DIY Fiberglass Repair

[rmil2k]

Hi All,
I finally got myself a MAC. I picked up a 2000 X a few weeks ago.
The previous owner did some damage to it and then tried to repair it himself.


I got an estimate on a repair, with repaint, but it was in the neighborhood of $7k. (I don't live in that neighborhood)
Does anyone have any experience with repairing a MAC?
I purchased a couple of fiberglass repair books off ebay, got the videos off Netflix, it doesn't seem that difficult.

The hardest part seems like it would be to replicate the fine detail on the hull, If I found another willing 2000x owner
do you thing it would be feasible to make a mini mold using another 2000X as a plug?


the other difficult part looks like it will be undoing the old repair. the crack at the hull deck join is only a couple inches long.
I have no idea why he thought it needed metal ?

thoughts?

Thanks, RM

[waternwaves]

a 7K estimate for that size of repair is from someone who did not want to do the work.

[March]

I wouldn't worry so much about a mold or a plug. If you get a mold, you will still have to patch it and polish off the edges. Count on working on it on several long and tedious sessions. I've never worked on such a wide gash, but this is what I would do: remove the old stuff that goes over the surface of the hole by using a dremel (sort of a dentis's approach). Once the hole is clean and the fiberglass is exposed, I would begin by adding a patch of fiberglass mat soaked in resin. Wait a day or two until it dries up. Add another layer until you reach the level of the original wall. Then get yourself a rotary polisher, a lot of sandpaper and ever more patience. I would frind the new patch, bringing it on the same level with the rest of the hull. Your sense of touch would probably tell you if the profile matches the original--and your eye, too. Patch up all the indentations with resin. Continue polishing. As for the final goat, I would use Marine Tex which is easy to work with and allows itself to be filed and ground down to specs better than fiberglass. Besides, it's also white and matches the hull.

Like I said, I never worked on such wide gashes but I guess it can be done. A lot of work though; Is the rub rail damaged too? Don't remove it, if you can help it. Putting the rub rail back in place is a huge hassle in itself

[Québec 1]

Looks to me like the first thing to do is to sand off the very bad attempt at repairing the guy did. It will probably not be as damaged as it looks. His repair seems to have made it worst.

[BrazDaz]

You could call your local EAA chapter Experimantal aircraft association they have all sorts of fiberglass airplanes built with woven mat fiberglass and. like us very friendly helpful and great at building and modifying repairing Glass fiber a wealth of really good information books, videos etc. In my experience they will probably suggest you sand or grind the damaged area down one inch per layer of mat to produce a taper in the good glass for the new mat to bond to. So if the hull is 5 or 6 layers thick you'll end up with a 5 or 6 inch ramp from the gellcoat through to the inside of the skin, if there is a substantial hole left from removing the damage, I would then bond some polystyrene, or other resin resistant foam, which is easy to file and sand to shape and form to the profile of the hull. this will back up the new glass as it is layed up(ie your mold). Don't be afraid to put more layers on than were there originally because you will be sanding it all down smooth and straight before sealing and painting it. Try to turn the boat over so your not laying up on a vertical surface.
call your local EAA chapter Experimantal aircraft association.
Best of luck

[puggsy]

A reputable fibreglass supply company should supply you with repair information...Basically its as simple as adding hardener to resin and applying the resin to the woven cloth or chopped mat, brushing it in and letting it set. Once set, grind ithe excess off...the amounts to add are clearly stated on the bottle [ of hardener] If the repair is quite thick, apply separate layers and allow drying time between layers...
Another trick for bulky parts is resin and hardener mixed with cheap talcum powder or more expensive glass beads to make up a mouldable bog and then shape it to whatever shape you want. Apply extra talc to your hands to prevent sticking...As for the final finish, use coloured gelcoat and mix hardener into it and paint it on , using masking tape if needed...gelcoat comes as white and can be tinted. hope this helps.
The dinghy I am sitting in [ avatar ] was a wreck and i fixed it as above...and gelcoated the yellow and blue...no further need to paint it...

[dvideohd]

is this fiberglass damage? or just gelcoat and some paint....

If gelcoat - you can do it yourself for not much money... actually, very cheap...

closer pictures? more details??

did you gouge the fibeglass? or just wear it and the paint stripe down??

--jr

where are you at????

[rmil2k]

thanks for the input from everyone. As far as I can tell the only ACTUAL fiberglass damage in about 2" in from the deck/hull join up on to the deck and down maybe 2-3 inches on the hull. you can also see the Chine? splash guard? whatever the hull detail is called is actually very badly damaged, and it looks like it was filled with body putty. the rest in between seems to be mostly gel coat damage and a lousy repair making it look worse than it is. Tapping the space between the two damaged areas SOUNDS good, not dead or de-laminated. Closer pictures .... probably will have to wait, I live in Maine, the boat is now tarped for winter as it's a bit too cold and snowy to work on it now. I plan to start the repairs in the spring and I'm trying to learn as much as I can over the winter. But hey, worst case, I got the boat for 8K and it has a dodger, bimini, autopilot, mylar genoa and about every Mod you can think of already done. even if it did cost 5k or so to make it look new I'd be happy!
I bought the boat from a guy in North Carolina. He got it from John Defino, (see: http://sail.defino.com/index.exe
the quote I received from the fiberglass guy in Portland ME included about $2500. for new paint. The Admirals idea she's from the "fast Blue" camp.

RM

[AKCoastie]

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