This is THE BEST fiberglass repair instruction on the Web! He quickly explains the "Where", "Why", "What" and "How". His productions have vastly improved from his first videos....this is very well done and very helpful....thanks Boatworks guy!
Whatever the ratio is , I calculate it in grams of hardener to grams of resin. I then place a disposable container on a digital scale, ,set it to zero, then pour in the calc'd weights. I believe it to be more accurate than volume measure.
I am taking so much notes. I am currently restauring the cutest 1964 fiberglass RV and this is so incredibly helpful. Not only all the steps, but the additional info about curing, heat, glass fibre... incredibly useful. Thank you so much! Love from Belgium.
Here's how I compare the two: Bondo: Not 100% waterproof, relatively low bonding strength to it's substrate, very short working time (1-2 minutes per batch) can only be mixed in small amounts and is more porous than epoxy. Epoxy w/410 Filler: It's 100% waterproof, very high bonding strength, working time can be up to 30+ minutes with the appropriate hardener allowing much larger batches to be mixed, gives a non-porous finish and is able to be used in lower air temperatures. Hope this helps!
This guy needs a show on the DISCOVERY CHANNEL! I have just bought a Mahogany 60,s twin engine cruiser and she has ALL this to do! I think MANY of us owe this guy a beer each!
I love this guy! He presents not only how, but why you do what you do to repair. Very good information and plus it's presented in a logical and understandable way. Thank you for this!
Andy I watched all your videos, purchased some West Systems 105 Fiberglass repair kit and fixed the halyard cleat and pulley that pulled out of the fiberglass deck of my 1979 Sunfish. Thank you for the instruction and confidence to do it myself.
More than likely they are just minor stress cracks which are fairly common; yes they will most likely print through the new bottom paint. A quick Q: are the cracks somewhat grouped in a pattern or randomly scattered throughout the hull? I'd tap the areas lightly with a hammer to see if there is a sound difference. Let me know what you find out :-)
Great video, it’s very informative and you explain it so well! A small tip for when you have tight rounded edges: at 17 min into the video you can make different sized sanding blocks by winding printing paper tightly in small tubes and tape it with duct tape. Make sure you use enough paper so that it is rigid enough to sand with. You can pre-make different sizes and add them to your tool box! Thanks again!
Great job on videos. I’ve picked up a boat for my son so we can do a project together he wanted his own boat an I know nothing about fiberglass. But now I think it’s something we can do. So thanks again from Louisiana. Keep it up buddy.
Good deal; the next vid is going to cover stress cracks and working with poly resin. Was hoping to have it up today, but looks like it will be closer to the end of the week (warm weather has forced my Spring rush a month early getting boats ready to launch; busy busy...) It will be up very soon :-) Thanks for the comment!
whats the song at 27:47? thanks for your videos, im looking at buying a laser dinghy at the minute and it has one or two spots where the gelcoat has cracked, you're helping me decide if they are something i can fix or if i should wait for another...
Love the detail! In talking with West Systems they promote the wedding cake vs inverse wedding cake style of glass layers. Their book also recommends that and what I saw you do was the inverted cake (smallest first, then next size, until the largest is last). From a shape perspective it makes sense but they said "because if you add one too many pieces you would have to grind into your largest piece which is the strongest"
I've had problems with permanent markers bleeding through the finished paint surface months after the finished job, even after washing with lacquer thinner and acetone, I only use pencil now and have never had any issues. Having to repaint a Multi- stage pearl white job was a good lesson on not using permanent markers!
Your timing as always is just right - need to do just this kind of work on my boat over the next couple of months. Instead of painting could you coat these repairs with flow coat?
Gotta say a 24' build is pretty ambitious! I'm hoping to have time to do a 12-14' this Summer but we'll see; still gotta pay the bills :-( I guess I need to answer a question with another question; what kind of design are you building? Typically the types of glass that I use 95% of the time are 1.5oz CSM and 1708 biaxial. For this size boat I'd say this more of what you should be looking at. But, there are different types of glass recommended for particular applications. A lot of consider.
Great video! I am Patrick Cunningham, NTL Sales MGR for CASS POLYMERS INC, the maker of the ADTECH P-14. We proud of our entire polyester line and we also make all the products that you demonstrated with the epoxy products. Our general purpose epoxy is called PROBUILD. We offer four different hardeners depending on how much working time that you want. Our polyesters are the best on the market, least moisture absorption, easy sanding. Thanks!
Hey Joseph, if the repair spots are below the waterline and not requiring gelcoat then I would just use thickened epoxy. I am doing a blister repair / prevention video now that should be of some help. I'll have that video ready sometime in Sept :-) BTW, surprised the marina does not allow sanding outside; never heard of that. Usually as long as there are tarps on the ground and a curtain hanging down from the hull to contain dust that should be good.. May want to look into that a bit more.
