HOW TO REPAIR FIBERGLASS DAMAGE WITH LIMITED ACCESS!

[@davidradzik2797]

I recently repaired a large hole in a Pirateer 13 sailboat that was roughly 3”x 14”, caused by coming in too fast and hitting an unprotected 2” square cage on the end of the dock. I used some 1/8” plywood, supported by metal strips, and injected expanding foam to fill the area behind the damaged area. Laid down 5 layers of fiberglass, from the hole size, getting larger with each layer. Finished the surface with fiberglass bondo, sanded to a smooth surface, and three coats of primer, and two coats of top coat. This particular video helped me immensely, to do a fiberglass repair, that I had never done before… thanks.

[@alanmcgeachy66]

I've been doing body work for over 30 years and this is the best fiberglass repair I've ever seen. I am now a subscriber

[@HEKOT77]

This is expected fiberglass repair. I have been repairing racing kayaks occasionally for two years. And this is my regular level. If you have been working in fiberglass repairs for 30 years, I believe, you can do this job with onle left hand and closed eyes. 😂 My dad repaired car bodies, and that was bloody good work quality!

[@timothybint4960]

@@HEKOT77😂

[@simonrobichaud1013]

As a commercial fishing boat builder/repair guy myself, I always appreciate your videos. Thanks for taking the time to make em'. You teach and explain so well

[@simonrobichaud1013]

Wet and stick technique is cleaner, thanks for sharing

[@waynec369]

As a beginner, the takeaways for me are: 1) don't be afraid to open up the damaged spot. Gotta break those eggs to make an omlete. 2) It's not going to be a one a one-and-done deal. Come back as many times as you need to effect a good surface.

[@nathanmayo7101]

I am a dentist who does similar stuff on a smaller scale with teeth every day. Really enjoyed watching the care you put into surface prep, materials choice, and application. It is nice to watch someone who cares.. Will keep this in mind when I am attempting some gelcoat crack repairs on my SeaDoo Speedster. Thank you...............

[@Finnsport420]

I can relate to that because I have been working with (my private) boats and doing small repairs almost like this since 1988 i guess and everytime i have been to the dentist fixing my teeth I have compared it to my work with my boats :)

[@roxannegriffin7205]

It has been decades since my fiberglass repair days. Pleased to see this no hype, good advice for DYIs.

[@alexander20991]

Hurricane Fiona lodged a 30 sail boat under the hull of my 22 foot Cape Island fishing boat . I have a fist sized hole that still has Woven Roving in it . This video has shown me what to do to get me back on the water this Spring . Thanks for you expertise and laid-back way of teaching . Love your site . All the best from Nova Scotia ☮

[@harveyrousejr.2069]

I worked for Hatters Yacht's back in the 80's and learned allot of the fiberglass trade that has lended itself many times over the years. You are very attentive to details which translates to a professional finish. Great video!

[@Mrbenjaboy3555]

Planning to fix a hood on a semi-truck. Figured watching a boat video would give top of the line information and I was not disappointed! Thank you!

[@Tampo-tiger]

These videos make a huge difference to sailors and boat-owners. It is very difficult to find reliable videos on this subject.

[@petebrown6952]

Brilliant repair, watched a lot of glass fibre workers whilst building kit cars in England, never saw anyone better! Regards from UK Pete.

[@OG29]

Hi, Andy. I am motivated to post by the difficulty you have had on a few occasions explaining fairing. My creds: Sailor for 60 years. Emerald shellback. Circumnavigator x2 (first to do so using satellite data). Retired USN MCPO. I love your channel and am inspired by much of your content. I only wish to offer the following content. 1. Fair is the shape of a waterborne object to offer the least resistance to flow. Water should flow over a surface with no abrupt flow vectors (the water flows in straight lines as nearly as possible.) 2. Visually, fair is the flow of one line into another without large angles. It should be pleasing to the eye but has no real performance penalty. Above the water, if your surface moves gently in a single curve, it is fair. 3. A waterborne object needs to be fair in all dimensions. Above the water line the penalty is not performance related. 4. Your fairing tool looks to be fantastic; I would like to try it sometime. Maybe i will. Again, point of the post is to define "fair".

