I have a wooden ski boat and want to fibreglass the whole hull of it , I want info on how to go about it?

Question

I have a wooden ski boat and want to fibreglass the whole hull of it , I want info on how to go about it?

Answer 1

There are whole books written on this subject...call a good nautical bookstore and get a few ( try Armchair Sailor; several around the country, or Pilothouse Books and Charts in Philadelphia or Jamestown Distributors in Rhode Island)

having said all that:

Glassing a wood boat is a temporary measure. Eventually the glass will crack off and peel away ( de-laminate) and you're back to square one.

Unless you put  six to eight layers on, the glass doesn't do anything for strength, so you should do structural repairs first before wasting your time and money.

Glassing over rot will just let the rot spread underneath and un noticed, so away with the rot before you start.

If the boat is plywood, ie smooth and flat, its a little easier than a planked boat.

First grind off every last bit of paint. You must have bare wood for this to work.

Use only epoxy resin. West System is the best I've found, although  folks like System 3.

Glass comes in 3 flavors.....chopped mat ( when you see it you'll know why;) woven roving ---looks somewhat like caning for chairs...and cloth.....kind of like a tight screen weave.

Soak the bare wood with epoxy. Using fiberglass roller ( looks like a paint roller but is made of serrated metal) force epoxy into the chopped mat, lay up on the boat, roll again till the glass is transparent...ie the epoxy has soaked all the way thru.

Overcoat with another layer of mat; long wide strips of roving at stress points (  chine stem keel transom) and then a layer of cloth over all to give somthong smooth to fair and paint.

You will only be able to do a few square feet at a time before the resin gets REALLY hot and starts to cure.

This is an incredibly messy job with dangerous toxic chemicals.........at least epoxy can be cleaned with vinegar.....but DONT get it in your eyes or hair or mouth........gloves, hats, protective clothing safety glasses the whole deal.....

and sanded fiberglass is the itchiest thing in the world. Nasty nasty nasty.

It really is a lot easier and a whole lot less toxic to fix a wooden boat with wood........