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serious fiberglass repair- help

3K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  nightowle 
#1 ·
Not really a design question but I thought folks here might point me in the right direction-

"Approach the dock at the speed you are willing to hit it"- i was approaching a steel bulkhead and my reverse linkage failed I hit HARD.

The front of a Nicholson 31 is a massive hunk of metal holding the anchor rollers and the base of the forestay. I broke it off and pushed the whole thing into the anchor locker.

So, I guess I need to clean out the broken peices and rebed the mounting bolts?

Exactly what should I buy to do this? What are my choices? Epoxy? Polyester? What weave fiberglass? I need enough info to keep back the Yacht Club sages.

Thanks

dave
 
#2 ·
Dave-

You will need to get fiberglass cloth and epoxy. This is definitely a structural repair and will need the strength of epoxy resin-especially since the repair will be depending on the secondary (or adhesive) bonding characteristics of the resin for its connection to the boat.

The real issue is how you are going to go about getting the repair to be the correct shape and making sure the laminate is thick enough to support the loads that it will be required to support-like those imposed by the forestay.

I would recommend using heavy cloth to build up the layers fairly quickly.

I would recommend getting the epoxy from Progressive Epoxy Polymers. I would recommend getting the cloth from Fiberglasssite.com.

Is there another Nicholson 31 that you can make a mold of the bow from?
 
#3 ·
Dave-

I would recommend getting the epoxy from Progressive Epoxy Polymers. I would recommend getting the cloth from Fiberglasssite.com.

Is there another Nicholson 31 that you can make a mold of the bow from?
Are the products you suggested significantly better than the West System stuff i can get locally?

If I understand your question about another Nic 31- I don't think I'll need it. The outside of the bow is ok, Just a little crack. The metal base was set back behind a fiberglass lip.

Thanks
 
#6 ·
Good call on the 1:12 grinding of the existing material.
As you are building up the replacement layers start with narrow strip at the bottom and make the succedding layers progressivly larger so each layer is bonded along the edge to the existing material. If you start with a full width strip first you would be depending on the bond of that layer to hold all the others in place.
 
#7 ·
You've got lots of armchair advice here!

Now call your insurance company and get the boat fixed right. That repair requires experience unless you want it to look like a mess. A pro can use polyester resin and get a good primary bond from existing styrene and match your boat's gel coat. Gel coat won't stick to epoxy. If you fix it with epoxy you'll need to paint it. Now you are into a major league MESS!

Use your head, take a crowbar to your wallet or call the insurance man. If you want to learn all about glass and resins build a kayak in the winter.

After you build three fine kayaks, you'll learn to leave repairs that require matching colors to the pros!
 
#12 ·
if you decide not to go the insurance route, I would highly recommend checking with a retail fiberglass supplier in your area. I did some work recently filling in old through hole areas no longer used at the bottom of the hull. I did a lot of research here and at DIY boat, etc. online. However, I got the best advice when I went to a local shop: Fiberlay, and consulted with their experienced people. I'm now proud of the job we did and give a lot of credit to them for helping in all the right directions.
 
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