[@rodbrandon3590]

Hi Andy, Fellow marine fibreglass technician and instructor here. Love what you are doing to help educate DIYers on safe fibreglass repair technique. One word of caution I present to all DIYers is to not undertake "critical to safety" repairs, until their personal skill is verified in practice. "Skill and Ability" requires more than book reading or video watching. Only after a DIYers skills are proven, repeatedly, on 'non-critical" FRP work, should they attempt "critical" FRP which includes "structural", "under waterline", and any work that could result in vessel structural integrity loss or sinking. I strongly recommend a "test" material bond be applied near the actual repair, at the same time as the repair. After curing, if the test bond fails, the repair should obviously not be relied on, and redone after failure cause determined and corrected. I have a couple of issues with this video. 1. A 12:1 taper is the actual recommendation for a single sided repair. This is more than sufficient to ensure the mechanical bond is such that the repair is stronger than original substrate, whether epoxy or polyester resin is used. 2. For a double-sided repair, a 6:1 taper on each side is recommended. Explanation: 1. Single Side Repair: a) Force applied opposite repair side - Almost all of the resistance to failure is based solely on the mechanical bond. A repair with a 12:1 taper on a mechanical bond is "as strong" as the original substrate (and actually already includes significant safety margin). b) Force applied to the repair side - Added to the mechanical bond, which is as strong as the original composite, we also have the physical overlap (attempting to push a large piece of cured new FRP through a very small hole in old FRP.) In other words, a 12:1 taper is more than "adequate" and a greater taper provides no real benefit other than increased safety margin to compensate poor practice/technique. This is actually a bad idea, as there is a degree of bad practice, that simply cannot be compensated by any means. Therefore, it is imperative the DIYer employ sound practice, rather than attempt to compensate poor practice. 2. Double Sided Repair: The resistance to failure is achieved by both physical overlap and mechanical bond on either side. Therefore a 6:1 taper is more than adequate. Again there is no real benefit to attempting a repair, more than, more than adequate, and attempting to compensate poor practice with increased taper is still poor practice. One Side Access Repair Technique I am not a fan of the technique used in this video. Another technique is to: 1. Make the hole roughly oval or rectangular (if not already). 2. Cut a piece of FRP backing material that overlaps the hole, but with width narrower than hole length. 3. Drill a hole in the centre and insert a piece of string. 4. Put a stopper knot in the string and draw tight to the hole, ensuring it won't pull through. 5. Abrade the backside of the hole and FRP backing plate. 6. Taper the front side of the hole as indicated above. 7. Dust and solvent wipe the abraded surfaces. 8. Apply thickened resin (peanut butter consistency*) to abraded surfaces. 9. Insert the blanking plate into the hole. 10. Rotate the blanking plate and sock up to the backside drawing on the piece of string. 11. Tie the piece of string to a fixture or tape the backing plate to hold it in place. 12. Once adequately cured layup, fill, fair, and finish as usual. This will eliminate the sag in the layup, reduce reliance on fill, and best match the original layup thickness and strength. Note: Everyone, from DIYer to seasoned professional (and most certainly including myself), are still learning until on the wrong side of the sod. Thanks for posting Andy; keep up the great work, and Happy New Year! Rod Brandon President - Sheen Marine

[@rodbrandon3590]

Oops, forgot to define the "*" associated with "Peanut Butter Consistency". After one of my "Fibreglass Repair" presentations, a DIYer advised me that he always performed his own repairs because he cannot afford to hire a pro and after all, "it's so easy". He then proceeded to tell me how he mixed peanut butter with epoxy to thicken it. I asked him to "say that again" to ensure I heard correctly. Yup! I attempted to advise that one should never mix Peanut Butter with epoxy (unless trying to attract rodents ;-) and that the guide he was referring to actually suggests to add a filler (such as cabosil, microballoons, or fibres) in such quantity as to achieve a "Peanut Butter Consistency" and that it does not mean to add actual Peanut Butter. After some discussion, he suggested we agree to disagree. Hope this brings you a smile. Happy, Happy New Year! Rod Brandon President - Sheen Marine

[@Tito1984]

6 months later I hope you both are still watching your replies. I have a 5th wheel rv that I dropped on the bed rails of my truck. I really cannot access the back of the 2 dings. the areas are about 6" by 12" very contoured. I have years of professional drywall patching behind me but never have done fiberglass work. Rod, I cannot quite follow your modified steps to Andy's video. I think the two ovals need to be cut out. I am planning on doing a 1 sided repair just like his only preceed by adding a fringe piece of glass on the inside coming out about 1" around the hole as best as I can within the cut out. Leaving the extending fiberglass uncoated. Then merge the top glass with the inside layer on the next coat. Is this in anyway something like what you suggested? Also am considering sliding a few pieces of wood coated with metal tape, screwed lengthwise to the perimeter to give me the profile. I think the metal tape will keep the resins from sticking and the wood may fall into the cavity after backing out the screws. Fill the screw holes later. Finish like Andy as best as I can. Do you guys think this might work? Thanks for your help. Oh, what brand of peanut butter do you recommend?

