I love this channel since you started. No BS, just plain old knowledge put forward in an easy way to understand and showing us exactly what you're doing. Being over an hour long doesn't scare me because you know it's going to be quality. Thanks again Joe!
Joe, I feel almost like an apprentice when I watch your videos! This type of content is quite helpful. I appreciate how you approach the problem from a variety of equipment capabilities. It really helps and it speaks volumes to your sincerity about sharing your expertise through an open source platform like UA-cam. Thanks again!
I don't know about the other people out there but me I never had the confidence to do the work properly now you are the only channel I watch and now have the confidence to fix my boat up so thank you and your son for the professional help and education. Jim from Scotland
You are the Bob Ross of fiberglass work!! Im just waiting for you to do a "happy tree" here and there. Simply incredible man. You make it look so easy. I've never done fiberglass work before, but you make me want to try. Thank you so much.
Your videos have been great! Currently working on a 53 year old Glastron Jet Boat where the floor and stringers were rotten. I was very nervous about digging in but you break down these steps so well with great details. So far its coming out great. Thank you!
That is awesome! I'm glad to hear that the videos are helping with your Glastron jet boat! We will be replacing the floors,transom, and possibly the stringers in our 21 ft project boat very soon, so stay tuned, and thanks for watching!
Thanks to the both of you for making these videos. I just bought a 1978 C&C 34 it's in good shape but as you mentioned in this video old gel coat eventually crack. I also have to do some core repairs and your videos come very handy. You get to the point, its well explained and filmed. Thank you 👍
Hi Captain Joe! As usual your videos never disappoint! Best content on the web! Thank you so much for sharing your extensive knowledge with all of us DIY'ers! All the best from California!🧡
Joe, you are a really great teacher. Your presentation and knowledge are first rate. I agree that the air bantam grinder and air angle grinders are wonderful. Light and very maneuverable. I just wish they didn’t require so much air. I’ve been shopping for a 60 gallon air compressor to feed them. 💰💵💰
Thanks so much! I have a 7.5 hp 80 gallon ingersoll as my main compressor, but I have found that a 5 hp 20 gallon 110 volt portable compressor will run then in a non continuous setting with no problem. I will try to find a compressor comparable to that one that I can list for you all. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching @
@@FishBumpTV I worked for 37 years in metal fabrication. At work our outstanding factory compressed air system really spoiled me. I have a lot of fine battery and also 110v tools but I really miss my old air tools. My 1-1/2 hp 20 gallon craftsman compressor just doesn’t cut it. It does do ok with air nailers…r
The videos you and your family have been creating are the best instructional videos I have ever seen. With the knowledge I've gotten from you I just finished my first educational project this summer. I put new epoxied fiber stringers, flotation foam and poly fibered floor in an old 17' bowrider I bought about five years ago for under 2k. Will almost be a shame to glue a carpet down and hide the gel coated floor. Was a great project boat to practice on before I get a nice center console to renovate. Having gotten some practice and many mistakes under my belt, I feel like I can take on anything on the boat now. Thank you for the amazing content.
Wow, that's fantastic! Glad our videos were helpful in the renovation of your bow rider. I'm excited to hear about any future projects, and I wish you all the best!
Hi Joe! Your channel is a major inspiration - I really like today's video. Together with my GF we are building our own 6.30 boat and your insights help us a ton! Thank you for your work. Regards from Poland!
Hi Joe - Thanks for another EXCELLENT video and no problem re the length for me - and I enjoy you sharing your philosophy as you go along - I totally agree about saving older boats etc - I live on a nearly 30 year old ex hire boat in France and consequently have many bumps and scrapes and dings to repair. I have always struggled with GRP work but with your videos I believe I am already on the improve and gaining a little confidence each job. You make it look very simple - as a result of your years of hard experience. Many thanks for your hard work and also to your fine cameraman!
You are very welcome, and I'm glad our videos are helping you with keeping your 30 yr old live aboard in good condition! I will be sure to tell my Son Logan that you said he was doing a good job as cameraman, and I very much appreciate you watching all of the way from France 🇫🇷!
@@FishBumpTV HI again Joe - One ongoing problem I have had with every GRP boat I have owned from Laser on up, is the way that manufacturers attaching fittings into the glass with self tapping screws. So often this results in horrendous at least visually - cracks and really it cannot be a particularly strong method either. I wondered if you either have a good alternative, or fix or even if you know of a type of fastener that can be bonded into the substrate from say an oversize hole if the back is not available. Something like a rivnut would be great if the variable grip length could be catered for and it would be better to be in stainless steel. But I am thinking that maybe there are some plastics that could be bonded using resins and then drilled to accept a self tapping screw . Any ideas. I think a video on this subject might be of interest to others. For now what I do is make sure to countersink the hole to the depth of the gelcoat at least and take away the stress that the screw otherwise introduces. Drilling and tapping is another possibility and maybe a helicoil could be bonded into GRP ?? How do you deal with this on your boats?? Thanks again Joe Cheers Peter Wilson Bateau Panache Montargis France
@peterwilson6363 Yes, what you are describing can definitely be an ongoing problem for many boats. Countersinking or overdrilling through the gelcoat can definitely help reduce stress cracks in gelcoat. I always thru bolt with machine screws whenever possible, but when it's not, I try to counter sink, then pilot hole for the screws, then use a quality marine sealant like 3ms 4200, lifecaulk or marine grade silicone in the screw hole itself. This method has worked well for us in the past. I will try to make a video on this topic for you all in the near future. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Our pleasure! I'm honored that you nice folks out there are enjoying and learning from our videos. As always, I appreciate you watching from the amazing country of Australia 🇦🇺!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge . I am trying to get my 1972 Kingfisher stick steer refurbished and your videos have been extremely helpful. New sub and shared. Logan does a great job getting those closeups.
Welcome to the channel! The kingfisher sounds like a great project boat. I always thought the stick steer boats were very cool, but you don't see them much anymore. I will be sure to tell Logan that you said he was doing a great job. Thanks for watching!
Really this guy is the best,fiberglass warehouse he recommends is the best place to order material,thank you for the recommendation and for the channel,help a lot .Not many places want do small jobs.I watched all you videos
Just found your channel a couple days ago and I’m really enjoying the videos. I’m refitting an old sailboat and this episode was especially valuable for me. Thank you. Cheers
For a gelcoat filter I used an office stapler to staple two double folds in a piece of window screen, it made a nice shallow cone that was easy to keep on top of the cup.
Yes, that can work great! I believe I have shown that trick in a couple of our videos. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience with the channel!
Thankyou Professor, Captain Joe Your the man! Your a life saver. You do a great service for the boating community. WOULD LOVE TO MEAT YOU SOME DAY TO THANK YOU .
Joe I have a 1999 340 Sundancer that needs some TLC and your videos have helped immensely! I have one issue which is cracks in the textured dash and was hoping you have or would be making a “how to” video on properly repairing those! Thanks so much!
Glad you are enjoying the videos! Sounds like you have a great project boat in the works. I appreciate the video suggestion, and will try to get something along those lines up for you all if I get a chance. Thanks for watching!
Looks like Alabama and the Florida Keys have the same state birds. To this day I still enjoy puttin' around in 14'-17' skiff. Console is looking good. Thanks for the video.
Haha, yes, they are! I find it difficult to make them shorter and still deliver all the information I think is needed to tackle a repair job with confidence. Glad you enjoy them, and I appreciate you watching and commenting!
Joe, i wanted to say thanks for the information pertaining to using epoxy and coosa/plywood rebuilds. For all of us DIY folks, it is oh so helpful. thx again.
