Problems with fiberglass pools intheswim pool blog. I thought the polk db510 would be simple dropins and i guess they are. How to fix spider cracks in fiberglass it still runs. Resins can vary greatly with the manufacturing process and how it is applied. Over time, the cracks get larger and the structure may begin to delaminate andor blistering starts to occur. Once youre sure youre dealing with these types of cracks in. Small cracks forming, especially at the surface of the fiberglass. How to remove chalk from fiberglass gone outdoors your. Jun 06, 2016 fixing fiberglass cracks keeping fiberglass solid. Jun 12, 2016 i purchased new speakers to replace the papers ones.
There are many ways to repair cracks in fiberglasswhich ones the best. I switched to a 36 flapper disk and that took it off faster, but i had to be real careful and could only remove about 2 strips at one time. A twopart system consisting of polyester resin and catalyst, gelcoats the first thing into the mold during manufacture. How to repair a flaking clear coat on a fiberglass boat.
Once you have applied a layer or two of gel coat, waiting at least 4. All about fiberglass boat stress cracks fiberglass boat. Vec shield eliminates gel coat and postmold painting. Cold temperatures can lead to slow gel coat cure times, while moisture can cause pinholes, blisters and other imperfections in the gel coat. This is because fiberglass has a gel coated surface, and the edges of a drill bit tend to get underneath this surface and then chip it off. Once you have applied a layer or two of gel coat, waiting at least 4 hours between applications for drying, you can sand the surface. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for spraying. It went on very well over fiberglass as well as preexisting gel coat that had been sanded with 80 grit sand paper. Robert i forgot to add that the gel coat is a marine blue. Cracks spreading out from the center, much as you would see in a spider web. Sometimes, however, spider cracks offer a path for water to get into contact with the fiberglass structure under the gelcoat.
Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat magicezy. My friend pete shows us how to make a fiberglass paste to repair stress cracks in gel coat. Extensive spider cracking common on older boats is due to aging of the gelcoat. For more details on some of the things that can go wrong in the fiberglass during the manufacturing process please refer to the blistering article. If you have slight cracking in the gel coat that you are referring to it is generally cosmetic. When working on the deck or cabin, tarp off the adjacent areas. Gel coat cracking is the result of some kind of induced stress.
Spider cracks in gelcoat moderated discussion areas. You can wait 24 hours or continue building your project immediately, the gel coat will not cure until it is sealed in the mold by your fiberglass layers. Gel coat cracking on 2000 tritonanyone else having this. I cannot see what you are referring to in the picture. Gel coat also has additives for protection from ultraviolet rays and to keep the paint from sagging when its. If the gel coat is applied too thick it has a tendency to. The next time youre cleaning and waxing your boat, take the time to look for small cracks, scratches and chips in its gel coat. Fiberglass is painted with a gel coat, which consists of fiberglass resin thats pigmented with color. I did not realize how fast the gel coat would thicken however so i wasted a lot of it. Also, there are a limited number of diy home repair kit options because the kits contain harsh chemicals. How to repair spider cracks on your fiberglass boat. Add a cap full of sanding aid wax to the gel coat to seal the surface.
Aside from the durable shiny luster gelcoat adds to any fiberglass boat, most. Repairing hairline cracks and how to do repair gelcoat. How to do a fiberglass deck repair and new decking. Glastron 2005 gelcoat cracking hi, i have an 06 175 sx glastron and so far so good, my friend at the lake has an 07 and he has some stress cracks, but they are from getting a wakeboard tower installed in the middle of winter and or a bad fit. Thus, when popped from the female mold, the gelcoat becomes the exterior finish.
With small chips or cracks, it is possible for a shower stall repair to be a diy project. How to do a fiberglass deck repair and new decking alternatives. Try not to remove any of the fiberglass resin or cloth. How to repair spider cracks in fiberglass boatlife.
Im a bit handy but kind of terrified of cracking a big piece and messing my beauty up. Repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for. Possible causes of fiberglass pool cracks home guides sf gate. If the gel coat is not chipped but only spider webbed, wash the bad areas with acetone, scuff with 320 grit, blow clean and use a small finish roller to apply several coats of gelcoat thinned with about 20%. In this post, we are going to focus on scratches and cracks that are strictly cosmetic. Oct 01, 2003 finally, gel coats are susceptible to cracking, crazing, blistering and other types of environmental damage. Avoid these mistakes when it comes to your boat looking its best, theres nothing more important than the quality of your boats fiberglass. The gel coat cracks are simply cracks in the cosmetic layer thats put over the top to keep the rv looking. Because of this all builders of fiberglass boats using gel coat will have disclaimers in the written warranty to limit the coverage of the gel coat.
More than adding gloss, it also functions as a water barrier to the fiberglass underneath. Dec 16, 2015 crownline utilizes armourcoat gel coats for many years with success from the standpoint of little to no gel coat cracking, good colour retention and few to no hull blistering or osmosis. These cracks typically only penetrate the gel coat and do not affect the pools structural integrity. Jan 21, 2020 you can apply gel coat with a brush if you are building a fiberglass project in a mold. Gelcoat is a fiberglass resin that has had a pigment added to it. It incorporates pigments for desired color and contains additives for controlling flowout, gel and cure times. Jul 06, 2016 gel coat is strong and durable but like any other finish, it can be subject to damage. A prior owner had fixed a few with evercoat gel coat scratch patch gel coat repair, with ugly results. Crazing is an incredibly common issue on modern fiberglass boats, and. If youre using our professional grade exterior gelcoat, youll be ready to sand and buff your freshly gelcoated surface after about 1 3 hours. Stress cracks first appear as very fine hairline cracks. The other repair for spider cracks involves a little more work.