[@davidmartin7099]

A bit late, but a key concept here is that the “FRP backing plate” Rob mentioned is quite rigid, usually made by laying up one or more layers of glass cloth and resin on release plastic and allowing it to harden. This layup is then peeled off the plastic and used as described above to bridge the hole and define the contour of the repair. Often this backing piece can be created right on top of an adjacent undamaged area so that it more closely matches the curvature of the damaged area, which will minimize the effort spent matching the repair with the surrounding contours. Once fitted under the damaged area, the backer is bonded in place behind the damaged area using a thickened resin putty which is allowed to cure before the outer layup of the repair is applied. It helps if you remove any squeeze-out around the perimeter of the repair taper so the outside glass cloth can lay smoothly across the transition from repair taper and onto the backing plate.

[@aNuthaRedneck]

I was raised in a full service garage with a body shop. Our body shop guy would use wire mesh behind a hole as you suggested then Bondo over it to fill. If it was a flat surface of course he would braze in a piece of sheet metal. Thanks for your very helpful comments and opinions.

[@maryjflanagan1922]

I figured that if I watch some boating fiberglass repairs, I could figure out how to cut the useless shelves off my bathroom tub surround and patch the holes. I absolutely love the way you explained everything! In conclusion, foam, 1708, and spraying the whole unit should fix it up quite well.

[@wiredawg2005]

I'm not a boater and do not plan on doing any work on any boat. Yet, I watched this whole video. Awesome to see a true craftsman at work, made me feel like I can now repair holes in boats. LOL

[@crxxk8197]

Probably the best repair for a one sided fiberglass hull video I’ve seen. You’ve done a great job at explaining a one sided and both sided repair. Helped me a lot thank you my friend.

[@richardwallinger1683]

great video 76 years and still picking up useful tips .loved the three patch wetting out . and application . I was donnington park gt champion in 1980 . i made the plaster plug and took a top and bottom mold . then plasticell bulkheads woven roving both sides . no steel chassis only a molded in roll over cage to comply with the regs . 12 lap races and only the second place car on the same lap as me and that would have been lapped 1/2 way around the following lap . my GROUND EFFECT underbelly shape produced so much downforce that I could take the old haripin flat and braking was after 50 yard marker for the chicane. ( on the old circuit . in 1980.) excellent video . super breathing mask .and dust extractor on the DA.

[@ricmoffet6843]

Very bloody helpful, have to do a one sided repair of a fiberglass top on a campertrailer. It was bodged by the previous owner, was unsure how to do it, but thanks to this vid and your expertise I now know how to repair it and do a great job, Thanks mate.

[@bmanjohnson51]

I am creating a new wing for my project car out of two oem wings and this was the video I needed to know how to deal with the gaps. I knew boat repair videos would help!😄

[@SupercarBuilt]

I've been looking for someone to explain this, and this is the best I've found in a long time. I built a fiberglass lamborghini and couldn't figure out how to fill in low spots but the idea with plywood and handles is great advice I dident even think of that! Thank you!

[@randykataluk3879]

I have a 22 foot mooshead canoe. Has a small hole/crack at the bow (above water at least) but ive been wanting to do this to it just to keep it from spreading any further. Thanks for the video. Good explaining on everything.

[@lotus7even]

Thank you Andy for this video I used this for repairing glass fibre transmission unelected on Land Rover Defender the finished results is fantastic and saved me lot of money for a new one. Many thanks

[@gtray7]

Thank you for this video... the timing could not be more perfect. I’m in the process of peeling back all the stinky layers of an onion (boat) I recently acquired and while prepping for paint I revealed some hairline cracks that were later found to be weeping moisture from the backside. Further inspection revealed a previous repair that utilized some less than desirable materials. The cracks were the result of poor adhesion and what appeared to be bondo body filler layered in between. After cutting away all the bad parts I’m faced with exactly this repair. I now feel somewhat vindicated in that I’ve learned enough from your other videos to feel confident that the repair work I’m doing is adequate and not necessarily cutting corners. I’ve always felt like there is no right way to do a wrong thing. Thank you for making me realize I’m not doing a “wrong” thing.

[@jasonsanitz5623]

Wow, thanks for the info! Your video helped me to make a one side repair on my little skiff. Thanks bud!!

[@dinacaldwell7522]

I use small drill holes and hook a backer of disposable cutting board plastic. This prevents the sag dimple and allows more working of the patch.

[@azcharlie2009]

I recently had some wind damage to my right main wheel fairing on my airplane. You've given me some great ideas how to repair the damage. Strangely, you cannot access the interior of the rear section of the fairing, so the structural resin and faring compound look like they might do the trick. The strength issue probably isn't a factor. And, I'd much rather do it myself than pay some aircraft mechanic $200/hour, and have them take a week to do it. Thank you!

[@TONYDINOW]

Hi, yes I have small 13 foot fiberglass skiff that’s was made in 1984 called a salty, made in Washington state, it has that classic lapstrake lines, , with a small crack in the hull that has access on both side to fix it, I was contemplating how exactly to the process you just clearly explain the route to do it and the materials, thank you so much on explaining and showing the details process.

