Fiberglass crack repair in sunfish

[SilverXJ]

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[sundog]

Re: Fiberglass crack repair in sunfish

jeez...how big is the crack? technically, your correct. realistically, depending on how much the boat is worth, you can probably get by drilling out both ends of the crack, use a keyhole saw to cut along the crack (making a 1/8" line between holes), and filling it with a fiberglass resin/microfiber mix. sand, finish, and sail. its not as strong a finish as the correct way, but its fast, and so long as its not at a stress point, will probably last the life of the boat.

 

[SilverXJ]

Re: Fiberglass crack repair in sunfish

 

[Oldsaltydog]

Re: Fiberglass crack repair in sunfish

Using MarineTex (or similar) epoxy fiberglass filler would work fine for repairing the cracks.

 

[SilverXJ]

Re: Fiberglass crack repair in sunfish

What about polyester? I read that gel coat won't stick to epoxy.

 

[kd6nem]

Re: Fiberglass crack repair in sunfish

Does this boat not have flotation foam inside? Foam takes a very, very long time to dry out. Most would probably just replace it. Unless I'm mistaken here (and I hope I am) this should be addressed before repairing the cracks. Otherwise it will ride low and slow in the water. <br />I got to sail a mini-fish once. Those fish are incrediblly fun boats. I'd love to get my hands on one myself, actually.

 

[SilverXJ]

Re: Fiberglass crack repair in sunfish

yes, it has flotation foam inside. I don't think I want to remove it as that requires spliting theh ull from the deck.. and I haven't even repaired a crack yet. I will probably repait the cracks than sail it and let it dry out over teh winter o and when I am not sailing it.

 

[kd6nem]

Re: Fiberglass crack repair in sunfish

I have not done this myself, so I'm going on hearsay and guesswork- but even over a winter or three it probably will not fully dry even in a warm climate. Sooner or later you'll probably need to take the deck off. Don't give up on this boat, though- the needed repairs sound worse than they will actually be. Maybe you can get away with a temp fix for over the summer if she isn't too darn heavy from the wet foam, but be careful since she'll be more fragile out of the water if she is heavy.

 

[Oldsaltydog]

Re: Fiberglass crack repair in sunfish

MarineTex will stick just fine to fiberglass AND gelcoat. As for moisture, you may have to cut a round hole into the deck and install an inspection hatch, which will allow you to dry out the interior.