Well efforts to sell my 18 have failed. Guess I want to much for an 18 with wings, although I could have sold the wings 50 times! So since the tags are paid through 2017 my wife has said to keep both boats!
I have a few soft spots on the tops of the hulls. I figure to use the fiber glass resin from Home Depot to inject for repairs with large syringe from the feed store.
My question is do I need to use a thickener or let it flow? If I do you a thickener what should I use?
Thanks
You're better off using epoxy rather than polyester (fiberglass) resin. Epoxy is stronger and will provide a better bond. Epoxy also typically has a longer and more controlled working time which means less chance of the batch kicking off half way through your repair project.
No need to thicken the resin unless you find that it is flowing through the fiberglass skin and into the hull
.
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To prevent it from going into the hull make sure you do not penetrate the interior skin. Best way that I know how to prevent this is to find the thickness and use masking tape to wrap around the drill bit so that it will stop short of the skin
Thanks all. I have a set of drill stops I planned to use to prevent going all the way through, but thank you for the reminder. As for the epoxy I had not thought about this. Are you recommending something like the "West System", or a 2 part caulking gun type?
Thanks
Virtually all epoxies are two part. I suggest using thin laminating epoxy, like West Systems 105. It needs to be able to flow easily into all the voids. Thickened resin (like West six10) is not likely to flow adequately.
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Everything you need is here. Remember- 1 pump resin to 1 pump of hardener. It pre measures 5:1 ratio for you.
I mix in the tubs then pour into those clear ketchup/mustard squeeze bottles from the dollar store. Works fantastic. Slow cure so it gets into all the voids. I'd get the gallon kit so you'll have leftover.
Do a search on here and you will find a lot of info. We use 404 west filler mixed with the epoxy as most recommend. It makes the epoxy lighter and stronger and still flows well. The gallon will go a long way.
http://www.thebeachcats.com/news/400/Soft-Deck-Repair/
http://www.thebeachcats.com/news/87/catamaran-sailboats-delamination-repair-instructions/
edit for double post
Edited by pknapp66 on Mar 23, 2016 - 08:20 PM.
Thanks for the help all. Time to get to work and get it on the water.
Bob