Thanks for your beautiful videos you teach as a lot. Greeting and big big warm thanks to you sire from Morocco the north of africa. I love the way that you present and the way that you try to make everyone understand simply. Thanks again and again
6:50 You can buy a chopped fiber that is compatible with epoxy. It uses a different bonder: powder and works as well with epoxy as polyester does with the chopped mat you have in this video.
Your content is seriously amazing.. you're super informative, and you make your videos entertaining to watch. I am astonished at how well these videos are made, and how much great info is in them.
As always a highly detailed, thoroughly explained repair video. As they say, the devil is in the details, and so many other sites tend to leave out what this fellow puts in. Excellent info delivered in a personable easily understood style. Five thumbs up!
If you're looking to re-tap the hole, personally I would drill the hole out slightly oversized, fill with thickened epoxy and let it cure. Re-drill the proper sized hole for the screw and insert :-) Having the new screw surrounded with epoxy will also help prevent future possible issues with water absorption into the core..
Great videos and extremely informative. I learned more in two of your videos than I did in two weeks searching the internet. Will definitely watch the rest. Got a 32 Ericson sloop that I'm refurbishing. Got some deep deck cracks going into the core and about 4-5 inches long. Just stemming from to the hull. The area of the core seems to have some amount of dry rot. Could you point me to a video that deals with a similar situation?
Thanks @Timulator :-) My reasoning for going with epoxy / paint boils down to time (which directly effects customer cost). Doing these types of repairs in gelcoat adds a significant amount of finishing time. Key word here is REPAIR.. When building something new and being able to use molds for the non-skid and shape, poly resin and gelcoat are much more economical. But when repairing something and blending into existing surfaces not so much; there's a tradeoff between material cost and time.
The repair with the dimples that you used filler to smooth out, if you needed to could you put csm on top of that if trying to make it level? I have an uneven surface i am trying to level out before glassing. Your thoughts appreciated and by the way i really love and enjoy your videos. You have given me the courage to try this on my own. Thank you!!
Really enjoy watching your videos. I'm trying to learn how to work with fiberglass on my own project boat and you are a great teacher. Production is clean too. Camera and audio look and sound good. Nice job. Please keep the info coming. Trying to find a rattle between inner and outer liner on a 23' Seacraft. Thinking about cutting an access hole and filling with foam. Have you done a demo on using foam?
I haven't but it's pretty straight forward. Just make sure to have everything planned out, be prepared to work very fast as the foam starts to expand very quickly and don't do large pours in enclosed cavities. A few small pours are better than 1 large pour :-)
Love your videos. What would I do if I cut the deck of my Kenner center console to put in a hatch to protect the exposed core? Do have a video for that?
Love your vids! I have to fix some damage on a large truck with fiberglass hood. The hood was smacked with a piece of equipment. Its all intact still, but lots of cracks. I realize you are a pro with marine stuff, but fiberglass work can be applied to so many things... I have good access to both sides of the hood, so i will taper back both sides and use CSM to do my repairs. I would like your opinion on whether or not to use poly resin or epoxy resin. I already have poly resin on hand, but do you think id have a better repair with epoxy? I will do final repair on finished side of the hood with body filler, primer, and paint. Thank you kindly, hope your enjoying your Friday!
Hi, firstly great videos, great that you give so much time to share your skills, thank you, i have brought a Rinker and shipped it from New York to Dubai, when unloading the container the boat got very damaged, basically they loaded the boat on its side to fit it in the container, cut a long story short both sides of the boat got a hole a size of a soccer ball, please can you recommend some steps as the holes are a lot larger then what you have been demonstrating, thank you in advance, Tony
Great video, lots of good info. I am planning on building a deck on the front of my gheenoe, the main reason is to have a place for my battery. I need it strong enough to stand on also. do you have a video that would show how to frame that type of deck or some hints on the best method ?
@SebastianDeBeer Hmmm. I think you'd still need to have some type of coating over the flow coat for UV protection. Paint would be my first choice, if you would be using a polyester based product for the top coat (gelcoat), then the repairs would need to be done with polyester resin and glass rather than epoxy as shown in the video. I used epoxy only because I knew I was going to be painting. Thanks for the comment!
Hello Andy! I love your videos. Do you have any videos on how to repair cracks and damages on top of anti skid mats, without messing up its look and function? My old sailboat has a lot of them, and I would love to fix them with solid repairs. Greetings from Norway.
Thanks for the videos. Really informative. I don't know what you think but I am repairing a old fiberglass RV. The have afiberglass shell and then a gelcoat. Any recommendations for products for this type of application? Some holes to be filled(about 1/8" to 1/4", chips and some large holes(where old vents etc were). Any advice would be most welcome! Especially interested in applications with the Awlgrip. I first heard of it in your videos. Thanks again!
Right on. So I'll be safe doing a few coats over top of everything and sanding it down where i want it then haha. When i go to paint it will I want to use a primer still?
I'd like to register a complaint, your videos are far to interesting and informative and I've learned too much today. ;-) Good stuff, I was actually looking for some tips on doing some small repairs on my Hobie 16 hulls and I can't believe all the useful info in your shows. Keep up the good work and thanks!
