Hello, I picked up a P16 with a trailer for $800. The seller of the boat did fiberglass work on sailboats out of his house, he said the bottoms were pretty worn so he redid them, after that at some point the hull was dented in two spots. He didn't know the two spots were there so he attempted to patch them up but there was too much moisture. Anyways he instructed me to fill the sanded out dents with layers of glass and resin with a final nylon mesh material layer.(does this sound right?) So I did as he instructed and repaired the two spots and they look pretty good to me, but I have zero fiberglass experience...
I have begun prepping the rest of the hulls for paint by sanding with 100grit sandpaper, I have noticed there are quite a few little surface cracks in the paint(or gelcoat?).

How do I fill these little cracks, and with what do I fill them with? (should I just fill them with some resin?).

One of the two spots I patched sticks out a bit, about the thickness of the final mesh layer with some resin over it. So how do I blend these to spots into the hulls? I wouldn't think you can sand too much resin of because of the nylon mesh material...?

I stopped at west marine the other day and had no idea what paint to buy. What is a good affordable paint/method?


Any Input is very much appreciated!

In the mean time I am going to do some research and get some pics up.

did you use epoxy or polyester or vinyl-ester resin. Don't know much about vinyl-ester resin but for the others, 'l use gel coat. I am doing the same on mine, using gel coat. Its tougher than paint. I use the kind without wax added to put on more than one coat/layer and then use the waxed kind for the last coat/layer. One thing if using epoxy. Wash it with soap and water before using the gel coat. There is something called amine(?) that acetone won't remove that is supposed to be what makes the gel coat not want to adhere to epoxy. Now, i haven't been able to prove it works since I'm not finished and put my boat in the water yet but that is what the people at west systems products put out in an interview on the subject. By the way, mine is an 84 prindle too.



Edited by dtfuqua on May 10, 2012 - 05:28 PM.

welcome, get some pics up and there is all kinds of good advice. if it looks like it won't sink, i would go sail it

--
Kenneth Purdy
Hobie 16
Nacra 5.2 (2)
Banshee
First Coast, Florida
--

Sanded out dents did not need to be filled with layers of cloth, now you have a fairing problem (use an orbital sander). Fill the scratches with Bondo & sand an hour later. Spend no more than 40-60 minutes with 120 grit paper on orbital sander for both hulls, then 1 qt. of Interlux Brightside (with a $6 two inch brush) will cover entire boat. Do it in three days: tip hulls on edge first day. Tip other way 2nd day, do decks third day so you're always painting a flat surface. Boat will look brand new for $50 in materials. Pete

I agree with Pete if your going to paint it. The cracks you can use a pointed can opener or something to widen a bit by scraping along them. You can do it with a Dremel small drum sander as well if your careful. Since you are painting you don't need to worry about gel coat just fill and sand with bondo or some other filler like formula 27 or if you already have resin from your repair just add some filler to it rather than buy something else.

The bumps where you fixed just keep sanding until it is smooth with the rest. If you need you can use a lower grit sandpaper at first to help get through it.

I just did a full on bottom Job adding glass to my P18 and I won't do it again unless it am seriously worried about leaking. I have been sanding for about 4 days (evenings). It is not easy to do cleaning so be glad he did it for you.

I am adding gel coat to my P18 because other than nicks and dings and the bottoms wearing it is in pretty good shape. I have 2 soon to be 3 old P16 hulls in the backyard that I will likely follow suit with Pete's recommendations myself over the next couple years. I only have enough to put one of them together into an entire boat right now

Basically just get out and sail it.



Edited by Quarath on May 11, 2012 - 03:36 PM.

--
Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
--

Ok, so fill the cracks in the paint with bondo and sand...
Sand the patched area flush.(so I assume just sand throught the fiberglass and outer "mesh" layer...)
And Pete suggested Interlux brightside, Thanks everyone. Gonna get out tommorow morning and finish prepping for paint.

I also cant seem to find much info on Rigging the traveler system, can anybody show me a pic or two...

And don't pay $43/qt for Interlux Brightside/always quote Jamestown Dist from R.I., West Marine will match. Traveler deadends in eyestrap middle rear of rear beam, then thru traveler car, then to cleat middle front of rear beam. Pete

If you push down on the deck where those cracks are in the middle picture does it make a cracking sound at all or doe sit feel solid?

--
Dustin Finlinson • Magna, UT
Member: Utah Sailing Association
1982 Prindle 18
1986 Hobie 17
1982 Prindle 16
1980 Prindle 16(mostly)
1976 Prindle 16(mostly)
Check out "Prindle Sailors" on Facebook.
--

Quarath

If you push down on the deck where those cracks are in the middle picture does it make a cracking sound at all or doe sit feel solid?

It feels solid...

I painted my boat with Pre-Kote and Interlux Brightsides. It came out well. I painted the bottom white so that when it gets scraped by the rollers and the sand, it won't show. It seems to be working well.

The epoxykote primer might be a little bit more durable than the pre-kote. It took two cans of Pre-Kote to cover the boat, but if you were careful, one can of Brightsides might do the whole boat. I would recommend buying two cans so you don't have to worry about what paint gets wasted, and that you have some left for touch ups. I think that the advantage of Brightsides over Perfection is that when you get scrapes and damange (which you will, no matter how tough the paint is), the paint is easier to touch up.

I saw a guy who painted his Nacra with Imron a couple of weeks ago, and the paint did feel noticably harder, but he said that touch ups were a real pain.

Good luck. Here's a link to my bottom job / paint job:

http://www.thebeachcats.com/forums/viewtopic/topic/13301