.......this stuff will get hot and will setup hard within about 2-3 mins. You MUST keep stirring it or it will begin to smoke and harden and once it's hard.........that's it. You just wasted a lot of resin. Yes I said smoking. So wear a ventilator or mask of some type. The chemical reaction gives off smoke once it starts to harden if it's in a large quantity like in your mixing pale during application. It won't smoke or reaction when on the boat itself. Only the mixing pale. I used plastic disposable paint mixing pales because of this.

Cut back on the catalyst and that won't happen.

[Flysmallie]

If it's smoking then something is wrong. There should be heat, that's the curing process, but there shouldn't be smoke. I've been working in these type of chemicals for close to 30 years and never seen smoke when mixed properly. Adding too much catalyst is never a good thing. First you get this smoke deal, and while it does cure faster it also is more brittle. This is not something you will notice in the beginning.

[J-Doc]

It's not a plume, could be vapor from heat. I mixed it per the instructions to follow their ratio of gardener to resin.

Back to the original question, what should he do to repair his canoe. I think the West Marine system is overkill.