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Started By
Message
Fiberglass pirogue repair?
Posted on 11/9/24 at 12:40 pm
Posted on 11/9/24 at 12:40 pm
My beloved pirogue that my mother gave me in the mid-1980s finally needs to be repaired. There is a hole that has developed on the bow of the boat where the two sides come together. I am assuming that fiberglass can be fixed, but have no experience whatsoever with dealing with a problem like that. Does anyone know how to patch a hole in a pirogue?
4
Posted on 11/9/24 at 1:15 pm to Grebe
Gotta grind it and apply new fiberglass. Watch some you tube videos. It’s not hard but is hard to get perfect.
Posted on 11/9/24 at 7:15 pm to Grebe
You can buy fiberglass kits at west marine
Posted on 11/9/24 at 7:29 pm to Grebe
You can order a fiberglass repair kit off of Amazon.
Get a small grinder with a sanding disc and prep the area around it. Wipe it down with acetone and tape off the area you don’t want to glass with freezer tape.
Cut a piece of glass just slightly larger than the hole or crack then another piece 1/4-1/2 inch larger than the first piece lay it all out make sure it’s all the right size then mix your resin and hardener per directions and apply to layers then apply to pirouge and build it up. Roll any air bubbles out , let it dry then sand it and bondo if you want it to be perfect then paint.
Get a small grinder with a sanding disc and prep the area around it. Wipe it down with acetone and tape off the area you don’t want to glass with freezer tape.
Cut a piece of glass just slightly larger than the hole or crack then another piece 1/4-1/2 inch larger than the first piece lay it all out make sure it’s all the right size then mix your resin and hardener per directions and apply to layers then apply to pirouge and build it up. Roll any air bubbles out , let it dry then sand it and bondo if you want it to be perfect then paint.
Posted on 11/10/24 at 9:31 am to Grebe
Easiest and quickest way is sand with some 36 grit and put some fiberglass reinforced bondo on it. You can find it at any auto paint supply place. Might even find it at an O'Reilly's auto parts store.
100% waterproof and much easier to work with than fiberglass resin and mat.
Evercoat, Upol, Dynatron all make versions of this product.
That stuff will fill up holes up to 1/2" or so. If it's a big hole, they have another version with very long strands of fiberglass in it called Tiger Hair.
100% waterproof and much easier to work with than fiberglass resin and mat.
Evercoat, Upol, Dynatron all make versions of this product.
That stuff will fill up holes up to 1/2" or so. If it's a big hole, they have another version with very long strands of fiberglass in it called Tiger Hair.
Posted on 11/10/24 at 10:45 am to Ol boy
quote:I'm sure you meant use a sander with vacuum connection to keep all the fiberglass dust contained.... as well as wearing gloves and respirator. One of the better fitting N95 masks will do.
Get a small grinder with a sanding disc and prep the area around it.
The rest was kinda ok. If you toss out the part about rolling the air out and using Bondo to finish. And yes, that's in jest because I'm going after the trapped air in a different manner. Same with freezer tape. You'll see why later.... again it's method specific. Not that you were wrong.
You'll also need a few of these:
As well as some plastic wrap about the thickness of of a zip lock bag. Get it rolled or large enough to cover without any folds over the finished area. Folds will show. If the area is very curved use Saran Wrap or a thinner plastic wrap which will more easier conform to the shape. Just experiment because the thicker you can get away with the better. Saran wrap works but is easily torn and so harder to work with.
I'll go through this process in next post.... As this is getting long.
Posted on 11/10/24 at 10:46 am to awestruck
After seeing this question on this forum several times. I'm hoping this might be of some value. It's gained from (and mainly due to) having over 40 years of whitewater wear and tear in composite boats. Some of this I've read, some garnered from videos, and some shared by other hobbyist friends. However the lion's share is from several professional boat builders of which I'm not.
Side note: I currently have a head cold, so this will likely be long, as I have the time to spare (or put simpler - TLDR)
Pre-patching
1) Sand - You really want to use a shop vac attached method. Silicosis is real and we know better now days.
2) Clean up with denatured alcohol. It's cheaper than acetone, doesn't evaporate quite as fast, and safety wise doesn't break down as small molecularity . So it's a little less toxic.. although contact with either solvent should be as avoided as possible. Nothing about this is safe heath wise. Hence do not use solvents to clean your hands, I repeat do not, instead use a typical automotive hand cleaner. One that works well with sticky black grease.
3) Precisely tape off patch area... and make it look good. It's much easier at this stage than any subsequent time. Think tracing out circles on tape and cutting to perfection. It's that easy but it takes time. Like making a template for one side out newspaper (or gift wrapping paper) and flipping it over for symmetry on the other side. Best part is you then use it to cut your cloth.
4) Once you have step three perfect . . . you'll want to drape plastic down from the tape in step 3 to down past the gunwales. The goal is to only let resin get where we want. You'll see why later, but this method of repair is simple and will require the least possible effort that I know of to get something so cosmetically pleasing. Just make sure resin can't get anywhere else. In short just run tape over all adjoining edges over the previous tape. We're seeking to achieve a layer of plastic protection to drag excess resin across. For flat small patches a foot of protection is good enough but this is not enough for a vertical side. Because even a little extra resin will run down hill. . . think paint.