Thank you! Right now I don't know of any good vids to show how core replacement is done, but if you are able to send me some pics and more info I can help walk you through the process :-)
Take a look at the West System site and follow this menu list (products -> 105 System -> Resins / Hardeners -> Hardeners).. Unfortunately I can't include links in UA-cam comments.. It really depends on the temperature that you'll be working in. The warmer it is, the faster the epoxy will set up and cure. I would do some small tests to get a feel before you start laying the bulk of the material up :-) Good luck!
Thank yous for sharing.... Very informative guidelines for the day. And tutorials on what you prefer on different types of damages. Like your painting and filling strokes. Hello tree... Appreciate your time and effort plus teaching someone that may pass it on one day to there kids or grandkids,or friend
Hi Greg, I am not able to include links in this comment section but if you go to my showpage (click Boatworks Today bottom left corner of the video) you'll see a list of all my videos starting with the most recent. The next one you'll be looking for is about stress cracks. Hope this helps!
Andy, that is just what I need. 😀👍 I bought a Spirit 28 and it needs exactly every kind of fiberglas repair you explain, not many, but still a hole here and a spidercrack there. Your explanations are very detailed and easy to understand. Thank you 🏅🤗
thank you so much very informative I have been watching clip after clip for an entire day and only this one quenched my thirst for the information great work
Awesome, makes sense to me! So with the 410 filler do you just do it in one coat or is it best to do multiple coats and then sand to get a smooth finish? Thanks again for your help!
Hey Tony, I'm not able to provide links here in the comment section, but look up a set of video's on my channel called there's a hole in my boat :-) I think there's 6 vids in the playlist now, and I'll be wrapping up the gelcoat portion of that series before then end of the month.. The size of the hole that you need to patch doesn't really matter, it's the same steps and process, just with a bit more material.. Let me know if you have any Q's..
Awesome, I will stop by and take some pics later today. I'm not sure how far under the glass the rot has spread, but did some tapping and it sounds flat in the areas of the crack, and after about a 4-6 in dia each side of the crack it sounds solid again. I will highlight on the pics. Thanks again! :) Shall I send to your website email?
i have learned a lot from your videos so... thank you for your explanations. i will have two or three 14 in x 14 in holes in the top of a fiberglass van top to fill in. the top has three vents coming through, only really need 1. so i have been soaking up knowledge on how to fix fiberglass so that i do not mess it up too badly. the only thing i am worried about is the gel coat. getting it smooth enough. will cross that bridge when i get to it. may have to recoat the whole top depending on if the patches can be seen from the ground.
We purchased an older fiberglass green house (Solar Prism) that developed a few little holes that need repaired. Just a note: They must have joined the front and back of the shell, as you can see where the joints have separated in a couple of areas. I’m assuming I can repair these few issues using your fiberglass repair methods! Am I right? It appears someone already tried to repair the jointed separation using some kind of brown putty! It apparently wasn’t the right method as it has a large void. If you have any suggestions I would be very appreciative. Thank you for your great video.
Awesome video! perfect for what I needed for my boat. But i have a few questions. The part where you filled in the chip on the edge. Can you do the same thing even though the whole edge was sanded? or do I have to do another technique? Also when you said do not use Bondo, do you mean only for chips or for any fiberglass repairs? Also do you have to put a the 410 filler over the epoxy? And how do you recommend to repair a hole that is inside a corner? And light impact cracks? Reply ASAP. Thanks.
Love watching your channel, I haved learned a lot..I haven'tseen you show how to extend the base of like a fiberglass console. Lucky you asked!! yes, I have a console that I will need to make a foot taller. Not sure how to extend it with fiberglass on it sucurely..
Great videos man. Learning a lot from you. Going to try doing some repairs on my first boat, it really isn't in the prettiest condition right now. May end up just having a pro fix it up for me. Any way, my question is on "small holes". What you showed was one that doesn't go all the way through. Well there are a couple of screw holes that DO go all the way through and I want to know if you tackle that the same way as you did in your small hole demo.
oh mate it is so good to see a fellow boat builder showing how to do a job the right way. so sick of seeing others stuffing up rebuilds for floor and transom repairs, standard rule of thumb what you take out you put back in, you need to mention they need to take note of how thick the work surface is to how much glass they need to use on the repair.
Great Video, Andy. I'm New to Boat Repair Channels. Considering Buying a Sailboat, That Hit Some Coral in the Bahamas, and Now Has a Fist Size Hole Punched in the Hull. 16:40 I've Heard You Can Put Poly Over Epoxy, if the Epoxy is Fully Cured. I Heard Poly is Just as Good as Epoxy, and the Only Difference is Poly Will Cure in 24 hours, but Epoxy Takes a Week. I Don't Know, I've Never Worked with Any of It. I'm Just Making a Conjecture Off Info I've Read, or Listened to. Like I'm Said, I'm New to You-Tube Boat Maintenance. The Sailboat I'm Looking at Has a Hole, and I'm Trying to Convince Myself, I Can Fix It. Great Videos...I Believe I Still Have About 30 of Your Videos to Watch. 😁
Very informative and well presented. I'm finding a lot of useful information in your videos for repairing a 17ft. Fibreglass/gelcoat Boler trailer. Thank you for posting. I have subscribed. Very good job.
