Time to do some fiberglass repair and gelcoat on the kitecat so I can finally use this thing. Anyone have tips?
I have the resin, cloth, and some microsphere filler - time to get busy sanding and prepping. It is all small stuff - cracks and cleaning up old repair work.

Make sure you wear a respirator!!!! That filler can cause serious issues if inhaled..... not to mention the resin....

Depending on the type of resin and hardener the biggest tip I can give you is pay attention to mixing ratios and your pot life..... working temps also affect how fast it sets up..... resin sets faster in 90 degree temps than 70 degree temps......

wet out of the cloth is important..... I don't know what type of repair you are doing but a good laminate roller to aid in wet out might help you....

I use West Systems epoxy..... here is a link to their how to info.... they also have many how to pdf's.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/WestAdvi...

JD Also sells the West System How-To DVD



ATB,
Sam

I am using TAP plastics laminating resin. The repairs are much smaller. I may get away with using filler in a few spots but may need to put in some cloth on the crack in front.
Here is a photo of the pontoon.

Here you can see fiberglas repair in the aft end. The circle is where there is a pinhole leak I will just fill with resin.

There is a scrape in the bow that goes through. It is the line on the left. I will have to use cloth on that. I think I may open it up a bit more so the resin gets in the crack. Right now it is just a scrape that separated. I don't know about cutting a hole in the boat like the video above. There is no way to get on the inside. It is a hollow shape. It was made of two parts and filleted together.

Here is a shot of the seam where the resin has come apart. I may just fill it or put cloth on it. The white is the fillet seam. It looks like it was fabricated by blowing chop into a mold rather than all cloth laid up and laminated. The yellow pigment was mixed into the original resin. There is a gel coat or paint cote that is coming off. I have scraped that away from the seam.

You can see here on the seam that there has been cloth put on after.

Here is a video

Go to http://www.westmarine.com and look for Advice and Articles.
For gouges and scrapes I use a white filler and mix it until it is peanut butter consistency, spread it into a small area and cover with clear packing tape. The thickened epoxy will not run and the tape smoothes the epoxy to the shape of the hull. Tthe tape comes off without sticking once the epoxy has cured. It comes out white so you don't have to paint if using on a white hull and it needs little or no sanding.
The tape trick works with marine-tex and any other thickened epoxy. Use plastic sheets for larger areas.

Looks like those hulls were built pretty quick and dirty. Where you have a seam that is bonding the huull haves and you need a structural joint, I would grind the gelcoat and glass back either side at about an 8:1 - 10:1 taper. Fill the seam preferably with layered glass fabric or tape and then putty an fair. At least fill the area with chopped glass fiber with some cab-o-sil (fumed silica as a thixotropic agent) to keep the resin from draining from the mix and then a layer of glass tape over that.

Epoxy resin is the best repair resin wheter the original laminate is polyester or even vinylester. Brand isn't so important, though WEST has the best documentation and how-to. That's why it costs a lot!

krumly