5) Next get your work area ready. Do this by also putting plastic the on top of your work surface and use cardboard under the hull. Again tape it down because if you don't there'll be a breeze right after your gloves get wet. It's not necessary to tape down all edges... like it was for the repair.
6) You'll want several pair of gloves gloves pulled from box. They can always go back in if not used. The other way around is time consuming which is something you might be short on.
7) Same with paper towels, 6-7-8 is likely to not be enough, and it's real easy to dirty up a whole roll.
8) Now's time to cut cloth. Although this can really be done anytime after sanding. It's hard to know how many layers without knowing what type cloth you've bought. The weight, warp, weave, and type cloth all matter. But most kit's or cheaper fabric is 6 or 8 oz E-glass. So I'd suggest 3 or 4 layers. Like Ol boy said make each layer about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch smaller (or larger) than the previous. You want to have the repair gradually taper off on the edges.
Doing all this up front helps streamline your time. And also helps make cleanup a breeze.
more 8
When cutting you'll want to scissor across the fabric diagonally. IE: Not along or with the warp and weave but at a 45. So that the finished edges are cross hatched and not lined up with the warp and weave. This will not only make the whole process way-easier but help with looks. You'll also want to vary the orientation. Having all the fabric running in the same direction makes the patch thinner and since the load will be distributed in the same direction it'll tend to be weaker. Where as laying on the bias results in a quicker gain in thickness and the load being distributed in more than four directions. Think cross linked plastic as opposed to linear plastic.
more on 8
So instead of cutting all the cloth on the same 45 degree angle... cut a couple at 45 degrees to parallel and a couple at maybe 60 degrees. While it's not bad to have 90 degrees cuts they'll want to really unravel bad at the edges and make a mess. Think cutoff blue jean shorts where the cut can only unravel so far. I do this for any method.
The Repair (my process)
1) Carefully measure and mix resin according to manufacturers directions. A shallow container will not kick (go off) as fast as a deep container. Look up exothermic reaction, it's a logarithmic self heating of resin, and which can ruin your day if you don't have extra resin laying around. It goes hand in hand with temperature and working time. I could boar you with past stories.* It's also easier to work from a shallow container.
2) Start your patch by painting epoxy on the sanded area with a brush. I know liberally is a bad word but do it anyway.
3) lay the smallest piece of fabric down, squeegee, paint a little more resin, and squeegee again. You'll want to work from the center out to get most of the air out. But don't fret it because you'll get the remaining wee bit in the next step. That extra resin simply gets pulled to the side and onto the plastic.
4-5-6 repeat step 3 over and over
7) This is the secret stuff... (from 40+ years of canoe and kayak (hence pirogue) and paddle repair) .. and real reason for all that plastic being taped or draped across the hull. Plus besides making everything much cleaner, and besides helping to get rid of any air bubbles, the real kicker is that once removed the fiberglass will be mirror smooth and shiny. Like it cured up against a mold. Like the sides of 7 million dollar Viking or the finish on a several hundred dollar wood paddle.
more 7
So once again .... after all the layers have been wet out and you feel most of the air has been removed.... now get fresh clean gloves, a fresh clean squeegee, and another complete (large) layer of plastic. Trash can all the messy stuff except the squeegee which cleans up good with denatured alcohol.
more on 7
With clean hands now lay the clean plastic across the repair and re-squeegee with the goal being to get rid of any remaining air. Pulling the extra resin and air out onto the original layer of plastic wrap. Ideally you can get away with not using gloves for this step. But a whole box of disposables is pretty cheap. You will see the air moving through the plastic warp. I will caution about getting too aggressive and removing too much resin. You don't need a lot of down pressure. It's more about the angle of the squeegee. If you do tear a hole (if perhaps you used saran wrap) simply wipe up and put some of the clear packing tape across the tear... and keep on going.
8) Let fully cure
9) Peel and removed all the plastic and tape.
There will be a tape line once finished; however this few hundredth of a inch is much easier to deal with than any patch you've made before. Plus you'll want to use a UV paint.
((*ok - not to boar - but four inches in a metal paint can catch fire))
Side note: I currently have a head cold, so this will likely be long, as I have the time to spare (or put simpler - TLDR)
Pre-patching
1) Sand - You really want to use a shop vac attached method. Silicosis is real and we know better now days.
2) Clean up with denatured alcohol. It's cheaper than acetone, doesn't evaporate quite as fast, and safety wise doesn't break down as small molecularity . So it's a little less toxic.. although contact with either solvent should be as avoided as possible. Nothing about this is safe heath wise. Hence do not use solvents to clean your hands, I repeat do not, instead use a typical automotive hand cleaner. One that works well with sticky black grease.
