Fiberglass repair opinions please

[BentRod]

Hey All,
I obtained a 12' v-hull fiberglass boat a while back that is in need of some help to make it fully functional. It's got a couple of cracks perpendicular to the gunwale up near the bow (one on each side), the very tip of the bow has been bunged up (very minor) and the original plywood center seat/box that was fiberglassed in seems to have failed due to wet rot. There also seem to be a couple of small epoxy putty repairs that were previously done also (see pictures) The boat itself is in usable condition, but I thought this would be a good intro project to DIY fiberglass. I've never done any fiberglassing before, so looking for ideas and opinions from the experienced out there.
I've watched the West System "how to" youtube videos online, read a number of on-line articles, and checked out three books from the library. I feel I've got the basics covered on the materials to use and whatnot, but I could never find anything addressing the type of cracks on the gunwale. My first thought was to just buy one of the repair kits, but from what I read, those are not cost effective and to do this right, I should really put on more than one layer of material, etc. Most of the stuff I read was for hull damage, so I'm trying to figure out what I really need to make this boat structurally sound. I don't mind doing the work, I just want to do it right the first time. If it were you, how'd you tackle it?
I'd appreciate any feedback I can get....and any ideas on where to get the materials for a decent price would be helpful too.

Also, I don't plan to replace the center seat to original if possible, probably just a standard wood bench seat or something similar.....and I'm not advertising for CocaCola, just using the can for size reference. :study:

[rjn cajun]

I had similar damage on the front of my boat a livingston. I just used three coats of the fiberglass repair kits. I bought it all from a guy on craigslist that was a boat center going out of buisness. It worked great all I need to do is finish sanding the boat and paint it. Not sure if that`s what you were looking for but that`s what I did. Mine was worse then yours is from the pics. The spot I fixed was about a 6" x 2ft spot and I think it`s sronger now then the hole boat.

[Boba]

For me I would bury the boat for a flower box. Lots of better boats out there for cheap. That is what I did. Be safe on the water. Fiber glass is old and rotten to. Just my two cents.

[Anonymous]

Bentrod, Congrats. on your new project/find. I am no expert but I have been VERY slowly building a wooden boat in garage. Stich and glue proccess with fiberglass, expoxy etc. I am doing things like what you are doing, although mine aren't repairs..but it's the same proccess. If it was me, I would use an electric hand sander to sand clean the area of crack. The one that is perp. to the gunwhale. Sand both sides in and out of the boat, in a generous area, 6-7" around the crack itself. That will make the area clean of any oils or funk. Then I would apply a light coating of expoxy resin and hardner to that area. When it becomes "Tacky" I would take a pre cut piece of fiberglass about 6" wide and drape it across the gunwale and over the crack. Then take the same expoxy resin and hardner mixture... add wood flour to thicken it about like yogurt. Use a spatula to apply this evenly over the tape. Try to do so considering how it will look after it dries, because you will need to sand it down to make it blend with the rest of the gunwhale for an even appearance. There is a product that can be used over what I just described....it is called Quickfair. It is not designed to be a stability component, but rather something that you would put on top of it all... and then it sands easier than the last coating of resin and wood flour that you used. The Quick fair could be sanded for a very easy smooth appearance.

Personally on a little crack like that I wouldn't waste the money on Quickfair though. These things are all pricey. You can sand down your "Patch" of resin/woodflour/fibergass reasonably well anyway.

On the bunged bow area. That is a little harder I think to get that nice curved lip you originally had. What I have done is to fabricate something along the bow just before and after the bung up. Something that replicates the same general shape. It might be a piece of pvc pipe that you hold/tape up there. Then using again a thicker consitancy resin/hardner/woodflour mixture sort of putty yourself a new curved edge inside the paper towel roll.
Wow..!? Is that making any sense? I will try and post a pic. of what I mean. I used a paper towel roll in the pic.

The wood seat is easy to replace. Cut it out right to the gunwhale. Sand it smooth against the side of the boat. Use a large piece of cardboard for a template, and draw in the angles of the seat. (The part that sits right behind your calf when your in the boat) Use your template as a cheat for cutting out the wood you need to make this piece from plywood.
For an inside non-water area like that.... forget about marine grade plywood. Just get reg. ply and coat it all over with resin. See the temp. screw that holds the seat rib in place while I fill the gap with epoxy and hardner

I use a product called System 3 (resin, hardner etc.) West Marine is available at local boating stores, it's all pretty pricey.
Send me a PM sometime if you have any questions. Again.... I AM A TOTAL ROOKIE! But this stuff ain't rocket science.

[BentRod]

rjn, Quad, thanks for the input.
rjn, glad to hear the repair kits would work. From the books I have read, it sounds like I should be using both chopped mat and weave to do the repair, so maybe I don't need to go overboard on it like it was starting to seem. Did you do the patching from the inside or outside?
Quad, good detailed info. Thanks. Very helpful. I hadn't thought to wrap the repair over the gunwale.
I am in no big hurry to get this done as I already have a 12' aluminum I use. This boat is for another purpose. I had hoped to make it a fairly cheap row boat. Will have to price out the materials to see how "cheap" it's going to be. Will keep you posted.