This is the part I hate....

This is the part I hate.... 14 years 6 days ago #23110

classicfins Topic Author Offline Contributing Member Posts: 755 Karma: 26 Thank you received: 0	Grinding out all the little stress cracks with a dremel tool. slow going. ugh! Attachments: Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
	Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation. Some people are like slinkies... Not much good for anything, but they sure are fun to push down the stairs.

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 6 days ago #23119

thetudor Offline Platinum Boarder Posts: 1204 Karma: 33 Thank you received: 2	What are you using for a bit on the Dremel? I bought a Multi-Master a while back. Expensive, but well worth it. Between boat and house projects, it gets a lot of use. Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
	Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation. Todd (aka thetudor) 1964 Custom Craft Aqua Ray 1959 Glastron Seaflite 1959 Tomahawk Spirit

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 6 days ago #23123

JetDeville700 Offline Platinum Boarder Posts: 3271 Karma: 38 Thank you received: 3	Dremel? I did mine with a 4 1/2" angle grinder! Frank Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 5 days ago #23134

Ed Farrow Offline Fresh Boarder Posts: 6 Thank you received: 0	I'm new to fiberglassics. I see what you are doing but what do you fill them with? Attachments: Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 5 days ago #23137

classicfins Topic Author Offline Contributing Member Posts: 755 Karma: 26 Thank you received: 0	On this one I used a cone shaped rock bit. The cracks were VERY small and under the rubrail, but I didn't want to take any chances in them coming back later. I will fill them with pieces of fiberglass stranded mat/resin. Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
	Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation. Some people are like slinkies... Not much good for anything, but they sure are fun to push down the stairs.

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 5 days ago #23148

deanlofall
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Interesting... I was also going to use my 4" grinder, but I've been concerned about taking off too much material, where it would be a tough job get the new surface right.

I was thinking of using the fiber filled polyester putty (I have never fixed spider cracks before). Though you mentioned using pieces of fiber stranded mat and resin... is there any reason to use one over the other?

(I'm just finishing my new transom on my '59 G3, about to lay in the floor... as soon as the floor is done, I will be moving onto the deck to fill holes and all these spider cracks!)

Thanks!

Dean

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Bandit - 1959 Glasspar G3
See more G3s at www.g3owners.com

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 5 days ago #23150

bhamrick
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I use a smaller carbide bit on my dremel then to fill the cracks I take Fumed silica mixed with color matched Gel coat to make a paste then add a couple drops of wax then hardener. Fill the cracks with a putty knife after it dries wet sand with 3 different grits then 3m polish and a high speed buffer and the cracks disappear. This is 49 year old gel coat !

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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 5 days ago #23151

bhamrick Offline Contributing Member Posts: 224 Karma: 31 Thank you received: 0	This is another boat I did but this time I filled with with Bondo with fiberglass strands because I was going to paint the boat. This was sprayed with Sterling paint Attachments: Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 5 days ago #23152

JetDeville700 Offline Platinum Boarder Posts: 3271 Karma: 38 Thank you received: 3	Any kind of automotive body fill with fiberglass strands will do. Frank Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 5 days ago #23155

john-gibson
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nice work guys,beautiful paint jobs rick.
when i do stress cracks,for medium cracks i use polyester fiberglass resin,its works just like auto body filler but made for boats.easy to use and sand smooth.
and for tiny crazing cracks i just use epoxy filler primer,one coat, sand then another coat, sand and so on until its all smooth.dont use spot putty.it shrinks overtime.
darn,its hard to see the gelcoat cracks n these pics,this is where i used filler primer

this is the putty i used.

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\"too soon old,too late smart\" my pap

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.“

---Mark Twain

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 5 days ago #23161

classicfins
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I've alway just used mat/resin to fill mine with and have never tried a filler with strands in it. I've used the "kittyhair" as it's called before, but not on cracks. I've seen it crack with age so I was always afraid to try anything else. After cutting out all the cracks I take some 80 grit and feather the edges before laying the glass. Then I just grind it all flush to the original. I'm open to any and all ideas though, especially the ones that have seen good results after a few years under regular use.

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Some people are like slinkies... Not much good for anything, but they sure are fun to push down the stairs.

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 5 days ago #23165

bhamrick Offline Contributing Member Posts: 224 Karma: 31 Thank you received: 0	I'll have to try the Fiberglass Resin Jelly - GREAT NAME sure looks like what you would want to use !! Attachments: Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 2 days ago #23306

mtdoragary Offline Senior Boarder Posts: 223 Karma: 7 Thank you received: 1	Me too; mat seems like overkill for cracks in gelcoat! Rick, if my wife EVER retires, I'm moving back to Alabama. I'll look you up! Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
	Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation. Blest boater

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23307

Oceans2 Offline Contributing Member Posts: 247 Karma: 26 Thank you received: 0	Ha, you might want to check Rick's profile. He is about as far from Alabama as one can get and still be in the lower 48. Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23313

bhamrick
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I got married in Gulf Shores Alabama then drove her back home to Bellingham Washington. Home of Uniflite and Bell Boy boats and about 30 miles from the home of Skagit Boats Heart of the San Juan Islands . If you ever get up in this neck of the woods look me up ? That goes for anybody out there that likes to go boating ! This is Bellingham Harbor and my friend John's Dorsett San Juan