Joe your awesome! My boat has a bunch of spider cracks, and most of the are above the bump rail on the boat. l saw the Evercoat and l may remember that it has some fiberglass in the mix and you use the hardener much like bondo. And will try it out on a couple of spots to see how it works out. But sure do appreciate all the different options to see just will work for me Thanks Joe!
Thanks, I'm glad you are enjoying the videos! Yes, the evercoat with fiberglass in it, or vinyl ester based fillers with fiberglass, are my go-to favorites. Fiberglass warehouse is offering a discount code for fish bump tv viewers that will save you some money if you ever want to try any of their products. I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best with your repair.
Guys don't overthink it and worry that it's too much to remember, don't get discouraged. Jump on in, you will get the hang of it, and if you mess it up, that's what grinders are for, and you just learned a lot.
Good advice! So many people suffer from analysis paralysis and never actually get started on a project! It's ok to make mistakes, that's how we learn. I hope the videos answer some questions for folks and inspire them to get out there and build or repair something. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experiences with the channel.
Capt Joe Thankful for this video it just confirms so many questions I have confirmation for moving forward with so many problems repairing structures fiberglass! Maybe video content in the future what is the best paint removal material for removing paint from gelcoat that would not damage the gelcoat moving forward Thanks again for your time and sharing your family legacy!!! Thanks Fish bump family outstanding video
Another great video. And the timing is perfect. I just took my boat to a fiberglass shop yesterday to repair some crazing that has happened. It seems that one of the difficulties is finding the color matched gelcoat. Do the boat manufacturers commonly deal with everyday consumers or will they only sell to repair shops?
Yes, you can usually contact the factory or the dealer that the boat was bought from. You can also go to Sherwin Williams, and if you can find a color card that is a match to your boat, Fiberglass warehouse can do a close color match. Fiberglass warehouse is also offering a discount code for fish bump tv viewers. Just be sure to mention the discount to them. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
When your boat console is bolted down to the deck of the boat, if your boat hits a big wave and flexes the boat hull your deck will transfer the flex into the flange of the boat console. This is where most stress fractures derive from over time.
Yes, boat flexing related to impacts are one of the 3 main causes that I talked about as causing stress cracks. Many factory produced boats are underbuilt, in my opinion, which causes excessive flexing and twisting. I will be discussing console mounting options, such as fiberglassing, and quality marine adhesives to help with that in future episodes of our boat build series. So stay tuned and thanks for watching!
That's a possibility for sure. This particular console appears to be built completely with csm, which is not uncommon for smaller consoles like this one. Honestly, just adding a layer of 1708 biaxial glass might have been enough to stop the cracks from forming in the first place. The vinyl ester resin we used for the repair is a much stronger material than the base polyester resin that the console was originally built out of, so I am confident the console will be good to go from here on out. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Generally, you can see them if you look closely. Sometimes, it is hard for the camera to pick them up even though we are filming in 4k. If you can't see cracks, then you probably don't have anything to worry about. Thanks for watching!
@FishBumpTV You are welcome! I have so many gelcoat cracks and most of them are located at the bases of anything projecting out of the deck....ie window hatch, outside rim around the deck and a couple of stanchion bases. Stanchion bases are most likely related to deeper structural damage. I'll see when I start digging. One more time, thanks!
Vinyl ester is better in pretty much every way vs. polyester. It's stronger, less brittle, bonds better on a molecular level, and is more waterproof. It's basically epoxy but with a styrene base, which makes it completely compatible with gelcoat and can be activated with standard MEKP. It's pretty fantastic stuff! Fiberglass warehouse has the best VE resin I have ever used and at a very competitive price. They also offer a discount code for fish bump tv viewers. Even if you don't use it for every part of your job, it's definitely worth having some of it around for making specialized putties and fillers like I am using on our project boat console. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Hey Joe, these videos are great and your son is doing fantastic too, and I'd like to see you around for awhile...maybe you can take some time and learn to edit in some narration and you can wear some protection, and maybe tone down the grinding and speed up through the tedious parts. You deserve two thumbs up
Great suggestion! As the channel grows, I am sure we will be making some adjustments to our editing style. All of this stuff takes a considerable amount of time, and it is a bit of a juggling act for us right now. I seriously do appreciate your thoughts and support of the channel, and will be sure to tell my som that you said he is doing a good job!
Great vidoe as always Joe. Showing the whole process from start to finish as you do is so much better than, Heres one I baked earlier. The boat in my profile picture is my 560 SharkCat built here in Australia by Jim Anderson in the 80s best boat ever.
Thanks so much! The support from our Australia viewers has been fantastic! Power catamarans are just becoming mainstream here in the States, but I know the Australians have been building some outstanding Cats for decades! You have got to be proud to own such a cool boat and be part of a country with such a love for boating and the outdoors!
Thanks Joe, a really useful video. I am new to your channel.. can you give any advice about colour matching gelcoat? Also dealing with osmosis damage to gelcoat?
Thanks, and welcome to the channel! I do have a gelcoat matching and repair video here on the channel. We made it a few months back, so you may have to scroll through the channel a bit. It is also in our gelcoat repair Playlist. I don't have a specific video on osmosis blisters, but i have repaired plenty of them. You will basically have to grind them out, until they pop and you get to good solid fiberglass. Clean the blister very well, then use vinyl ester, or epoxy resin for the repairs. Then you should use a epoxy barrier coat over the entire hull bottom to help prevent them from reoccurring. Fiberglass warehouse has epoxy and vinyl ester resins and the are offering a discount code for fish bump tv viewers, just be sure to mention the discount before ordering. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
For the stressed screw holes - could you embed fender washers into the glass to reinforce them and maybe get longer life out of the glass? Maybe a slim aluminum strip along the entire flange? Or does that just move the stressed area farther away?
It's possible that could help. There are variations in how every console is built and installed, so it's hard to say for sure. Thanks for watching and commenting!
No Alaska's state bird is the mosquito 😂 I swear they can pack off a small child, love watching your videos on fiberglass as I have a 69 20' TolleyCraft that I'm about to fix up, did they use polyester resin back then ?
I really enjoy watching your videos, I found a project that I must address on my boat, over time changing speakers someone drilled new holes every time, until now it seems like there is like 10 holes per speaker hole. Since the speaker cover hides that area, I will try and repair and fill the holes and make it my winter project. Thank you for all your videos ,
Should deep scratches in the paint be treated the same way? I have a 1974 sailboat and it has multiple layers of paint. For scratches that don’t go all the down to the fiberglass is there another filler I could use?
Yes, I do have a gelcoat color match videos here on the channel. I made it a few months back. It is in our gelcoat repair Playlist. Also if you can find a color code from Sherwin Williams, the folks at fiberglass warehouse can do a custom color match for you. Hope this helps with your ocean 29s gelcoat repair, and thanks for watching!
I have an old boat and there is a clear finish peeling in areas that have been exposed to the sun. Would this be a clear coat paint or old gel coating peeling off.
It's hard to say for sure without seeing it in person. Most of the boats that we work on are one single gelcoat color, and there isn't any type of clearcoat applied over it, but it sounds like you are dealing with something different. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
I have a question for you regarding the following scenario. Earlier in the season, I noticed my ski locker with cracked gelcoat. It was probably cracked before then, but I didn't notice it. I only use the locker for paddle storage. One day I was cleaning the interior, I opened the locker and found that the gelcoat had begun flaking. Removal of the flaked gelcoat revealed the boat maker covered bare plywood with a thick application of plain gelcoat. Considering it's only a ski locker, would it make more sense to reapply gelcoat in the same manner, or soak the wood in resin, then gelcoat it?