3) Precisely tape off patch area... and make it look good. It's much easier at this stage than any subsequent time. Think tracing out circles on tape and cutting to perfection. It's that easy but it takes time. Like making a template for one side out newspaper (or gift wrapping paper) and flipping it over for symmetry on the other side. Best part is you then use it to cut your cloth.
4) Once you have step three perfect . . . you'll want to drape plastic down from the tape in step 3 to down past the gunwales. The goal is to only let resin get where we want. You'll see why later, but this method of repair is simple and will require the least possible effort that I know of to get something so cosmetically pleasing. Just make sure resin can't get anywhere else. In short just run tape over all adjoining edges over the previous tape. We're seeking to achieve a layer of plastic protection to drag excess resin across. For flat small patches a foot of protection is good enough but this is not enough for a vertical side. Because even a little extra resin will run down hill. . . think paint.
5) Next get your work area ready. Do this by also putting plastic the on top of your work surface and use cardboard under the hull. Again tape it down because if you don't there'll be a breeze right after your gloves get wet. It's not necessary to tape down all edges... like it was for the repair.
6) You'll want several pair of gloves gloves pulled from box. They can always go back in if not used. The other way around is time consuming which is something you might be short on.
7) Same with paper towels, 6-7-8 is likely to not be enough, and it's real easy to dirty up a whole roll.
8) Now's time to cut cloth. Although this can really be done anytime after sanding. It's hard to know how many layers without knowing what type cloth you've bought. The weight, warp, weave, and type cloth all matter. But most kit's or cheaper fabric is 6 or 8 oz E-glass. So I'd suggest 3 or 4 layers. Like Ol boy said make each layer about 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch smaller (or larger) than the previous. You want to have the repair gradually taper off on the edges.
Doing all this up front helps streamline your time. And also helps make cleanup a breeze.
more 8
When cutting you'll want to scissor across the fabric diagonally. IE: Not along or with the warp and weave but at a 45. So that the finished edges are cross hatched and not lined up with the warp and weave. This will not only make the whole process way-easier but help with looks. You'll also want to vary the orientation. Having all the fabric running in the same direction makes the patch thinner and since the load will be distributed in the same direction it'll tend to be weaker. Where as laying on the bias results in a quicker gain in thickness and the load being distributed in more than four directions. Think cross linked plastic as opposed to linear plastic.
more on 8
So instead of cutting all the cloth on the same 45 degree angle... cut a couple at 45 degrees to parallel and a couple at maybe 60 degrees. While it's not bad to have 90 degrees cuts they'll want to really unravel bad at the edges and make a mess. Think cutoff blue jean shorts where the cut can only unravel so far. I do this for any method.
The Repair (my process)
1) Carefully measure and mix resin according to manufacturers directions. A shallow container will not kick (go off) as fast as a deep container. Look up exothermic reaction, it's a logarithmic self heating of resin, and which can ruin your day if you don't have extra resin laying around. It goes hand in hand with temperature and working time. I could boar you with past stories.* It's also easier to work from a shallow container.
2) Start your patch by painting epoxy on the sanded area with a brush. I know liberally is a bad word but do it anyway.
3) lay the smallest piece of fabric down, squeegee, paint a little more resin, and squeegee again. You'll want to work from the center out to get most of the air out. But don't fret it because you'll get the remaining wee bit in the next step. That extra resin simply gets pulled to the side and onto the plastic.
4-5-6 repeat step 3 over and over
7) This is the secret stuff... (from 40+ years of canoe and kayak (hence pirogue) and paddle repair) .. and real reason for all that plastic being taped or draped across the hull. Plus besides making everything much cleaner, and besides helping to get rid of any air bubbles, the real kicker is that once removed the fiberglass will be mirror smooth and shiny. Like it cured up against a mold. Like the sides of 7 million dollar Viking or the finish on a several hundred dollar wood paddle.
more 7
So once again .... after all the layers have been wet out and you feel most of the air has been removed.... now get fresh clean gloves, a fresh clean squeegee, and another complete (large) layer of plastic. Trash can all the messy stuff except the squeegee which cleans up good with denatured alcohol.
more on 7
With clean hands now lay the clean plastic across the repair and re-squeegee with the goal being to get rid of any remaining air. Pulling the extra resin and air out onto the original layer of plastic wrap. Ideally you can get away with not using gloves for this step. But a whole box of disposables is pretty cheap. You will see the air moving through the plastic warp. I will caution about getting too aggressive and removing too much resin. You don't need a lot of down pressure. It's more about the angle of the squeegee. If you do tear a hole (if perhaps you used saran wrap) simply wipe up and put some of the clear packing tape across the tear... and keep on going.
8) Let fully cure
9) Peel and removed all the plastic and tape.
There will be a tape line once finished; however this few hundredth of a inch is much easier to deal with than any patch you've made before. Plus you'll want to use a UV paint.
((*ok - not to boar - but four inches in a metal paint can catch fire))
Posted on 11/10/24 at 10:53 am to awestruck
hint: This process is simply covering up anywhere you don't want messed up. Then using a piece of plastic film across everything to flatten out the top, until smooth, and getting rid of any trapped air with the excesses resin.
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