How To Repair Fiberglass Boat Floors?

If you see a hole in the flooring of your boat very little can be more irritating

. If you possess a wooden boat, repairs can quickly become costly. If you are lucky enough to own a fiberglass boat, you will be happy to know that it will be moderately easy to repair that hole in the floor on your own at a minimal price. To make the repairs yourself, you will require the following items that are available from any local boating supply store:

Required tools and Materials:

Sandpaper or disk sander

Marker

Knife

Brush

Wax paper

Fiberglass repair kit

Formica or Plexiglas

Gel-coat

Acetone

Instructions:

Step one: find the extent of the damage.

Holes in your flooring will usually run past what is visible. Closely examine the hole and the surrounding area to settle on the extent of the damage and get rid of loose material using sandpaper.

Step two:

with the acetone, remove any wax that may be present on the floor.

Step three:

with a marker, draw an oval around the broken area and cut it out using a knife or small hand saw then draw another oval that is at least a half inch away from all edges of the cut out hole.

Step four:

Sand the area with the sandpaper or disk sander up the point of this new oval until it appears uniformly dull and clean once more with acetone to remove the excess dust. If dust, dirt, or other impurities remain, they may prevent the patch from working.

Step five:

Put On a heavy coat of paste wax checking that you don't get any on the sides of the hole. This will prevent runs from the gel coat from adhering

Step six:

Mix gel-coat matching the product's directions, and apply to the hole/crack with a putty knife. If the damaged area is shallow, you might be able to apply the gel-coat with a brush.

Step seven:

Cover the gel-coat with wax paper.

Step eight:

Give the gel coat time to harden. After the gel-coat has hardened, get rid of the wax paper and softly sand it until it is smooth. Curing time for the gel-coat will depend upon the heaviness of the application. This can take up to two hours but there is nothing wrong with letting it harden overnight if you have the time. Check the manufacturer's instructions for this info.

Step nine:

Apply a coat of paste wax which will assist the gel-coat to cure fully. Using too much may however,cause the application to cook resulting in in a weak fix.

Step ten:

Use acetone to clean the tools you used to make the repair.

Tips & Warnings

Work slowly and follow the directions that come with your repair kit step by step.

Work in a well-ventilated area to shield yourself from the fumes of the acetone and the gel-coat.

When sanding, wear a dust mask and protective goggles to prevent inhalation of dust and to protect your eyes.

Never try to save damaged fiberglass; always cut it out and replace it.

by: Brian Jones

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