How to Repair Your Fiberglass Sailboat
Here
are some resources you may find useful when
you need to repair your hull or deck
If you do any serious cruising, and especially if you go racing,
the day will come when you'll hit something hard with your boat
and damage your hull or deck.
Hopefully
the damage will be minor and you'll get safely back to dock where
you'll be able to assess the damage and make arrangements to repair
it.
However,
if you haven't had experience with the cost of professional fiberglass
repairs, be prepared for a shock. Boat maintenance and repair businesses
count an their clients knowing nothing about boat repair in general,
and fiberglass repair in particular.
They
would like to keep you believing that fiberglass repair is some
kind of voodoo science.
The
truth of the matter is that repairing fiberglass is pretty straightforward
and well within the scope of most sailors. All you need is the right
information, the right products, some simple tools and some time
and patience.
Which
brings us to ...
The
West System
Meade
and Jan Gougeon opened for business in Michigan in 1971 selling
WEST SYSTEMŽ Brand epoxy to boat builders and individuals who wanted
to construct or repair their own boats. Since epoxy was new in the
boating world, the Gougeons found themselves dispensing a lot of
how-to advice right along with their cans of resin and hardeners.
Today
you can get an enormous amount of information on how to use their
products from their web site. Their product page at www.westsystem.com/ss/products/
and their user guides and videos at
www.westsystem.com/ss/use-guides/ are excellent starting
points for anyone contemplating any fiberglass repair.
You
can download the following free manuals at www.westsystem.com/ss/how-to-publications/
Wooden
Boat Restoration and Repairs - 80 pages
Fiberglass Boat Repair & Maintenance - 84 pages
Gelcoat Blisters: Diagnosis, Repair & Prevention - 52
pages
Final Fairing and Finishing - 28 pages
Vacuum Bagging Techniques - 52 pages
You
can also purchase a copy the Gougeon brother's classic manual "The
Gougeon Brothers on Boat Construction" and a copy of their
"Epoxy How-To" DVD
Gougeons
also have a very good on-line magazine at www.epoxyworks.com
containing how-to articles and stories about boat building and
repair. You can search back issues as well.
The
Manual by Don Casey
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Without
doubt, Don Casey is the guru of boat repair. His books are
my first reference source when I strike trouble.
His
book "Sailboat Hull & Deck Repair" is 125 pages
and has sections devoted to finding and repairing leaks and
repairing decks, laminates, laminate cores, hulls, keels and
rudders.
The
book is full of illustrations and explanations by someone
who really knows what he's doing.
At
about 15 bucks from Amazon, it's really a no-brainer if you
want to save yourself a small fortune next time you ding your
boat.
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