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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23317

retro54 Offline Senior Boarder Posts: 222 Karma: 6 Thank you received: 0	John and Doug.. where do you guys buy your Polyester resin OR Fiberglass matt and Resin? Looking for a good place and brands... John, I think I might try that Poly-Resin for some aras on my boat... Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23321

john-gibson
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andy,i get my polyester fg resin from auto supermarket,if you dont have astre near you you might find there website,ill look for you,john
andy ere is their contact information www.autosupermarket.com/contact
if you cant get it ,i can pick up a can or two for you and send it to you,they were less then 15 bucks if i remember right,it might even had been less than that,john p.s. try the indiana,pa store 1st its close to me,john

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\"too soon old,too late smart\" my pap

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.“

---Mark Twain

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23323

classicfins
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I get most of my cloth and matt through Express Composites or FiberglassSite.com. Resin too when I order everything at once for one job. When buying just a gallon h ere and there I just pick it up locally as it's usually cheaper than shipping it in.

www.fiberglasssite.com
www.expresscomposites.com

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Some people are like slinkies... Not much good for anything, but they sure are fun to push down the stairs.

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23325

classicfins
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Ok, I've been sick with the flu for the last week so nothing has progressed on the deck. I have been reading everyone's posts and wanted to see if anyone had repaired damage like this with "kitty hair" or resin jelly (I personally hate resin jelly) and had good results a few years down the road. I might be persuaded to try something new as long as I won't end up having the boat come back for me to redo the repair 2 years down the road.

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Some people are like slinkies... Not much good for anything, but they sure are fun to push down the stairs.

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23332

Andgott
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Flu? That's no excuse

Another great source for resins is U.S. Composites-

www.uscomposites.com/

I get all my stuff from them. I use epoxy almost exclusively, and they are about the cheapest I have found anywhere. I like working with the epoxy they sell, too- It's good stuff. They also have great prices on fillers and cloth, too.

-Andrew

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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23334

john-gibson Offline Contributing Member Posts: 4014 Karma: 324 Thank you received: 0	hi doug,i personaly wouldnt use the resin jelly if the cracks are pretty big and deep,i would use your kitty hair method,then fill the top with the jelly resin,it sands smoothly no need for spot putty,which i definaly dont use,because it shrinks with time.john Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
	Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation. \"too soon old,too late smart\" my pap Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn’t do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.“ ---Mark Twain

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23335

classicfins Topic Author Offline Contributing Member Posts: 755 Karma: 26 Thank you received: 0	Yeah, I don't like the idea of using resin jelly on anything thick at all. I've just always reglassed, but I am curious to how a fiber filled filler would hold up over time. This boats going to be used for skiing and family fun so it will take some beating over time. Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
	Please Log in or Create an account to join the conversation. Some people are like slinkies... Not much good for anything, but they sure are fun to push down the stairs.

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 1 day ago #23339

ClassicMerc
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Just my two cents on this issue.

If you were to remove the gel-coat from the area that is cracked, rather then digging groves out, it is actually easier to do the body work, and make the area flat and straight, and no chance of any kind of shrinking from the grooved areas.

What we do is remove the gel-coat to the fiber glass in the areas affected, mix up resin as normal, then mix with glass beads and a little silica, get a light weight body filler type consistency may be a little thinner and spread on the area like a body filler. This will fill into the cracked areas and will not shrink down.

Finish with body filler were necessary, or continue with the resin mix until you get desired look, feel.

Prime & refinish.

Darrell

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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 22 hours ago #23352

Ed Farrow
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You know I've been reading all these replies and there great. I understand what everyone says and can apply it to my 1965 Arkansas Traveler which is full of cracks.But I don't understand how and what to use for the top coat. Do I spray gelcoat or do I spray a couple coats of paint like you would paint a car?

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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 21 hours ago #23353

MarkS
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Ed, the "gelcoat or paint" question has to be one of the top "$64,000 questions" in boat restoration. There are certainly good arguments on both sides, many of which have been discussed in the past here in this forum. You may want to read a tutorial posted in the Research-Restoration tab in the header, which gives you some insight into the subject, here is a direct link;
www.fiberglassics.com/restoration/book-part-3-refinishing

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Mark

Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 21 hours ago #23355

barry5of9 Offline Contributing Member Posts: 50 Karma: 2 Thank you received: 0	Rick, what is the keel guard you have? I like the small profile. Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 16 hours ago #23369

bhamrick Offline Contributing Member Posts: 224 Karma: 31 Thank you received: 0	Exactly what its called - company is "Keel Guard" White 6 footer Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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Re:This is the part I hate.... 14 years 9 hours ago #23379

vuyosevich Offline Contributing Member Posts: 2910 Karma: 76 Thank you received: 2	i would like to put that on my mantaray sponsons. gunna check if they make it thinner. ron Attachments: Check this box to be notified of replies to this topic. Note: BBcode and smileys are still usable.
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