Love your channel. I’ve been working with stress cracks on my boat since it’s a 1998. Was wondering if you have any examples of how to deal with where the stress crack goes from smooth gelcoat into the nonskid which is a pattern in this case a whaler.also when using those nicer brushes, are you able to clean them for future uses when gel coating?
Thanks, I'm glad you are enjoying the channel! I have done gelcoat repairs before that transition into non-skid , but not here on the channel. It is more difficult, but it is still possible for sure. The difficulty can depend on the texture of the non-skid as well. If it is a geometric pattern, like a diamond, for example, you would do the repair, then use a metal straight edge as a guide, and some type of a blade, like a jig saw to cut in the pattern by hand. There is also a company called Gibco that makes non-skid reverse patterns for many different models. But there is definitely a learning to using it. I will try to make a video on this topic for you all if I get an opportunity. Yes, you can definitely clean the high-quality brushes, I use acetone, and I am able to get quite a bit of use out of them. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
I have built several stitch and glue style skiffs in the past, before we started making videos. You can see some pictures of them on the wall behind my work area. That's a great way to build a small boat, in my opinion. Who knows, maybe we will build another someday here on the channel. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!
As usual GREAT content, Joe! As far as sanding in corners and ESPECIALLY for a radius (after gel coat application) what sanding blocks would you recommend to us DIY’ers?
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I have several different custom sanding blocks that I have made for different shapes and profiles. I like to use a router with a radius bit to make them. I might show how I make the blocks and how I might tackle sanding the somewhat complex shapes in our next video. So stay tuned and thanks for watching!
@@FishBumpTV Oh, I’ll be patiently waiting, brother! I’ve been using your ‘Master Class’ techniques on a few “divots” on my Baja and they’ve turned out GREAT! However, I have a spot in an unusually shaped area and a square sanding block just isn’t gonna cut it. Thanks again, brother! Gonna tell everyone I learned how to do Gelcoat repair from Cptn Joe Buskens! 👍
Great tips and tricks. I have to fill a large void after the removal of a 1/2 inch diameter rusty bolt from my centre board case. I have decided to use 1/4 inch chopped fibers. After watching this video I have realised that cabosil won't be sufficient due to the size of the void. Thank you! Do you use the same MKEP for polyester, vinylester and gelcoat?
Yes, some chopped fibers will definitely give you more strength on the larger diameter holes. Just remember that good prep work and quality materials will result in a great repair job. Maybe even some experimenting on non critical parts beforehand, especially if you are new to working with fiberglass. The vinyl ester resin from fiberglass warehouse has become my favorite resin to work with overall. Fiberglass warehouse is offering a discount code for fish bump tv viewers. And yes, MEKP is the same for poly, vinyl, or gelcoat. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Awesome, I found your channel. Never done gel coat, so this works. ❤🙏 new sub 🍻⛵ I can do this, as I watched my dad build a 52ft ferrous cement schooner as I grew up. Will watch for may tips on the boats I have now.
Thanks! Yes, I have finished building the hardtop, and I just posted a time lapse compilation of the entire build that you might enjoy seeing. I haven't gotten the aluminum pipework done that is needed to install it yet. I will be waiting until we get closer to our spring fishing season to get it done because that kind of work is surprisingly expensive, and the 29 isn't making any money right now. My shop needs some maintenance, and I have some other projects that need some time and money put into them this winter. It's always a balancing act with my kind of work. You can spend every dollar you make and then some if you're not careful. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!
That's hard to say for sure! A crack at the waterline could very likely be a structural issue and may need to be repaired properly. I would recommend being safe rather than sorry and have it checked out professionally. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
Not particularly. I will try to put up an Amazon link below our videos description for some good carbide burrs. Anything that is purchased through our Amazon links also helps support the channel, so it is much appreciated. Thanks!
Good morning Captain Joe, I'm using the dremel with a conical bur to remove cracks. I have been filling them with FGCI gelcoat paste. I was wondering if you have ever used gelcoat paste made by FGCI ? I know you make most of your own paste but I would love your opinion on the stuff. I did have a few cracks that were into the fiberglass. I used the dye grinder to grind them out without going through the fiberglass and opened the width of the cracks a few inches to get a solid bond. So far so good but I'm not that great at sanding 😂.
I have used some FGCI products in the past, with good results, but I have not used their gelcoat paste. Wish I had some info or feedback for you on that particular product. Your skill level will improve with every job you complete. Remember quality over quantity. Just take your time, do your research, and have your materials all staged and ready close by before starting your work. I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best with your gelcoat crack repairs!
Joe, I've been watching your videos to learn more about top quality fiberglass repair. I am restoring an early Corvette and I want to do the best work possible. I thought I knew about fiberglass until I started watching your stuff. My repairs need to be gray in color so I've added some Fiberlay white and black pigments to my resins. I find that the resins need a bit more MEKP to make them kick when they have pigments added. Is this your experience
Welcome to the channel! Your Corvette sounds like a cool project to be working on. I don't typically add pigment to our resins in boat repair and building, but we do sometimes with gelcoat. Too much pigment can definitely affect the cure rate in gelcoat. It seems like 5 percent or so by volume is the maximum recommended. I hope this helps, and I appreciate you watching and commenting!
Tell us about you vacuum filter please. Is it a water filter? I’ve thought about making a quick bucket water filter for sucking up the endless fine dust that constantly clogs vac dry filter. Thank you for the great informative fiberglass videos.
I am using the largest Rigid shop vacuum they make, and a oneida dust deputy. This setup does a good job for us. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
Try a small siphon feed sandblaster it will dig out the damage in seconds and will expose the fiber hairs, the repair will bond to the exposed hairs. The surface will not be smeared it will be rough and cleans well with acetone.
Agreed. I'll even rub surfaces with a wire brush and the coal slag abrasive media you can sandblast with. I have a buddy with a old whaler thats cracked to all hell and I'm tempted to try powerwashing the shit out of it to initially hydro peel whatever will come up. I've fixed cracks in the manner he is using and it definately no an easy quick proposition.
Interesting, sounds like that could work well! There are certainly several different ways that a job could be approached and still end up with a good result. I say that and encourage people to use what they can from our videos and modify or adapt when they see a chance to. I can tell you, though, that small die grinders with a carbide burr and small pneumatic angle grinders are the standard operating procedures for guys that do it professionally. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@FishBumpTV No argument. There is a big difference between a professional repair to specific area and making the most of an older hull on a minimal investment in time and materials. Believe it or not. I've had great results repairing cracking cinder block walls by simply powerwashing all the loose pieces away and filling all cracks with either straight epoxy off a squeegee or for smaller cavities a thick mix of microballons and epoxy. The large voids get actual mortar. Mortar has abysmal tensile strength so occasionally I'll go back to the area with more epoxy to fill in any hairline cracks that emerge with time between the replacement mortal and the repaired area.
@@winningwithoutracing7811 That doesn't surprise me at all! There are so many uses for epoxy and fiberglass outside of working on boats. Thanks for watching!
@@FishBumpTV Thanks for making the content. Yours is the best on the subject matter and your growth is a testament to that. It would have saved me an enormous amount of labor and aggravation if i'd seen it sooner. I'd like to produce content half this good someday but on unconventional engineering and performance marine construction. Thanks again. Dave
Glad to hear that you are enjoying the channel! I did a product review video a few months back on a product made by system 3 epoxy. It's called sb 112. The video is titled, You can gelcoat over epoxy. I hope this helps, and I appreciate you watching!
One question… Is that vinylester a lay up 43:05 resin? I’ve always assumed I needed to spray some PVA on my lay up in order to sand it for shaping purposes.