I have a situation where deck screws were torn out. Then the boat sat for 10 years in sun etc. Worried when I tap a screw into the repair it will pull a plug out just like your larger hole. Do you think I could undercut the hole with a wider bottom than top and carefully fill with epoxy? Kind of like a dental filling. Awesome vids BTW.
For the second hole where you cut down a 2 or 3 inch area around it, I have a couple of questions. Would there be anything wrong with using polyester resin if that's all you had for the top piece of fiberglass? And why would you not use a roto-zip to make the hole bigger on bottom like a triangular cone in order to lock in the resin plug so it could not come out? That is the way I would do it not knowing much about it; but is there a reason I should not do it that way? Thanks. Great videos!! I really enjoy learning from them. All the best!
@boatworkstoday And that's why I haven't looked at doing any fibreglass repairs yet! Still so much to learn! Is there anything that you could add to the epoxy to protect it from UV rays as well as get the right colour so that it would be the only material used in the repair job? I have a bunch of small holes I want to fill but don't necessarily want to have to paint the boat.
Hi mate, first of all a big well done for your lesson!!! I have a problem in my 13 feet double bottom open boat. I screwed in several screws to attach a console.Four screws made their way through the two layers and now I ended up with 4 right through holes of 4mm each in the underneath side of the hull. How can I fix them pls?Is body fiber filler applied from the outside enough?Do I need to apply fibergless cloth? I do not have access to the inside of the hull.HELP PLS!!!
Andy…what is the difference between Epoxy Resin and Polyester Resin? Is there vinylester resin? A chat room discussed not to use epoxy resin for a swim platform repair. Use vinylester resin. Your thoughts please?
I have used a cut piece of acetate or mylar and cover my filler . Then squeegee all around to outside edges, to really make it flat . Super flat ,smooth and easy sanding .
I am looking at buying a 40 foot boat with a basketball side hole in the hull. What do you recommend. I may have limited access to the inside. Should I remove all the damaged area and refill or try to push it back onto place and grind it down and build from there? Also some damage to the gelcoat with exposed fiberglass on the deck (1 inch by 2 inch). Do I need to worry about drying before repairing?
Hey thanks Mojo, yes as long as it's a "small" hole (less than 1/4") you can put some tape on the bottom side of the hole, dish the top and fill with thickened epoxy or thickened poly resin if you're top coat is gelcoat. If you're not able to access the bottom of the hole you can take a small piece of papertowel, wad it up and push it into the hole to create a backer for the resin. You'll want this to be as deep as possible without actually pushing all the way through. Good luck :-)
Are you planning to use epoxy or polyester resin? If you're looking to keep costs down poly resin with csm and 1708 biaxial glass will give all the strength you need, easily repairable and not hit the pocket book as hard as doing this with epoxy. However if you're doing all the layup indoors the smell of poly will drive you out of the house! Epoxy doesn't smell nearly as much, but still shouldn't breathed for periods of time.
This is THE BEST fiberglass repair instruction on the Web!
He quickly explains the "Where", "Why", "What" and "How". His productions have vastly improved from his first videos....this is very well done and very helpful....thanks Boatworks guy!
Whatever the ratio is , I calculate it in grams of hardener to grams of resin. I then place a disposable container on a digital scale, ,set it to zero, then pour in the calc'd weights.
I believe it to be more accurate than volume measure.
You're a true craftsman and a pleasure to watch. You have no idea what these videos mean to us DIYers. Many thanks
I am taking so much notes. I am currently restauring the cutest 1964 fiberglass RV and this is so incredibly helpful.
Not only all the steps, but the additional info about curing, heat, glass fibre... incredibly useful. Thank you so much! Love from Belgium.
Here's how I compare the two:
Bondo: Not 100% waterproof, relatively low bonding strength to it's substrate, very short working time (1-2 minutes per batch) can only be mixed in small amounts and is more porous than epoxy.
Epoxy w/410 Filler: It's 100% waterproof, very high bonding strength, working time can be up to 30+ minutes with the appropriate hardener allowing much larger batches to be mixed, gives a non-porous finish and is able to be used in lower air temperatures.
Hope this helps!
Absolutely helps. These videos are great and thorough. Thanks
This guy needs a show on the DISCOVERY CHANNEL!
I have just bought a Mahogany 60,s twin engine cruiser and she has ALL this to do!
I think MANY of us owe this guy a beer each!
This is by far the best fiberglass repair video I have ever seen
I love this guy! He presents not only how, but why you do what you do to repair. Very good information and plus it's presented in a logical and understandable way. Thank you for this!
Wow!
