How do it myself repair fractures in fiberglass boats?

Question

i have an older boat with stress cracks .I would like to know how to repair and finish it.

Answer 1

To do this you will have to sand the crack lines deeper, fold a 100 grid and sand with the folding edge in the lines (uptill the fibers is the best), degrease, then fill with gelcote. Wet sand 800 till smooth then buff/ polish.  

There are gelcote repair kits that hard out without wax.

You can also add teints to get the right colour mix.

Time consuming job but the result can be flawless.

Frank

Answer 2

its a pain in the *** you have to make them bigger than fill it in if its not to bad leave it alone it gives the boat character

Answer 3

It's a hot and dirty work, but still a fun project.  small cracks can be filled in with fiberglass putty, I like Marine-Tex .

check out the restoration forum at http://forums.iboats.com see what other do-it-yourselfers are doing, folks there can walk ya through it, you'll get a result you can be proud of.