The vinyl ester resin that I used in this video is a laminating resin. Unwaxed or non PVAed resin is going to be slightly tacky, and more prone to gum up your sandpaper, but aggressive grit paper sands it with no problem. I know there are different opinions on this, but our family has been doing it this way for decades in our boatshop. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
@ Thanks for the clarification and I guess I just always assumed it would gum up the sandpaper and really never tried it without PVA. I’ll give it a try and see how it goes. Definitely would save some time! I’m hooked on your videos and like everyone else I’m sure we appreciate all your knowledge!
I believe there is a product called Thermolite available in Europe and Australia that is very similar to Coosa board, but I have never personally used it before. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment all of the way from Australia 🇦🇺!!
@ probably the same product with a different name. I have used it on my last rebuild and it looked the same as what you were using. Great material, but very, very expensive here 😔
It doesn't have to be very long. As long as it is firmed up and isn't still tacky. I know our videos are long, but oftentimes if you watch them all of of the way through, you will get answers to questions you are looking for. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
I choose vinyl ester resin for almost all of my projects. It's the best of both worlds, in my opinion. Fiberglass warehouse has the best vinyl ester resin I have ever used, and they offer a discount code for fish bump tv viewers. I also have a resin selection guide video here on the channel that you might find helpful. Thanks for watching!
No, not in my opinion. The cracks showed where the problem is, and there isn't any reason to reinforce areas that don't have an issue. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Hi there, Fish Bump. Thanks for the channel. I have a chip in my gelcoat, in which the colouring is Blue. Do I just add the matched blue colour in at mixing product stage? Is there a better way? What are the best coulouring additives? Love the content!
Glad you are enjoying the videos! I have several gelcoat repair videos here on the channel that go in-depth on that topic, and I have a gelcoat color matching video as well. I am sure these videos will help answer your questions. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Thanks Joe, really appreciate you getting back to me so quickly. I have been checking out those videos this morning, instead of working. Haha. I may get back to you if I have trouble. The color I'm trying to match is the blue 2003 4.3 mpi 262inch mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 2. The blue is half the hull, off white bottom half and also from rim to inside the hull. Thanks again for the content, mate. Really appreciate, how thorough you are.
Would you recommend using a filler like SikaBiresin AP017 for spider cracks/crazing that have been dremeled out? Every one of my stanchions have spiders at the base, so I'll dremel them out, but am wondering if a filler would bond better and last longer than just gel coat.
You could possibly use Marinetex, but it is epoxy resin based, and you could possibly have compatability issues between the Marinetex and the gelcoat. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
You can go on the high or low side of catalyst ratios for most resins or fillers. Which is 1 to 2 percent in most cases. But going way over or under in catalyst is not good, and you should try to avoid it in my opinion. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Is there a reason you have only worked from one side? Personally, if I had access to both sides, as you do on the console, I would have ground out the holes from both sides and applied the filler from both sides.
I'm not exactly sure what you are talking about? I did work the repairs from both sides, but in the previous episode of this series of videos. I show lots of prep work as well. I am breaking these videos up so as to teach our viewers better, but not every video is a 100 percent start to finish video. I hope this helps clarify the process. Thanks for watching
Apologies, this is the only one I have watched. I was just thinking of the corner repair where you push the filler into the hole, saying that you are going to move the fixing holes. I hadn't realised it was prepared on the underside. I would have thought you would have got a better bond though if you had filled the hole from both sides before it had set. The video are great though, given me some ideas for a repair I need to do on my Laser sailing dinghy.
Is there a point where there are just soo many cracks in an area that you'd be better off sanding down the whole area instead of running down every crack?
Sure, that can be the case sometimes. It's just a personal decision at some point of which method you prefer. I hope this helps, and I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!
I love this channel since you started. No BS, just plain old knowledge put forward in an easy way to understand and showing us exactly what you're doing. Being over an hour long doesn't scare me because you know it's going to be quality. Thanks again Joe!
Wow, thanks so much! I will do my best to continue delivering quality videos for you all!
Joe, I feel almost like an apprentice when I watch your videos! This type of content is quite helpful. I appreciate how you approach the problem from a variety of equipment capabilities. It really helps and it speaks volumes to your sincerity about sharing your expertise through an open source platform like UA-cam. Thanks again!
I appreciate that very much! I'm glad to share what our family has learned over decades of working with fiberglass and gelcoat with you all!
I don't know about the other people out there but me I never had the confidence to do the work properly now you are the only channel I watch and now have the confidence to fix my boat up so thank you and your son for the professional help and education. Jim from Scotland
I really appreciate your support of the channel, Jim, and I am happy that our videos are helping good folks make headway on their projects at home!
Videos can't be long when you are imparting this much knowledge. Darn good one presented here
@@doctorpc4x4 I agree, he doesn’t need to apologize for anything. When a repair cracks out how much time have you saved?
Thanks, glad you are enjoying the long duration videos. Thanks for watching!
Thanks so much! Glad you are enjoying the detailed videos!
Thanks so much! Glad you are enjoying the highly detailed videos!
You are the Bob Ross of fiberglass work!! Im just waiting for you to do a "happy tree" here and there. Simply incredible man. You make it look so easy. I've never done fiberglass work before, but you make me want to try. Thank you so much.
Hahaha, wow, thanks! I appreciate you watching and commenting!
Your videos have been great! Currently working on a 53 year old Glastron Jet Boat where the floor and stringers were rotten. I was very nervous about digging in but you break down these steps so well with great details. So far its coming out great. Thank you!
That is awesome! I'm glad to hear that the videos are helping with your Glastron jet boat! We will be replacing the floors,transom, and possibly the stringers in our 21 ft project boat very soon, so stay tuned, and thanks for watching!
I read the title and thought about what causes cracks, and boom, he nailed it right out of the box. Great teacher, listen up, folks!
Thank you Sir! I appreciate you watching!
Thank you very much for your knowledge. Rebuilding a 1982 T-craft. Your helping me tremendously
Marine tech here from Sarasota Florida
Glad to hear that the videos are helpful! Thanks for watching all of the way from Sarasota!
Thanks to the both of you for making these videos. I just bought a 1978 C&C 34 it's in good shape but as you mentioned in this video old gel coat eventually crack. I also have to do some core repairs and your videos come very handy. You get to the point, its well explained and filmed. Thank you 👍
You are very welcome and I'm glad you are enjoying the videos! Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Thank you so much. The quality and scope of your work is the best. It is so helpful to learn how this all works, and how to do it on a smaller scale.
Wow, I appreciate that! You are very welcome!
Working on restoring a 1982 T-craft 24 closed transom right now Thank you for your videos !
Very cool! Glad to hear that you are enjoying the videos, and I wish you the best with your transom project!
Hi Captain Joe!
As usual your videos never disappoint! Best content on the web! Thank you so much for sharing your extensive knowledge with all of us DIY'ers!
All the best from California!🧡
Fantastic, thanks so much! As always, many thanks for watching from beautiful California!
Joe, you are a really great teacher. Your presentation and knowledge are first rate.
I agree that the air bantam grinder and air angle grinders are wonderful. Light and very maneuverable. I just wish they didn’t require so much air. I’ve been shopping for a 60 gallon air compressor to feed them. 💰💵💰
Thanks so much! I have a 7.5 hp 80 gallon ingersoll as my main compressor, but I have found that a 5 hp 20 gallon 110 volt portable compressor will run then in a non continuous setting with no problem. I will try to find a compressor comparable to that one that I can list for you all. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching @
@@FishBumpTV I worked for 37 years in metal fabrication. At work our outstanding factory compressed air system really spoiled me. I have a lot of fine battery and also 110v tools but I really miss my old air tools. My 1-1/2 hp 20 gallon craftsman compressor just doesn’t cut it. It does do ok with air nailers…r
The videos you and your family have been creating are the best instructional videos I have ever seen. With the knowledge I've gotten from you I just finished my first educational project this summer. I put new epoxied fiber stringers, flotation foam and poly fibered floor in an old 17' bowrider I bought about five years ago for under 2k. Will almost be a shame to glue a carpet down and hide the gel coated floor. Was a great project boat to practice on before I get a nice center console to renovate. Having gotten some practice and many mistakes under my belt, I feel like I can take on anything on the boat now.