You couldn't have said it any better
Andy I watched all your videos, purchased some West Systems 105 Fiberglass repair kit and fixed the halyard cleat and pulley that pulled out of the fiberglass deck of my 1979 Sunfish. Thank you for the instruction and confidence to do it myself.
More than likely they are just minor stress cracks which are fairly common; yes they will most likely print through the new bottom paint. A quick Q: are the cracks somewhat grouped in a pattern or randomly scattered throughout the hull? I'd tap the areas lightly with a hammer to see if there is a sound difference. Let me know what you find out :-)
Great video, it’s very informative and you explain it so well! A small tip for when you have tight rounded edges: at 17 min into the video you can make different sized sanding blocks by winding printing paper tightly in small tubes and tape it with duct tape. Make sure you use enough paper so that it is rigid enough to sand with. You can pre-make different sizes and add them to your tool box! Thanks again!
Great job on videos. I’ve picked up a boat for my son so we can do a project together he wanted his own boat an I know nothing about fiberglass. But now I think it’s something we can do. So thanks again from Louisiana. Keep it up buddy.
Good deal; the next vid is going to cover stress cracks and working with poly resin. Was hoping to have it up today, but looks like it will be closer to the end of the week (warm weather has forced my Spring rush a month early getting boats ready to launch; busy busy...) It will be up very soon :-) Thanks for the comment!
Hi Andy. This video has over 1 million views. Cant wait to see you at work in the new shop and back to the Bertram. You are a Legend 🙌
I hit the jackpot motherload when I found your channel. OMG... Great content. Great teacher.... Thank you...
whats the song at 27:47? thanks for your videos, im looking at buying a laser dinghy at the minute and it has one or two spots where the gelcoat has cracked, you're helping me decide if they are something i can fix or if i should wait for another...
This is a voice from the future Andy.
You didn't age at all!
Love the detail! In talking with West Systems they promote the wedding cake vs inverse wedding cake style of glass layers. Their book also recommends that and what I saw you do was the inverted cake (smallest first, then next size, until the largest is last). From a shape perspective it makes sense but they said "because if you add one too many pieces you would have to grind into your largest piece which is the strongest"
That is smart, but I think the approach also depends on the shape, position and size of the problem you are fixing.
I've had problems with permanent markers bleeding through the finished paint surface months after the finished job, even after washing with lacquer thinner and acetone, I only use pencil now and have never had any issues. Having to repaint a Multi- stage pearl white job was a good lesson on not using permanent markers!
Your timing as always is just right - need to do just this kind of work on my boat over the next couple of months. Instead of painting could you coat these repairs with flow coat?
Gotta say a 24' build is pretty ambitious! I'm hoping to have time to do a 12-14' this Summer but we'll see; still gotta pay the bills :-( I guess I need to answer a question with another question; what kind of design are you building? Typically the types of glass that I use 95% of the time are 1.5oz CSM and 1708 biaxial. For this size boat I'd say this more of what you should be looking at. But, there are different types of glass recommended for particular applications. A lot of consider.
Great video! I am Patrick Cunningham, NTL Sales MGR for CASS POLYMERS INC, the maker of the ADTECH P-14. We proud of our entire polyester line and we also make all the products that you demonstrated with the epoxy products. Our general purpose epoxy is called PROBUILD. We offer four different hardeners depending on how much working time that you want. Our polyesters are the best on the market, least moisture absorption, easy sanding. Thanks!
this winter im going to be undertaking a small 14 foot runabout reno and all your advice is really helpful, thanks eh!
Hey Joseph, if the repair spots are below the waterline and not requiring gelcoat then I would just use thickened epoxy. I am doing a blister repair / prevention video now that should be of some help. I'll have that video ready sometime in Sept :-) BTW, surprised the marina does not allow sanding outside; never heard of that. Usually as long as there are tarps on the ground and a curtain hanging down from the hull to contain dust that should be good.. May want to look into that a bit more.
Thanks for your beautiful videos you teach as a lot. Greeting and big big warm thanks to you sire from Morocco the north of africa. I love the way that you present and the way that you try to make everyone understand simply. Thanks again and again
6:50 You can buy a chopped fiber that is compatible with epoxy. It uses a different bonder: powder and works as well with epoxy as polyester does with the chopped mat you have in this video.
Your content is seriously amazing.. you're super informative, and you make your videos entertaining to watch. I am astonished at how well these videos are made, and how much great info is in them.
Your information is as important as the epoxy-material itself.
Excellent Video. Nice to see there are still people that actually know how to do something. Good job.
yes, this guy is excellent. Very professional and clear.
Bob Ross of Fiberglass right there!
As always a highly detailed, thoroughly explained repair video. As they say, the devil is in the details, and so many other sites tend to leave out what this fellow puts in. Excellent info delivered in a personable easily understood style. Five thumbs up!
If you're looking to re-tap the hole, personally I would drill the hole out slightly oversized, fill with thickened epoxy and let it cure. Re-drill the proper sized hole for the screw and insert :-) Having the new screw surrounded with epoxy will also help prevent future possible issues with water absorption into the core..
