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To repair a fiberglass hull on boats may appear to be an easy job because it basicallyinvolves patching any weakened areas usinggelcoat. However, the preparation that needs to be done is the most crucialstep in the process and will have the biggest impact on the soundness of the work you will do. Because of this you will need to be precise when repairing the hull on your boat. Basically the process requires a bit of sanding, application of polyester resin, waxing and buffing to restore the original gloss. It is critical that you do not merely fill any cracks with additional material as this will be liable to break off. This is because gelcoat is extremely brittle once dried and will crack soon after being affixed to the area.

How To Repair A Fiberglass Hull On Boats

Required Materials

Polyester Resin

Pigments of various colours

Hardener

Tape

Rubing Compound

Required Tools

Sand Paper

Gloves

Rotary Tool

Screw Driver

Popsicle Stick/Plastic Scraper

Instructions

To start you will have to make your surface rough to add your filler comprised of gelcoat, pigment and a hardener. To accomplish this you will need to use your sandpaper, rotary tool and screw driver. Essentially you will be allowing the gelcoat to have a stronger grip on the flawed area. Omiting this step as mentioned previously will cause the gelcoat to crack after it has been laid. Ultimately you will have to take your sandpaper and create a jagged texture to your area. After you have done this you may use your screw driver or rotary tool to dig a valley in your work area, thusproducing a satisfactory number of rough edges. Once the valley is created you can then smooth out the surrounding areas and utilize some of tape to distinguish the area that will be patched. To make certain you don’t ruin the areas that are undamaged closest to the work area, use extra tape to cover those areas.

It is now time to prepare your filling. The most difficult part of this exercise will be to mix your gelcoat to look like the exact colour foundon the hull as it is currently. The best advice will be to mix your colour before you think of mixing your polyester resin and hardener to create your gelcoat. If you mix all of the aforementioned materials together at one time you will have only 20 minutes to get the colour right by trial and error. Therefore for this part of the process mix only the pigments and polyester resin together and test on a small area of material that is like your hull and let it dry a bit. It is probable that the colour will look slightly different when the colour is dried. This part of the process will need a bit of artistry and some patience will be required.

When you have got the colour to match the hull you can then add your hardener. However, before adding the hardener pay close attention to the guidelines and ensure that you put in the correct amount to prevent a poor mixture that will lead to an alteration in the colour you’ve mixed and an unsatisfactory finish. You should not add the hardener to the complete amount that you have made but instead to small portions as you proceed. This will ensure you will not have to remix the colour which as you should already know necessitates some amount of time. It will also ensure that the areas being patched will be uniformly coloured.

To fill the section put on the gel coat with a popsicle stick or any other type of flat applicator. Try to do this as smoothly as possible. It doesn’t need to be extremely smooth because it will be sanded. When you have completed filling the space it should be a bit higher than your encompassing section, this allowance should be left to enable better sanding of the area. You may need to apply a few more layers while sanding in between to get it to be slightly elevated. Let this dry for 24 hours.

After it has dried you can then sand down the area and remove the masking tape from the untouched areas to get the area as close to this as you are able to. You may then apply another thin layer orf resin and let set overnight.

You may then buff your section with the rubbing compound until it looks just as attractive as the unspoilt areas.

You can add a bit after you are finished to give extra protection from UV rays.

Tips

You may want to wear your gloves to prevent the mixture from getting on your hand.

Try to work cautiously so that you do not end up damaging any areas that are still in good condition.