Wooden Boat People
By McKenzieDriftBoat.com
Repair or remove shoddy fiberglass job?
I am a complete newbie to wooden boats and your site. I just purchased a 1950s plywood cruiser that has some fiberglass on the hull in various places. The hull is sound but is in need of a new paint job so I am about to start stripping it down. The person who applied the fiberglass did a poor (being kind) job of applying it. I see the weave and edge of every piece with raised areas where the fluid is built up.
I am wondering if I should simply sand all of the bad fiberglass out and start fresh, or try to remove the paint from the fiberglass and apply more layers on top to hide the fibers?
Are there other alternatives that a newbie like me may not be aware of?
Thank you, in advance, for any info/input you may have!
Views: 2306
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Vance Wonser on
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I don't have much more experience than you do, but a question comes to mind.
Why is there fiberglass only in certain areas? Are there structural problems in these areas that the glass was dealing with?
The boat isn't by chance in south eastern Oregon is it? Yellow pumpkin seed style ski boat? If so that may be my 1st finerglass job! :-)
Actually we glassed the entire boat but sounds like the same quality work! I will say she held up well to a low speed impact with a bridge abutmant when started in gear at high throttle setting (that was back in my drinking days).
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Haha...sounds like a beauty! I'm in Seattle and bought the old cruiser from a wooden boat school here (it was a donation).
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Permalink Reply by Rick Newman on
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David, I am willing to bet that polyester resin was used to bond the fiberglass to the plywood. This system doesn't have a good track record for longevity. Polyester resin and wood just don't mix. In order to restore your boat you get to have the fine pleasure of removing all the fiberglass, traces of resin and any material that is not wood or metal. Do you have any pictures you can show? Fiberglass was commonly applied to keep fir or Douglas Fir plywood from checking when the outer surface dries unevenly. Some six ounce or 10 ounce E-Glass laminated with one of the popular epoxies, West System, System Three, Raka, MAS or one of the others will work fine. If you haven't fiberglassed before trying it on some scrap plywood can help you determine the technique that works best for you. Some folks like to spread a light coat of epoxy on the wood prior to laying the glass down and then adding a second coat which they then roll out, spread out , brush out or some combination thereof. Gougen Brothers from West System have a good publication on the techniques of epoxy use. System Three also has a good free publication too.
Epoxy is not Ultraviolet Ray resistant. Therefore you will have to either apply an appropriate paint or varnish.
One of the major considerations with a watercraft of your age is rot within the frame members and plywood. An icepick will be your best friend for a while when you inspect and test all the wood on your boat. Look for cracks, discolored wood, signs of leaks, etc.
You might also consider visiting the site WoodenBoat Forum. The folks over there deal with the building and restoration of power boats and sailboats. We primarily build and restore framed wood drift boats. We love to help anyone, but you might find some folks with more specific knowledge of your boat and the techniques required to restore it. I also spend a lot of time visiting that site and have observed other folks with similar boat restorations.
Welcome to the site and good luck with your restoration.
Rick Newman
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Permalink Reply by David Rogers on
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I agree with Rick that you will want to remove that old glass. Before sanding, I would attempt to heat it with a heat gun and see if you can grab an edge and peel it off.
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Wow...thank you guys for the input!!! I was afraid I was going to have to remove it.
The previous owner ran fiberglass along the V in the hull and around the edges of the transom so hopefully it won't be too painful to get this stuff off.
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David, not much pain involved, mostly patience and passion! Sort of like Karate Kid, "wax on, wax off" .Just keep thinking about what it will be like when you are cruising around your local waterways and how many people will stop you and ask you how you restored your boat!
Welcome aboard,
Rick Newman
PS we love to see pictures, I can help you if you aren't familiar with our system.
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Thank you all for the input!!! I created a blog for posterity and maybe a little narcissism. If you are at all interested...
http://thisoldplywoodboat.blogspot.com/
Again...thank you so much!!!!!
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