Thank you for the amazing content.
Wow, that's fantastic! Glad our videos were helpful in the renovation of your bow rider. I'm excited to hear about any future projects, and I wish you all the best!
Hi Joe! Your channel is a major inspiration - I really like today's video. Together with my GF we are building our own 6.30 boat and your insights help us a ton! Thank you for your work. Regards from Poland!
That is awesome! I wish you the very best with your boat build, and I appreciate you watching all of the way from Poland 🇵🇱!
Just finished doing this on the splash well/transom of my 24 yr old bass boat. Love your videos and fiberglass warehouse products
That is awesome! Thanks for watching and commenting!
Hi Joe - Thanks for another EXCELLENT video and no problem re the length for me - and I enjoy you sharing your philosophy as you go along - I totally agree about saving older boats etc - I live on a nearly 30 year old ex hire boat in France and consequently have many bumps and scrapes and dings to repair. I have always struggled with GRP work but with your videos I believe I am already on the improve and gaining a little confidence each job. You make it look very simple - as a result of your years of hard experience. Many thanks for your hard work and also to your fine cameraman!
You are very welcome, and I'm glad our videos are helping you with keeping your 30 yr old live aboard in good condition! I will be sure to tell my Son Logan that you said he was doing a good job as cameraman, and I very much appreciate you watching all of the way from France 🇫🇷!
@@FishBumpTV HI again Joe - One ongoing problem I have had with every GRP boat I have owned from Laser on up, is the way that manufacturers attaching fittings into the glass with self tapping screws. So often this results in horrendous at least visually - cracks and really it cannot be a particularly strong method either. I wondered if you either have a good alternative, or fix or even if you know of a type of fastener that can be bonded into the substrate from say an oversize hole if the back is not available. Something like a rivnut would be great if the variable grip length could be catered for and it would be better to be in stainless steel. But I am thinking that maybe there are some plastics that could be bonded using resins and then drilled to accept a self tapping screw . Any ideas. I think a video on this subject might be of interest to others. For now what I do is make sure to countersink the hole to the depth of the gelcoat at least and take away the stress that the screw otherwise introduces. Drilling and tapping is another possibility and maybe a helicoil could be bonded into GRP ?? How do you deal with this on your boats?? Thanks again Joe Cheers Peter Wilson Bateau Panache Montargis France
@peterwilson6363 Yes, what you are describing can definitely be an ongoing problem for many boats. Countersinking or overdrilling through the gelcoat can definitely help reduce stress cracks in gelcoat. I always thru bolt with machine screws whenever possible, but when it's not, I try to counter sink, then pilot hole for the screws, then use a quality marine sealant like 3ms 4200, lifecaulk or marine grade silicone in the screw hole itself. This method has worked well for us in the past. I will try to make a video on this topic for you all in the near future. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Awesome Captain Joe, loving this project many thanks to you and Logan for creating such interesting content you guys are absolute legends👍🇦🇺
Our pleasure! I'm honored that you nice folks out there are enjoying and learning from our videos. As always, I appreciate you watching from the amazing country of Australia 🇦🇺!
Thank you for sharing your knowledge . I am trying to get my 1972 Kingfisher stick steer refurbished and your videos have been extremely helpful. New sub and shared. Logan does a great job getting those closeups.
Welcome to the channel! The kingfisher sounds like a great project boat. I always thought the stick steer boats were very cool, but you don't see them much anymore. I will be sure to tell Logan that you said he was doing a great job. Thanks for watching!
If I possessed some gelcoat of the color I need I very well may attempt my next repair after watching this video. You are a great teacher.
Fantastic, I'm glad the video was helpful!
Really this guy is the best,fiberglass warehouse he recommends is the best place to order material,thank you for the recommendation and for the channel,help a lot .Not many places want do small jobs.I watched all you videos
Wow, thanks! Glad you are enjoying the channel and the fiberglass warehouse products!
Thank you for these videos. These are very timely, as I am in the process of doing gelcoat and fiberglass repairs on my Boston Whaler Dauntless 15.
You are very welcome! Glad to help, and I wish you the very best with your Whaler!
Just found your channel a couple days ago and I’m really enjoying the videos. I’m refitting an old sailboat and this episode was especially valuable for me. Thank you. Cheers
Fantastic, welcome to the channel! I'm glad to hear that the videos are helpful!
You are a great inspiration to carry out this repairs on my boat myself
Wow, thanks so much for watching and commenting! I wish you all the best with your project!
Thanks Joe and Logan, this helped me fix my Motorhome roof.
Fantastic! Thanks for sharing your experiences with everyone and for watching!
For a gelcoat filter I used an office stapler to staple two double folds in a piece of window screen, it made a nice shallow cone that was easy to keep on top of the cup.
Yes, that can work great! I believe I have shown that trick in a couple of our videos. Thanks for watching and sharing your experience with the channel!
Wow, top notch narration as you go. This is an amazing amount of detail - thank you so much for sharing your knowledge with us!
Thanks so much for the kind words and for taking the time to watch and comment!
Thanks I’ve been waiting for this! Excellent job as usual
Glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for watching!
Thankyou Professor, Captain Joe Your the man! Your a life saver. You do a great service for the boating community. WOULD LOVE TO MEAT YOU SOME DAY TO THANK YOU .
Wow, thanks so much! Happy to help our fellow boaters out there!
Joe I have a 1999 340 Sundancer that needs some TLC and your videos have helped immensely! I have one issue which is cracks in the textured dash and was hoping you have or would be making a “how to” video on properly repairing those! Thanks so much!
Glad you are enjoying the videos! Sounds like you have a great project boat in the works. I appreciate the video suggestion, and will try to get something along those lines up for you all if I get a chance. Thanks for watching!
@ Thanks Joe! Most stuff I’m good with but gelcoat and hull repairs, I can’t thank you enough for the videos!
Looks like Alabama and the Florida Keys have the same state birds. To this day I still enjoy puttin' around in 14'-17' skiff. Console is looking good. Thanks for the video.
Haha, yep! Gotta love a simple little skiff, some of the best bang for the buck boating out there. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Your videos are a bit long but they are filled with knowledge. Thanks again!
Haha, yes, they are! I find it difficult to make them shorter and still deliver all the information I think is needed to tackle a repair job with confidence. Glad you enjoy them, and I appreciate you watching and commenting!
Thanks Joe! Now to fix all my stress cracks...
You are very welcome, glad to help!
Joe, i wanted to say thanks for the information pertaining to using epoxy and coosa/plywood rebuilds. For all of us DIY folks, it is oh so helpful. thx again.
Glad the videos are helpful! Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Joe your awesome! My boat has a bunch of spider cracks, and most of the are above the bump rail on the boat. l saw the Evercoat and l may remember that it has some fiberglass in the mix and you use the hardener much like bondo. And will try it out on a couple of spots to see how it works out. But sure do appreciate all the different options to see just will work for me Thanks Joe!
Thanks, I'm glad you are enjoying the videos! Yes, the evercoat with fiberglass in it, or vinyl ester based fillers with fiberglass, are my go-to favorites. Fiberglass warehouse is offering a discount code for fish bump tv viewers that will save you some money if you ever want to try any of their products. I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best with your repair.