Great videos and extremely informative. I learned more in two of your videos than I did in two weeks searching the internet. Will definitely watch the rest. Got a 32 Ericson sloop that I'm refurbishing. Got some deep deck cracks going into the core and about 4-5 inches long. Just stemming from to the hull. The area of the core seems to have some amount of dry rot. Could you point me to a video that deals with a similar situation?
Thanks @Timulator :-) My reasoning for going with epoxy / paint boils down to time (which directly effects customer cost). Doing these types of repairs in gelcoat adds a significant amount of finishing time. Key word here is REPAIR.. When building something new and being able to use molds for the non-skid and shape, poly resin and gelcoat are much more economical. But when repairing something and blending into existing surfaces not so much; there's a tradeoff between material cost and time.
Great video series! You're giving me tons of confidence (maybe too much), to tackle some soft deck spots on my 22' sailboat!
This guy is awesome. Great detail, easy to understand.....my go to guy for info.
The repair with the dimples that you used filler to smooth out, if you needed to could you put csm on top of that if trying to make it level? I have an uneven surface i am trying to level out before glassing. Your thoughts appreciated and by the way i really love and enjoy your videos. You have given me the courage to try this on my own. Thank you!!
Really enjoy watching your videos. I'm trying to learn how to work with fiberglass on my own project boat and you are a great teacher. Production is clean too. Camera and audio look and sound good. Nice job. Please keep the info coming. Trying to find a rattle between inner and outer liner on a 23' Seacraft. Thinking about cutting an access hole and filling with foam. Have you done a demo on using foam?
I haven't but it's pretty straight forward. Just make sure to have everything planned out, be prepared to work very fast as the foam starts to expand very quickly and don't do large pours in enclosed cavities.
A few small pours are better than 1 large pour :-)
Love your videos. What would I do if I cut the deck of my Kenner center console to put in a hatch to protect the exposed core? Do have a video for that?
Love your vids!
I have to fix some damage on a large truck with fiberglass hood. The hood was smacked with a piece of equipment. Its all intact still, but lots of cracks. I realize you are a pro with marine stuff, but fiberglass work can be applied to so many things...
I have good access to both sides of the hood, so i will taper back both sides and use CSM to do my repairs. I would like your opinion on whether or not to use poly resin or epoxy resin. I already have poly resin on hand, but do you think id have a better repair with epoxy?
I will do final repair on finished side of the hood with body filler, primer, and paint.
Thank you kindly, hope your enjoying your Friday!
Hi, firstly great videos, great that you give so much time to share your skills, thank you, i have brought a Rinker and shipped it from New York to Dubai, when unloading the container the boat got very damaged, basically they loaded the boat on its side to fit it in the container, cut a long story short both sides of the boat got a hole a size of a soccer ball, please can you recommend some steps as the holes are a lot larger then what you have been demonstrating, thank you in advance, Tony
Explained so well, takes the wystery and aprehensions out or attempting DIY
Great demonstration. Many thanks for sharing your immense talent.
Great video, lots of good info. I am planning on building a deck on the front of my gheenoe, the main reason is to have a place for my battery. I need it strong enough to stand on also. do you have a video that would show how to frame that type of deck or some hints on the best method ?
Thank you sir! Just venturing into the mold making/repair world and you do an excellent presentation! Godspeed!
Beautiful.....thanks for the vids .much better to watch resin set up then waiting for paint to dry
@SebastianDeBeer Hmmm. I think you'd still need to have some type of coating over the flow coat for UV protection. Paint would be my first choice, if you would be using a polyester based product for the top coat (gelcoat), then the repairs would need to be done with polyester resin and glass rather than epoxy as shown in the video. I used epoxy only because I knew I was going to be painting. Thanks for the comment!
Are any of these techniques and products shown good for below waterline application? Thanks and great videos.
Hello Andy! I love your videos. Do you have any videos on how to repair cracks and damages on top of anti skid mats, without messing up its look and function? My old sailboat has a lot of them, and I would love to fix them with solid repairs. Greetings from Norway.
Thanks for the videos. Really informative. I don't know what you think but I am repairing a old fiberglass RV. The have afiberglass shell and then a gelcoat. Any recommendations for products for this type of application? Some holes to be filled(about 1/8" to 1/4", chips and some large holes(where old vents etc were). Any advice would be most welcome! Especially interested in applications with the Awlgrip. I first heard of it in your videos. Thanks again!
Right on. So I'll be safe doing a few coats over top of everything and sanding it down where i want it then haha. When i go to paint it will I want to use a primer still?
I'd like to register a complaint, your videos are far to interesting and informative and I've learned too much today. ;-)
Good stuff, I was actually looking for some tips on doing some small repairs on my Hobie 16 hulls and I can't believe all the useful info in your shows. Keep up the good work and thanks!
Thank you! Right now I don't know of any good vids to show how core replacement is done, but if you are able to send me some pics and more info I can help walk you through the process :-)
Very good videos, like the detailed information. I am restoring a thirty one year old bass boat and you are a big help!
