Repair work on hole on fiberglass

[rharel]

Last spring while waxing my 2010 19 ft, I came across a small hole and a bunch of cracks at the back of my trailer. Not happy but filled in the cracks and hole last year with crazy glue which prevented any further cracking. Just got it back today from Dave at Spiderworks and what a fantastic job he did. I can't see or feel the damage. I think a rock hit the back bumper and was shot forward and did the damage. If in need of fiberglass repair call Spiderworks, in for 24hrs. only.

Robin

[Dave Walter]

thanks Robin. It is good to know that there is someone local who can do these types of repairs.

[MyronL]

By any chance did he tell you what product(s) he used for the repair?

[rharel]

No Myron he didn't and I didn't ask. Spiderworks is a fiberglass repair shop and he works mainly on boats. He has a small shop, there was an older Boler in for repair same time as mine. He put a gel coat on also.

Robin

[GerriJ]

Originally Posted by MyronL

By any chance did he tell you what product(s) he used for the repair?

There are all kinds of Gelcoat repair kits available on line. The trick is matching the colour exactly. Escape Industries should be able to help with the colour. I have done a lot of work with fibreglass (the front fenders of my'56 F100 are fibreglass and I owned a Bigfoot before the escape.). I would strongly suggest not making temporary repairs with any non fibreglass product. It will contaminate the fibre glass. (Silicone seal is an absolute killer). I am sure that Dave at Spidreworks had to grind out all of that crazy glue before he could make a proper repair.

[Ron in BC]

Originally Posted by MyronL

By any chance did he tell you what product(s) he used for the repair?

After my boat had been bashed many times going through 394 locks across Europe, yes, we did keep track, it had some major spider cracks to repair.

Basically the materials are, fg filler for damage below the gel coat level and hopefully, color matched gel coat. Using a process called cello finishing it's possible to do virtually invisible repairs.

Ron

[MyronL]

Yes, that's what in a previous FB trailer life exactly what I did... went to my nearest West Marine store... right after many fine hours of exotic curses while clearing out the previous owner's silicone patch disaster.

[rharel]

Hi Myron and GerriJ, yes Spiderworks had to grind out the crazy glue before repair. In my defence I sent pictures of damage to Reace and asked for help as we were leaving for a three week holiday in two days and I wanted to prevent further damage. He offered none, for liability reasons would be my guess. I was on my own and crazy glue was suggested for a temporary repair till a professional could do the repair. The crazy glue worked well for us, but might not work well for others.

Robin

[rbryan4]

Originally Posted by Ron in BC

Using a process called cello finishing it's possible to do virtually invisible repairs.

Ah! You reminded me of a repair my dad did on a dune buggy many years ago. He filled the repaired area with the gelcoat then covered it with an acetate sheet ( kinda like cellophane). When he peeled it away and then buffed a little you couldn't see the repair.

[lorrie]

For all of you Vancouverites/lower mainlanders, does anyone know of a company that does good fiberglass repair locally?

[BRietkerk]

Originally Posted by lorrie

For all of you Vancouverites/lower mainlanders, does anyone know of a company that does good fiberglass repair locally?

Escape have done fibreglass repair to their trailers in the past. It's obviously not their primary business but they still may be interested in helping you.

[Ron in BC]

[QUOTE=rbryan4;67111]

He filled the repaired area with the gelcoat then covered it with an acetate sheet ( kinda like cellophane). When he peeled it away and then buffed a little you couldn't see the repair. /QUOTE]

Yeah, I'm really dating myself when I mention that process. It seems to have disappeared as a term. Also, the acetate sheet that works really with that process, the perfect combination of thickness and flexibility, are sheets of acetate that were commonly used on overhead projectors, another item that belongs to another era

Lot's of boat places in the Vancouver area can do excellent glass repairs. I've raced big boats for years and seen lot's of banged up boats repaired to perfection. One that I've had personal experience with on a major job was Fraser Fiberglass.

Ron

[flatpick]

for a temporary fix Marine Tex works well. It's a 2-part mix that provides a toothpaste consistently that can be patched over a booboo. stay away from glues and silicone caulks. to repair you have to remove ALL the filler and get down to the glass fibre, then it's pretty straightforward body work. grind, glass, resin, gelcoat, sand, sand, sand.... itchy and not fun but rewarding when your done! Professional boat repair shops do a great job and can generally match gel coat colors, tho Escape should be able to source the original gel.

we have worked in the f/g kayak industry for 25 years!

steve

[dave macrae]

Glad to hear you were able to get it repaired.