Thank you for sharing your knowledge! Greetings from Romania!🍻
My pleasure! Thanks so much for watching and commenting all of the way from Romania 🇷🇴! That's awesome!
Love watching your work it's giving me some ideas for when I going to build my own boat
Fantastic, glad you are getting some inspiration from the videos. Thanks for watching!
Enjoying this series.
Awesome, thanks for watching!
Very good information here - IDKnow how many I've seen that was neglected until it was a major problem, peace guys
Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Thanks to you 2 for sharing your knowledge. You are great person.
So nice of you! I appreciate that!
Guys don't overthink it and worry that it's too much to remember, don't get discouraged. Jump on in, you will get the hang of it, and if you mess it up, that's what grinders are for, and you just learned a lot.
Good advice! So many people suffer from analysis paralysis and never actually get started on a project! It's ok to make mistakes, that's how we learn. I hope the videos answer some questions for folks and inspire them to get out there and build or repair something. I appreciate you sharing your thoughts and experiences with the channel.
Capt Joe Thankful for this video it just confirms so many questions I have confirmation for moving forward with so many problems repairing structures fiberglass! Maybe video content in the future what is the best paint removal material for removing paint from gelcoat that would not damage the gelcoat moving forward Thanks again for your time and sharing your family legacy!!! Thanks Fish bump family outstanding video
You are very welcome, glad the video was helpful! I really appreciate you watching and offering suggestions for future content here on the channel!
Another great video. And the timing is perfect. I just took my boat to a fiberglass shop yesterday to repair some crazing that has happened. It seems that one of the difficulties is finding the color matched gelcoat. Do the boat manufacturers commonly deal with everyday consumers or will they only sell to repair shops?
Yes, you can usually contact the factory or the dealer that the boat was bought from. You can also go to Sherwin Williams, and if you can find a color card that is a match to your boat, Fiberglass warehouse can do a close color match. Fiberglass warehouse is also offering a discount code for fish bump tv viewers. Just be sure to mention the discount to them. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Great job by the cameraman…. Zooming in and out to capture all the details I wanted to see! 😊
Thanks, glad that you are enjoying the camera work!
Thank you Cap !
Another awesome thorough Video in the archives 🫡
My pleasure! Glad you are enjoying the channel!
Great video covering the different options! A+
Thank you Sir, glad you enjoyed it!
When your boat console is bolted down to the deck of the boat, if your boat hits a big wave and flexes the boat hull your deck will transfer the flex into the flange of the boat console. This is where most stress fractures derive from over time.
Yes, boat flexing related to impacts are one of the 3 main causes that I talked about as causing stress cracks. Many factory produced boats are underbuilt, in my opinion, which causes excessive flexing and twisting. I will be discussing console mounting options, such as fiberglassing, and quality marine adhesives to help with that in future episodes of our boat build series. So stay tuned and thanks for watching!
What about adding some carbon fiber to reinforce these areas and during initial construction in stress areas?
That's a possibility for sure. This particular console appears to be built completely with csm, which is not uncommon for smaller consoles like this one. Honestly, just adding a layer of 1708 biaxial glass might have been enough to stop the cracks from forming in the first place. The vinyl ester resin we used for the repair is a much stronger material than the base polyester resin that the console was originally built out of, so I am confident the console will be good to go from here on out. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Thanks Captain Joe great info as always .
Very welcome, glad you enjoyed it!
Great work, Joe. Thank you
Glad you enjoyed it, and thanks for watching!
Is there a crack testing or revealing system that makes them visible?
Generally, you can see them if you look closely. Sometimes, it is hard for the camera to pick them up even though we are filming in 4k. If you can't see cracks, then you probably don't have anything to worry about. Thanks for watching!
Love your video! I am gonna use your instructions to start fixing my sailboat.
Wow, thanks! I wish you all the best with your sailboat!
@FishBumpTV
You are welcome! I have so many gelcoat cracks and most of them are located at the bases of anything projecting out of the deck....ie window hatch, outside rim around the deck and a couple of stanchion bases. Stanchion bases are most likely related to deeper structural damage. I'll see when I start digging. One more time, thanks!
Is vinyl ester stronger and more flexible ? Or stronger but more brittle?
Vinyl ester is better in pretty much every way vs. polyester. It's stronger, less brittle, bonds better on a molecular level, and is more waterproof. It's basically epoxy but with a styrene base, which makes it completely compatible with gelcoat and can be activated with standard MEKP. It's pretty fantastic stuff! Fiberglass warehouse has the best VE resin I have ever used and at a very competitive price. They also offer a discount code for fish bump tv viewers. Even if you don't use it for every part of your job, it's definitely worth having some of it around for making specialized putties and fillers like I am using on our project boat console. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Captain Joe, loved the video ! ❤👍🏻
Wow, thanks so much!
you make it look easy, thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching!
Excellent video. Greetings from Melbourne Australia on the waters of Port Phillip!
Thank you very much! We appreciate everyone watching all of the way from Australia 🇦🇺!
Hey Joe, these videos are great and your son is doing fantastic too, and I'd like to see you around for awhile...maybe you can take some time and learn to edit in some narration and you can wear some protection, and maybe tone down the grinding and speed up through the tedious parts. You deserve two thumbs up
Great suggestion! As the channel grows, I am sure we will be making some adjustments to our editing style. All of this stuff takes a considerable amount of time, and it is a bit of a juggling act for us right now. I seriously do appreciate your thoughts and support of the channel, and will be sure to tell my som that you said he is doing a good job!
Great vidoe as always Joe. Showing the whole process from start to finish as you do is so much better than, Heres one I baked earlier. The boat in my profile picture is my 560 SharkCat built here in Australia by Jim Anderson in the 80s best boat ever.
Thanks so much! The support from our Australia viewers has been fantastic! Power catamarans are just becoming mainstream here in the States, but I know the Australians have been building some outstanding Cats for decades! You have got to be proud to own such a cool boat and be part of a country with such a love for boating and the outdoors!
Thanks Joe, a really useful video. I am new to your channel.. can you give any advice about colour matching gelcoat? Also dealing with osmosis damage to gelcoat?
Thanks, and welcome to the channel! I do have a gelcoat matching and repair video here on the channel. We made it a few months back, so you may have to scroll through the channel a bit. It is also in our gelcoat repair Playlist. I don't have a specific video on osmosis blisters, but i have repaired plenty of them. You will basically have to grind them out, until they pop and you get to good solid fiberglass. Clean the blister very well, then use vinyl ester, or epoxy resin for the repairs. Then you should use a epoxy barrier coat over the entire hull bottom to help prevent them from reoccurring. Fiberglass warehouse has epoxy and vinyl ester resins and the are offering a discount code for fish bump tv viewers, just be sure to mention the discount before ordering. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
For the stressed screw holes - could you embed fender washers into the glass to reinforce them and maybe get longer life out of the glass?
Maybe a slim aluminum strip along the entire flange?
Or does that just move the stressed area farther away?
It's possible that could help. There are variations in how every console is built and installed, so it's hard to say for sure. Thanks for watching and commenting!
60K !! 🎉🎉
Yeah!! Pretty exciting stuff! Appreciate your support of the channel
No Alaska's state bird is the mosquito 😂 I swear they can pack off a small child, love watching your videos on fiberglass as I have a 69 20' TolleyCraft that I'm about to fix up, did they use polyester resin back then ?
Haha, I hear ya! Yes, your boat is most likely built using polyester resin. Hope the videos help with your project, and thanks for watching!