Resins for composites poly, epoxy and ve in stock fibre. The majority of all fiberglass parts are made with polyester resins for these combined characteristics. Take steps to cover and protect the rest of the boat before starting. Magic fix for hairline cracks in gelcoat practical sailor.
The coloured component of the fiberglass deck is in the next layer, the gel topcoat. With time, it is possible that gelcoat can become cracked, simply through wear and tear or a specific incidence of damage. If the fiberglass will be exposed to water, the gelcoat should be. The downside to acrylic is that it is more expensive than gel coat. Gel coat hardened too quickly or with improper curing temperatures and conditions can also promote stress cracks in the gel coat itself. Sand the fiberglass down until theres no shine left, so you know the gelcoats surface has been removed. Below you will find a detailed gel coat preparation guide on how to apply gelcoat to your boat rv or other surface. It can even occur later in life, if you need to reset and relevel a fiberglass pool, the gelcoat can crack, just like a. How to fix spider cracks, hairline cracks, and crazing in boat. In its place, a thin, thermoformed plastic shell is bonded to the fiberglass laminate during the vec molding process. Vec shield overcomes these problems by eliminating the gel coat altogether.
This stress can come from improper design, or it can be the result of imposed stresses from within, without, or both. Repairing minor damage to the gelcoat surface of your boat west. How to fix cracks in fiberglass gel coat using fiberglass resin. Basic information gel coat is a polyester resin specially formulated with thixotropic ingredients for increased viscosity and nonsag properties. The fit in the holes but the screw holes do not line up. This stuff is great at bringing back the original color and knocking out that ugly, faded look. Jul 17, 2017 drilling fiberglass can be a timeconsuming procedure if you wish to drill a perfect hole. Note that most boat builders will not tell you or do not have in their literature what gelcoat they have chosen. Any tips on how to drill through the fiberglass and gelcoat. First you would apply a release agent to the mold, then brush on the gel coat. When a shower stall is cracked, chipped, scratched, or faded, there are two options for repair acrylic and gelcoat.
For more details on some of the things that can go wrong in the. Possible causes of fiberglass pool cracks home guides. Its affordable, consistent, easy to use, and delivers fast cure and dimensional stability for parts. If the gel coat is not chipped but only spider webbed, wash the bad areas with acetone, scuff with 320 grit, blow clean and use a small finish roller to apply several coats of gelcoat thinned with about 20% styrene. This resin can be used as a protective surface over the top of fiberglass, or simply as a finish, much like you might varnish a piece of outdoor furniture. If your topsides are really faded, you should go with the totalbuff rubbing compound. Until this point, the fiberglass patch will be translucent. Polyester resin is a dependable favorite among resins. The problem with drilling through fiberglass is that the drill bit has a tendency to chip the edges of the hole. It wasnt runny at all and went on thick which was nice on the vertical surfaces i painted. There are several reasons it might need to be repaired. There is one crack about six inches long on one side and two smaller cracks on the other side. Start by wiping down the area with acetone and sanding the damaged gelcoat down to the fiberglass.
Once youre sure youre dealing with these types of cracks in the outer gel coat of the fiberglass, your fix can be limited to the fiberglass exterior. Fiberglass pools have a gel coating that can develop hairline cracks over time. Start by wiping down the area with acetone and sanding the damaged gel coat down to the fiberglass. It is very common for older boats to show signs of spider cracking, as the gel coat layer was often very thick. Boatus magazines mark corke shows you how to easily repair those pesky spider cracks that show up in your boats fiberglass gelcoat. Gel coats that are harder than others are more durable, but they also have the down side of being more brittle and prone to cracking. Gel coat is a wonderful durable substance for protection and appearance on a boat but it is not particularly flexible, and it can shrink and crack from exposure to sun. All about fiberglass boat stress cracks fiberglass boat repair. Delamination is when the fiberglass layer pulls away from the rest of the underlayment and creates a. The fiberglass on my scamp is cracking around the door. Sometimes, however, spider cracks offer a path for water to get into contact with the fiberglass structure under the gel coat. Improper temperature and humidity can also cause problems in your gel coat. I tried a 40 grit 6 sanding pad but it was going to slow. How to fix crazing in gelcoat, also known as spider cracks or stress cracks which.
I guess the pool was dropped about 20 feet from the crane. The next step is to follow the compounding with a finishing material boat polish in order to get a glossy. The thicker gel coats can not withstand flexing well. It can even occur later in life, if you need to reset and relevel a fiberglass pool, the gelcoat can crack, just like a thin candy shell, from handling the new pressures. Not cracks that damage the fiberglass laminate below the gel coat. Delamination is when the fiberglass layer pulls away from the rest of the underlayment and creates a bubble or soft spot. The clear exterior coat on fiberglass boats is formed by a substance known as gelcoat. This is a little darker than a powder blue so you can see the white marks clear as day. Oct 11, 2017 repairing hundreds of fiberglass cracks to get ready for spraying awlgrip paint.
Try to keep your work area at or above 70f and free from moisture when working with gel coats. The fiberglass being cheap is not correct either, fiberglass is fiberglass. This was my first experience painting with gel coat. If youre dealing with a few long cracks that are separated by an inch or more, you can sand each one individually. Boat polishing guide restoring gelcoat to a perfect finish. Thanks for the reply and all the great information. Gel coat can also crack during transport and installation, if it gets bumped around too much. Measure a small amount of gelcoat, which is a thick form of fiberglass resin, into a paper bucket.