Cockpit benches

[tager]

How do I glass over ply?

I am glassing a plywood cockpit bench with 5 oz cloth and polyester resin. The brand is "BOAT YARD."

I also bought some Formula 27 all purpose filler. (Similar to gelcoat)

Both of these should be compatible and are from the same company.

My question is... how do I do it?

[tager]

I am thinking I will: Fillet all corners with putty, then apply fiberglass tape over corners. After that I am going to laminate the bench top by wetting out the entire surface, and laying dry glass cloth overlapping the tape at the corners.

Then I will work the resin up through the glass by brushing it with a chip brush from the top?

Do I need to buy the little metal roller that costs $25?

Does that sound good?

[bljones]

Pictures would help- for example, is the edge of the bench a bullnose, radiused edge, or simply a right angle? do you plan to fiberglas with a return to the underside of the bench, or simply over the edge and trimming back the excess?


Check out the west system website for more info. No you don't need a $25 roller (somebody saw you coming. try an autobody shop instead), but you WILL need a good heavy rubber spreader and a splooge cup.

[mitiempo]

I'd skip the expensive roller but I would use epoxy.

[tager]

Well, I already bought the fiberglass resin, I think I will go ahead and use it. If it fails, I will fix it with epoxy! Never time to do it right, always time to do it over!

The face of the bench is currently a right angle, but I think I am going to give it some radius, so it will be a bullnose. I scraped off all of the nearby paint, and will be tying the glass into the existing stuff.

I think I am going to fillet and tape all the edges and vertices first, then lay the glass on the bench, without wetting out the surface. Then I will try to work the resin in from above with a plastic spreader and brush.

I am not sure how I am going to get the resin and glass to stick to the upside down part of the bullnose, maybe brace it with a long board, and some short peices with rubber feet?

[mitiempo]

Two ways. Put resin on the underside of the bullnose and roll the cloth under or hot glue the cloth to the underside in a few places then roll on the resin.

[tager]

Dude. Hot glue. You are a genius. I should have thought of that! Thanks!

If the resin was already on there, would the glass stay stuck to an upside down surface?

I can't wait to have my boat fixed! It has been perfect sailing weather and I have had no cockpit seats at all!

[Freesail99]

Those little metal rollers, I think I bought two of them for 9 dollars total. They do get out all the bubbles.

[deniseO30]

Not to rain on anyone's parade.. but polyester really doesn't bond with wood very well. Epoxy does of course.

[sailingdog]

And Polyester won't bond to the existing glass as well as epoxy would.