When I was young I was told the will
1988 Donzi R23 3rd owner from it getting gifted from older friend's passed down
Awesome videos...hope to be very helpful....at least getting me started in correct direction great knowledge well explained
Thank You
I really enjoy watching your videos, I found a project that I must address on my boat, over time changing speakers someone drilled new holes every time, until now it seems like there is like 10 holes per speaker hole. Since the speaker cover hides that area, I will try and repair and fill the holes and make it my winter project. Thank you for all your videos ,
Should deep scratches in the paint be treated the same way? I have a 1974 sailboat and it has multiple layers of paint. For scratches that don’t go all the down to the fiberglass is there another filler I could use?
Hi Joe. I have a lot of gelcoat cracks on my 29 Oceans. Do you have a video on color matching spot repairs like this?
Yes, I do have a gelcoat color match videos here on the channel. I made it a few months back. It is in our gelcoat repair Playlist. Also if you can find a color code from Sherwin Williams, the folks at fiberglass warehouse can do a custom color match for you. Hope this helps with your ocean 29s gelcoat repair, and thanks for watching!
Good job well done Thank-you
So nice of you! Thanks for watching and commenting!
I love this channel the amount of detail you put into to these videos are insane keep up the good work
Wow! Thanks, will do!
I have an old boat and there is a clear finish peeling in areas that have been exposed to the sun. Would this be a clear coat paint or old gel coating peeling off.
It's hard to say for sure without seeing it in person. Most of the boats that we work on are one single gelcoat color, and there isn't any type of clearcoat applied over it, but it sounds like you are dealing with something different. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
I have a question for you regarding the following scenario. Earlier in the season, I noticed my ski locker with cracked gelcoat. It was probably cracked before then, but I didn't notice it. I only use the locker for paddle storage. One day I was cleaning the interior, I opened the locker and found that the gelcoat had begun flaking. Removal of the flaked gelcoat revealed the boat maker covered bare plywood with a thick application of plain gelcoat. Considering it's only a ski locker, would it make more sense to reapply gelcoat in the same manner, or soak the wood in resin, then gelcoat it?
Love your channel. I’ve been working with stress cracks on my boat since it’s a 1998. Was wondering if you have any examples of how to deal with where the stress crack goes from smooth gelcoat into the nonskid which is a pattern in this case a whaler.also when using those nicer brushes, are you able to clean them for future uses when gel coating?
Thanks, I'm glad you are enjoying the channel! I have done gelcoat repairs before that transition into non-skid , but not here on the channel. It is more difficult, but it is still possible for sure. The difficulty can depend on the texture of the non-skid as well. If it is a geometric pattern, like a diamond, for example, you would do the repair, then use a metal straight edge as a guide, and some type of a blade, like a jig saw to cut in the pattern by hand. There is also a company called Gibco that makes non-skid reverse patterns for many different models. But there is definitely a learning to using it. I will try to make a video on this topic for you all if I get an opportunity. Yes, you can definitely clean the high-quality brushes, I use acetone, and I am able to get quite a bit of use out of them. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
I wonder if you would consider building a small skiff like a 14 footer using the stitching method.
I have built several stitch and glue style skiffs in the past, before we started making videos. You can see some pictures of them on the wall behind my work area. That's a great way to build a small boat, in my opinion. Who knows, maybe we will build another someday here on the channel. Thanks for the suggestion and for watching!
As usual GREAT content, Joe! As far as sanding in corners and ESPECIALLY for a radius (after gel coat application) what sanding blocks would you recommend to us DIY’ers?
Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! I have several different custom sanding blocks that I have made for different shapes and profiles. I like to use a router with a radius bit to make them. I might show how I make the blocks and how I might tackle sanding the somewhat complex shapes in our next video. So stay tuned and thanks for watching!
@@FishBumpTV Oh, I’ll be patiently waiting, brother! I’ve been using your ‘Master Class’ techniques on a few “divots” on my Baja and they’ve turned out GREAT! However, I have a spot in an unusually shaped area and a square sanding block just isn’t gonna cut it. Thanks again, brother! Gonna tell everyone I learned how to do Gelcoat repair from Cptn Joe Buskens! 👍
Another great video!.. 🤙
Glad you enjoyed it! I appreciate you watching and commenting!
Great tips and tricks. I have to fill a large void after the removal of a 1/2 inch diameter rusty bolt from my centre board case. I have decided to use 1/4 inch chopped fibers. After watching this video I have realised that cabosil won't be sufficient due to the size of the void. Thank you! Do you use the same MKEP for polyester, vinylester and gelcoat?
Yes, some chopped fibers will definitely give you more strength on the larger diameter holes. Just remember that good prep work and quality materials will result in a great repair job. Maybe even some experimenting on non critical parts beforehand, especially if you are new to working with fiberglass. The vinyl ester resin from fiberglass warehouse has become my favorite resin to work with overall. Fiberglass warehouse is offering a discount code for fish bump tv viewers. And yes, MEKP is the same for poly, vinyl, or gelcoat. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Awesome, I found your channel. Never done gel coat, so this works. ❤🙏 new sub 🍻⛵ I can do this, as I watched my dad build a 52ft ferrous cement schooner as I grew up. Will watch for may tips on the boats I have now.
That's great! Welcome to the channel!! Glad the videos are giving you some helpful info as you move into the amazing world of fiberglass and gelcoat!
Love the channel. I was wondering if you finished the hard top for the boat and if you have installed it?
Thanks! Yes, I have finished building the hardtop, and I just posted a time lapse compilation of the entire build that you might enjoy seeing. I haven't gotten the aluminum pipework done that is needed to install it yet. I will be waiting until we get closer to our spring fishing season to get it done because that kind of work is surprisingly expensive, and the 29 isn't making any money right now. My shop needs some maintenance, and I have some other projects that need some time and money put into them this winter. It's always a balancing act with my kind of work. You can spend every dollar you make and then some if you're not careful. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!
If I have a stress crack on the outside of the boat at the waterline should that be repaired before taking it out again. Thanks and Love the videos,
That's hard to say for sure! A crack at the waterline could very likely be a structural issue and may need to be repaired properly. I would recommend being safe rather than sorry and have it checked out professionally. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
When it comes to brand and size of carbide conical burr do you have a favorite?
Not particularly. I will try to put up an Amazon link below our videos description for some good carbide burrs. Anything that is purchased through our Amazon links also helps support the channel, so it is much appreciated. Thanks!
Thank you
Good morning Captain Joe, I'm using the dremel with a conical bur to remove cracks. I have been filling them with FGCI gelcoat paste. I was wondering if you have ever used gelcoat paste made by FGCI ? I know you make most of your own paste but I would love your opinion on the stuff. I did have a few cracks that were into the fiberglass. I used the dye grinder to grind them out without going through the fiberglass and opened the width of the cracks a few inches to get a solid bond. So far so good but I'm not that great at sanding 😂.
I have used some FGCI products in the past, with good results, but I have not used their gelcoat paste. Wish I had some info or feedback for you on that particular product. Your skill level will improve with every job you complete. Remember quality over quantity. Just take your time, do your research, and have your materials all staged and ready close by before starting your work. I hope this helps, and I wish you all the best with your gelcoat crack repairs!
Joe, I've been watching your videos to learn more about top quality fiberglass repair. I am restoring an early Corvette and I want to do the best work possible. I thought I knew about fiberglass until I started watching your stuff. My repairs need to be gray in color so I've added some Fiberlay white and black pigments to my resins. I find that the resins need a bit more MEKP to make them kick when they have pigments added. Is this your experience
Welcome to the channel! Your Corvette sounds like a cool project to be working on. I don't typically add pigment to our resins in boat repair and building, but we do sometimes with gelcoat. Too much pigment can definitely affect the cure rate in gelcoat. It seems like 5 percent or so by volume is the maximum recommended. I hope this helps, and I appreciate you watching and commenting!