Keep up the good work...
Take a look at the West System site and follow this menu list (products -> 105 System -> Resins / Hardeners -> Hardeners).. Unfortunately I can't include links in UA-cam comments.. It really depends on the temperature that you'll be working in. The warmer it is, the faster the epoxy will set up and cure. I would do some small tests to get a feel before you start laying the bulk of the material up :-) Good luck!
it is a masterpiece video about fiberglass repair ever seen... well done!
Thank yous for sharing....
Very informative guidelines for the day. And tutorials on what you prefer on different types of damages. Like your painting and filling strokes. Hello tree...
Appreciate your time and effort plus teaching someone that may pass it on one day to there kids or grandkids,or friend
Hi Greg, I am not able to include links in this comment section but if you go to my showpage (click Boatworks Today bottom left corner of the video) you'll see a list of all my videos starting with the most recent. The next one you'll be looking for is about stress cracks. Hope this helps!
Andy, that is just what I need. 😀👍 I bought a Spirit 28 and it needs exactly every kind of fiberglas repair you explain, not many, but still a hole here and a spidercrack there.
Your explanations are very detailed and easy to understand. Thank you 🏅🤗
thank you so much very informative I have been watching clip after clip for an entire day and only this one quenched my thirst for the information great work
Awesome, makes sense to me! So with the 410 filler do you just do it in one coat or is it best to do multiple coats and then sand to get a smooth finish? Thanks again for your help!
I am going to try to install a fiberglass bulkhead on my Alden open water scull to beef it up and maybe make it float better. Thank you for the info!
Hey Tony, I'm not able to provide links here in the comment section, but look up a set of video's on my channel called there's a hole in my boat :-) I think there's 6 vids in the playlist now, and I'll be wrapping up the gelcoat portion of that series before then end of the month.. The size of the hole that you need to patch doesn't really matter, it's the same steps and process, just with a bit more material.. Let me know if you have any Q's..
Geez your awesome thanks for the awesome information. How would you do a repair like these on the underside of a boat though?
I agree. Very informative and expertly done. You ought to put on a show on PBS called this old boat. YOur that good!
Awesome, I will stop by and take some pics later today. I'm not sure how far under the glass the rot has spread, but did some tapping and it sounds flat in the areas of the crack, and after about a 4-6 in dia each side of the crack it sounds solid again. I will highlight on the pics. Thanks again! :) Shall I send to your website email?
Love your videos. They are so helpful. After you filled the holes can you lay your gel coat?
i have learned a lot from your videos so... thank you for your explanations. i will have two or three 14 in x 14 in holes in the top of a fiberglass van top to fill in. the top has three vents coming through, only really need 1. so i have been soaking up knowledge on how to fix fiberglass so that i do not mess it up too badly. the only thing i am worried about is the gel coat. getting it smooth enough. will cross that bridge when i get to it. may have to recoat the whole top depending on if the patches can be seen from the ground.
You are the only person I can watch on youtube how to videos that I am with you through the whole thing! Love your videos. Sooo helpful.
Great presentation, good pace, solid instruction. Can I send a picture of a fiberglass aircraft fairing with a missing piece from the manufacturer?
We purchased an older fiberglass green house (Solar Prism) that developed a few little holes that need repaired.
Just a note: They must have joined the front and back of the shell, as you can see where the joints have separated in a couple of areas.
I’m assuming I can repair these few issues using your fiberglass repair methods! Am I right?
It appears someone already tried to repair the jointed separation using some kind of brown putty! It apparently wasn’t the right method as it has a large void.
If you have any suggestions I would be very appreciative. Thank you for your great video.
Awesome video! perfect for what I needed for my boat. But i have a few questions. The part where you filled in the chip on the edge. Can you do the same thing even though the whole edge was sanded? or do I have to do another technique? Also when you said do not use Bondo, do you mean only for chips or for any fiberglass repairs? Also do you have to put a the 410 filler over the epoxy? And how do you recommend to repair a hole that is inside a corner? And light impact cracks? Reply ASAP. Thanks.
Love watching your channel, I haved learned a lot..I haven'tseen you show how to extend the base of like a fiberglass console. Lucky you asked!! yes, I have a console that I will need to make a foot taller. Not sure how to extend it with fiberglass on it sucurely..
Great videos man. Learning a lot from you. Going to try doing some repairs on my first boat, it really isn't in the prettiest condition right now. May end up just having a pro fix it up for me.
Any way, my question is on "small holes". What you showed was one that doesn't go all the way through. Well there are a couple of screw holes that DO go all the way through and I want to know if you tackle that the same way as you did in your small hole demo.
Thanks for putting together all these videos. I bought your Ebook as well.
@boatworkstoday Thanks - will do. Going down to the boat tomorrow so will take some photos the. Cheers Sebastian
oh mate it is so good to see a fellow boat builder showing how to do a job the right way. so sick of seeing others stuffing up rebuilds for floor and transom repairs, standard rule of thumb what you take out you put back in, you need to mention they need to take note of how thick the work surface is to how much glass they need to use on the repair.
