Does anyone have any hints on refberglassing small holes and cracks on an old fiberglass canoe?

Question

Does anyone have any hints on refberglassing small holes and cracks on an old fiberglass canoe?

Answer 1

make sure the surface is clean before applying resin.   use more resin than you think you need.

Answer 2

jack jaco is correct . if you use a fiberglass epoxy i would recomend DURAGLASS. i use it all the time.....happy floating!!

Answer 3

any local wal mart has a section for boat stuff , they sell a great fiberglass repair kit i think  it was like 10 bucks or less we used it last summer after a goof up in repairing a weak board and replacing the carpet we drilled a s***w through the boat  in a couple places and it is still holding after about 60 hours on the lake hydro boarding and tubing in a 17 ft boat with a 135 motor it held up and is still holding i checked it just 2 days ago cant tell a difference in the looks of the repair , just sand a small area around it to make sure the stuff  has something to hold to

Answer 4

An automotive repair kit would work but lacks either filler or cloth, depending.

For a small nick, with no structure you would be best using a low density filler such as west systems (available in any good marine store - otherwise use an equivalent) The other thing worth checking with a repair kit is which resin they use. You should steer clear of polyester resin unless you know for sure your canoe is made with polyester.

I would buy a small quantity of epoxy resin, some low density filler, some matt, and a little woven fibreglass. The grand total of these purchases is probably no more than a repair kit and offers a much more durable repair.

there are hundreds of tutorials online, try www.jamestowndistributors.com or just use google. The amount of preparation would mean an exhaustive description here. One thing to be sure of is that you rough surfaces up and clean them with acetone prior to any application or layup. (you'll understand that better when you read a tutorial.)

another tip is, presuming your canoe is painted, you can respray using automotive paint. You must be sure the surface is absolutely perfectly flat and smooth before application.

A good automotive store will be able to match the paint of your canoe with an aerosol.

Oh and don't go to heavy with the grinding, especially at first, and even more so if its just small holes and cracks. Just get rid of any loose debris and shards of fibreglass. Use sandpaper for the first few repairs. Use a dremel thereafter. Do not use an angle grinder on a canoe unless your both professional and foolhardy!

Good luck, message me with any specific queries.

Answer 5

if the holes and cracks are quite small you might be able to get away with using chewing gum.

Answer 6

you can grind a small area around the hole and use an automotive fiberglass repair kit . another good repair is to use the  epoxy kits that are sold for gas tank repair , it is sold in a tube  and is kneaded till it is one color both these kits come with instructions