All your videos are very helpful! I have stress cracks on my bow from over tightening. Do you recommend thickened epoxy of chopped Matt?
Tell us about you vacuum filter please. Is it a water filter? I’ve thought about making a quick bucket water filter for sucking up the endless fine dust that constantly clogs vac dry filter.
Thank you for the great informative fiberglass videos.
I am using the largest Rigid shop vacuum they make, and a oneida dust deputy. This setup does a good job for us. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
Try a small siphon feed sandblaster it will dig out the damage in seconds and will expose the fiber hairs, the repair will bond to the exposed hairs. The surface will not be smeared it will be rough and cleans well with acetone.
Agreed. I'll even rub surfaces with a wire brush and the coal slag abrasive media you can sandblast with. I have a buddy with a old whaler thats cracked to all hell and I'm tempted to try powerwashing the shit out of it to initially hydro peel whatever will come up. I've fixed cracks in the manner he is using and it definately no an easy quick proposition.
Interesting, sounds like that could work well! There are certainly several different ways that a job could be approached and still end up with a good result. I say that and encourage people to use what they can from our videos and modify or adapt when they see a chance to. I can tell you, though, that small die grinders with a carbide burr and small pneumatic angle grinders are the standard operating procedures for guys that do it professionally. Thanks for watching and commenting!
@@FishBumpTV No argument. There is a big difference between a professional repair to specific area and making the most of an older hull on a minimal investment in time and materials. Believe it or not. I've had great results repairing cracking cinder block walls by simply powerwashing all the loose pieces away and filling all cracks with either straight epoxy off a squeegee or for smaller cavities a thick mix of microballons and epoxy. The large voids get actual mortar. Mortar has abysmal tensile strength so occasionally I'll go back to the area with more epoxy to fill in any hairline cracks that emerge with time between the replacement mortal and the repaired area.
@@winningwithoutracing7811 That doesn't surprise me at all! There are so many uses for epoxy and fiberglass outside of working on boats. Thanks for watching!
@@FishBumpTV Thanks for making the content. Yours is the best on the subject matter and your growth is a testament to that. It would have saved me an enormous amount of labor and aggravation if i'd seen it sooner. I'd like to produce content half this good someday but on unconventional engineering and performance marine construction. Thanks again. Dave
Thank you for all the great lessons
Have yall found a dependable bonding agent for bonding poly resins
[gelcoat] to epoxy
Glad to hear that you are enjoying the channel! I did a product review video a few months back on a product made by system 3 epoxy. It's called sb 112. The video is titled, You can gelcoat over epoxy. I hope this helps, and I appreciate you watching!
One question…
Is that vinylester a lay up 43:05 resin?
I’ve always assumed I needed to spray some PVA on my lay up in order to sand it for shaping purposes.
The vinyl ester resin that I used in this video is a laminating resin. Unwaxed or non PVAed resin is going to be slightly tacky, and more prone to gum up your sandpaper, but aggressive grit paper sands it with no problem. I know there are different opinions on this, but our family has been doing it this way for decades in our boatshop. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
@ Thanks for the clarification and I guess I just always assumed it would gum up the sandpaper and really never tried it without PVA.
I’ll give it a try and see how it goes.
Definitely would save some time!
I’m hooked on your videos and like everyone else I’m sure we appreciate all your knowledge!
Can get Cusa in Australia, but I’m not sure if it’s the same name. Great show by the way
I believe there is a product called Thermolite available in Europe and Australia that is very similar to Coosa board, but I have never personally used it before. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment all of the way from Australia 🇦🇺!!
@ probably the same product with a different name. I have used it on my last rebuild and it looked the same as what you were using. Great material, but very, very expensive here 😔
Two question, between gel coat layers, how much time do you allow?
No sanding between gel coat layers?
It doesn't have to be very long. As long as it is firmed up and isn't still tacky. I know our videos are long, but oftentimes if you watch them all of of the way through, you will get answers to questions you are looking for. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
Man I wish I could fill like you!
Thanks! It just takes a little practice. The more you do it, the better you will get! Appreciate you watching
Polyester or epoxy? What is easiest to work with, strongest and best to put gelcoat on?
I choose vinyl ester resin for almost all of my projects. It's the best of both worlds, in my opinion. Fiberglass warehouse has the best vinyl ester resin I have ever used, and they offer a discount code for fish bump tv viewers. I also have a resin selection guide video here on the channel that you might find helpful. Thanks for watching!
Hey! Is clear gel coat a thing? Like clear on a car... What would be the purpose of?
Thank you for the great content 🤘
👍👍👍
Thank you!!
By any chance, do you sale colored gelcoat as Spanish gray?
No, sorry. You might try Spectrum gelcoat. Thanks for watching!
Would it have not have been easier to have reinforced the whole flange All the way around the console?
No, not in my opinion. The cracks showed where the problem is, and there isn't any reason to reinforce areas that don't have an issue. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
Hi there, Fish Bump. Thanks for the channel. I have a chip in my gelcoat, in which the colouring is Blue.
Do I just add the matched blue colour in at mixing product stage? Is there a better way?
What are the best coulouring additives?
Love the content!
Glad you are enjoying the videos! I have several gelcoat repair videos here on the channel that go in-depth on that topic, and I have a gelcoat color matching video as well. I am sure these videos will help answer your questions. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!
Thanks Joe, really appreciate you getting back to me so quickly. I have been checking out those videos this morning, instead of working. Haha. I may get back to you if I have trouble. The color I'm trying to match is the blue 2003 4.3 mpi 262inch mercruiser Alpha 1 Gen 2. The blue is half the hull, off white bottom half and also from rim to inside the hull. Thanks again for the content, mate. Really appreciate, how thorough you are.
Would you recommend using a filler like SikaBiresin AP017 for spider cracks/crazing that have been dremeled out? Every one of my stanchions have spiders at the base, so I'll dremel them out, but am wondering if a filler would bond better and last longer than just gel coat.
Would Marine Tex be suitable for filling such cracks?
You could possibly use Marinetex, but it is epoxy resin based, and you could possibly have compatability issues between the Marinetex and the gelcoat. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
Do you use normal pva glue in your unwaxed gelcoat.
Can to much MEK-P hurt the repair?
You can go on the high or low side of catalyst ratios for most resins or fillers. Which is 1 to 2 percent in most cases. But going way over or under in catalyst is not good, and you should try to avoid it in my opinion. I hope this helps, and thanks for watching!
It looks like you applied w/wax on top of w/wax…are you going to have adhesion issues?
No problems as long as it is applied while the coat underneath is still tacky. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!
Is there a reason you have only worked from one side?
Personally, if I had access to both sides, as you do on the console, I would have ground out the holes from both sides and applied the filler from both sides.
I'm not exactly sure what you are talking about? I did work the repairs from both sides, but in the previous episode of this series of videos. I show lots of prep work as well. I am breaking these videos up so as to teach our viewers better, but not every video is a 100 percent start to finish video. I hope this helps clarify the process. Thanks for watching
Apologies, this is the only one I have watched. I was just thinking of the corner repair where you push the filler into the hole, saying that you are going to move the fixing holes. I hadn't realised it was prepared on the underside. I would have thought you would have got a better bond though if you had filled the hole from both sides before it had set.
The video are great though, given me some ideas for a repair I need to do on my Laser sailing dinghy.
Is there a point where there are just soo many cracks in an area that you'd be better off sanding down the whole area instead of running down every crack?
Sure, that can be the case sometimes. It's just a personal decision at some point of which method you prefer. I hope this helps, and I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!