Great Video, Andy. I'm New to Boat Repair Channels. Considering Buying a Sailboat, That Hit Some Coral in the Bahamas, and Now Has a Fist Size Hole Punched in the Hull.
16:40 I've Heard You Can Put Poly Over Epoxy, if the Epoxy is Fully Cured. I Heard Poly is Just as Good as Epoxy, and the Only Difference is Poly Will Cure in 24 hours, but Epoxy Takes a Week.
I Don't Know, I've Never Worked with Any of It. I'm Just Making a Conjecture Off Info I've Read, or Listened to.
Like I'm Said, I'm New to You-Tube Boat Maintenance. The Sailboat I'm Looking at Has a Hole, and I'm Trying to Convince Myself, I Can Fix It.
Great Videos...I Believe I Still Have About 30 of Your Videos to Watch. 😁
Very informative and well presented. I'm finding a lot of useful information in your videos for repairing a 17ft. Fibreglass/gelcoat Boler trailer. Thank you for posting. I have subscribed. Very good job.
I have a situation where deck screws were torn out. Then the boat sat for 10 years in sun etc. Worried when I tap a screw into the repair it will pull a plug out just like your larger hole. Do you think I could undercut the hole with a wider bottom than top and carefully fill with epoxy? Kind of like a dental filling.
Awesome vids BTW.
For the second hole where you cut down a 2 or 3 inch area around it, I have a couple of questions. Would there be anything wrong with using polyester resin if that's all you had for the top piece of fiberglass? And why would you not use a roto-zip to make the hole bigger on bottom like a triangular cone in order to lock in the resin plug so it could not come out? That is the way I would do it not knowing much about it; but is there a reason I should not do it that way? Thanks. Great videos!! I really enjoy learning from them. All the best!
Would you prefer A poley resin when redoing stringers and a boat floor ??
@boatworkstoday And that's why I haven't looked at doing any fibreglass repairs yet! Still so much to learn! Is there anything that you could add to the epoxy to protect it from UV rays as well as get the right colour so that it would be the only material used in the repair job? I have a bunch of small holes I want to fill but don't necessarily want to have to paint the boat.
Great vid but I have one quick question after I fill in one of the screw holes could I put a screw into the epoxy that filled the hole?
Great video. Did you ever get to the part on stress cracks? that was reall what I needed most. Thanks!
Bob Ross ua-cam.com/video/339W-ZNC1_0/v-deo.html
Hi mate, first of all a big well done for your lesson!!! I have a problem in my 13 feet double bottom open boat. I screwed in several screws to attach a console.Four screws made their way through the two layers and now I ended up with 4 right through holes of 4mm each in the underneath side of the hull. How can I fix them pls?Is body fiber filler applied from the outside enough?Do I need to apply fibergless cloth? I do not have access to the inside of the hull.HELP PLS!!!
Have you made a video about repairing gelcoat on a lapstraked fiberglass hull?
Andy…what is the difference between Epoxy Resin and Polyester Resin? Is there vinylester resin? A chat room discussed not to use epoxy resin for a swim platform repair. Use vinylester resin. Your thoughts please?
I have used a cut piece of acetate or mylar and cover my filler . Then squeegee all around to outside edges, to really make it flat . Super flat ,smooth and easy sanding .
Great video Andy such as great presentation as always
I am looking at buying a 40 foot boat with a basketball side hole in the hull. What do you recommend. I may have limited access to the inside. Should I remove all the damaged area and refill or try to push it back onto place and grind it down and build from there?
Also some damage to the gelcoat with exposed fiberglass on the deck (1 inch by 2 inch). Do I need to worry about drying before repairing?
Excellent presentation, maybe I can take on that hole in my RV now!
Your the best man I’m using all my acquired knowledge rebuilding my pilot house back wall and a side rail. A lot of work but satisfying when done.
Question! You mention the epoxy biting the core, is it different with a foam core? Thanks! Super helpful videos!!
Nice seeing someone doing it right!!
Hey thanks Mojo, yes as long as it's a "small" hole (less than 1/4") you can put some tape on the bottom side of the hole, dish the top and fill with thickened epoxy or thickened poly resin if you're top coat is gelcoat. If you're not able to access the bottom of the hole you can take a small piece of papertowel, wad it up and push it into the hole to create a backer for the resin. You'll want this to be as deep as possible without actually pushing all the way through. Good luck :-)
Are you planning to use epoxy or polyester resin? If you're looking to keep costs down poly resin with csm and 1708 biaxial glass will give all the strength you need, easily repairable and not hit the pocket book as hard as doing this with epoxy. However if you're doing all the layup indoors the smell of poly will drive you out of the house! Epoxy doesn't smell nearly as much, but still shouldn't breathed for periods of time.
Andy please do a video on what you do for dust control, without the high end tools with vacuum systems, Thanks