cracks in topside fiberglass...

plazmore

Cadet
Joined
Jul 22, 2005
Messages
28
hi all...<br /><br />when i bought my lil boat about two years ago, it had a small dent in the bow, at the bumperstrip, and "waves" of small cracks around the dent...<br />now, i am finding lots of these cracks...all running lengthwise. most are about six inches long. the topside is dark brown, so i think the sun and uv rays have caused the cracking. <br />how do i go about cleaning these up? can i sand em down and fill em in? then paint? what about small dings on corners around the transom? is there a good filler for this as well?<br /><br />thanks for your input!!
 

bayman

Senior Chief Petty Officer
Joined
Feb 2, 2000
Messages
669
Re: cracks in topside fiberglass...

Hi Plazmore!<br /><br />In these discussions, Bruce McDugal's videos come up as good input for doing this right. The difficulty in answering your question is that it can be a long answer and many people aren't experienced in all areas regarding these repairs. Therefore, many just recommend this line of videos. The one on "Stress Cracks, Air Voids & Fractures" is probably the best one to answer your questions:<br /><br /> http://www.iboats.com/mall/index.cgi?prod_id=5663 <br /><br />Let us know how it goes.
 

Solittle

Fleet Admiral
Joined
Apr 28, 2002
Messages
7,518
Re: cracks in topside fiberglass...

I would use Marine Tex for small dings. It is a marine epoxy that hardens like steel.<br /><br />Also see the Restoration section here on the forum for lots of other ideas.
 
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