[@trustnuffin9121]

Before carrying out this repair (which is excellent)...make an oversized plate of grp to place through the hole being repaired and glue into place using epoxy from the inside. I put a couple of large screws in the plate to pull it against the inside of the hole then repair it as shown in this video. I only use the epoxy to glue into place and leave the plate free ready for the polyester repair.

[@markdunbar8219]

Just watching you work for some tips as I have to do my boat hatch as the previous owner made a hash of it with laminated wood looks terrible so in removing the wood to fill with glass then paint over with pre coat then toplack paint your blog has helped heaps many thanks 😊 and regards from the Uk 👍🏻😁🇬🇧

[@letsgobrandon791]

This was the perfect video for me. I’ve been researching fiberglass repair for hobie cat 16 and this answered all my questions!!!!

[@the_fixer_guy]

Same! Yeah, I wish he would pick up an old crusty Hobie and show everyone how he would do all the "regular" Hobie issues. It would be awesome!

[@capt.l7964]

As always great video. For a good tip. Hot glue popcicle sticks on inside of hull will keep glass repair from sagging I’ve had great success with this technique

[@705techno]

Peel ply works as well. Or in a pinch, cardboard and duct tape. Accessibility is key though.

[@Zomby_Woof]

I'm thinking heavy wire would be better. More strength to weightl, span longer distances and conform to curves.

[@jayminor9757]

Good day form the north end of the lake. Great video Andy. Although I’ve been doing amateur fiberglass repairs for decades, I always pick up useful tips from your videos. the biggest one so far is the use of 1708 as a primary cloth for structural stuff. It has changed the game for me. Thanks much.

[@knutarneaakra6013]

Beeing a fiberglass boat repair man for many years. Smart thing to do is gluing some stiff carboard on the inside of the hull using melt glue. Then it will be real easy to place the wet fiberglass on the outside. Always remember using a steel roller to get all the air trapped in the wet fiberglass out. Rolling the wet laminate until you get a dry not splashy sound is wery inportant. Think of it more like vibrating wet cement. The job of grinding a damaged surface until clean and dry surface is a must.

[@MrAjotso]

Dude you didn’t read the title? One sided limited access repair . That’s what he demonstrated

[@walkertongdee]

No access...

[@calmelata9916]

​@@MrAjotsohey when there's a hole you put glue around the inside edges then the cardboard bends u stick it through the hole then unbend it and put a screw through the cardboard so u can pull it to stick to the inside edges... Take screw out. Now u have a back wall to be able to put the fiberglass and resin on the whole area. So it has fiberglass just isn't finished but will be strong

[@TheLivebaitdrifter]

Knut I hot glue a thin soft plastic that softens with heat gun. Form it while hot so it has backing and I can roll out my layup. I also worked in a glass shop and his method is a lil diff. We could layup roll out and shape that repair in one shot, boss yelled alot if you took too long. Helps to learn from pros.

[@dsa5030]

Yeah I second. Using a backing plate (you don’t need access to the other side) would make that way easier when laying up the new layers of fibre.

[@__-xq9gp]

Andy, could you not first start with a mold of the hull and then shaped the patch to the mold and then apply to the hull?

[@GjS-UK]

Another great video, thanks for keeping the content coming. That small puncture hole escalated to what looks to my novice eyes, a major project. You made it look like a routine patch 👍

[@craigbielsky115]

it was....lol

[@micahlindvall285]

Well, you've picked just the right time to do it! I've just picked up a project boat that has a pinhole(pencil sized) hole in the hull that I can't get to the other side without ripping the floor up.

[@JustTheFactsYall]

How’s the boat coming? Did the video help?

[@nonya9576]

Rip that floor up!🤟

[@Reality_TV]

This was a great video! Thank you for showing your boat and the different projects as well. VERY interesting!

[@stevemitchell8631]

I have been kicking around buying a salvage boat with a hole .. your video helped me make my Decision

[@sayedazad2040]

I respect your passion for teaching others.. well done mate 👍🏻

[@EvelOttos]

I wish this video was out like 2 months ago when I did a similar repair on my dinghy, lol. I did CSM/1708/CSM for my repair lamination but I'm sure it'll be okay. Everything else I did was exactly what you did for this repair so I feel like I did a good job but I wouldn't have figured any of that out without your previous videos. Thanks and keep up the good work!

[@EvelOttos]

For the size of my repair, I couldn't justify spending the money on containers of Polyester Fairing Compound or the Structural Putty. Instead, I made my own using the Polyester laminating resin along with micro balloons, silica, and chopped fiberglass. I will say that all the materials I purchased came from TotalBoat thou.

[@olivei2484]

Yeah. I did this repair back in May. Yup, 1708 and csm. I used epoxy, but it looks good ( well ... ok for first ever patching job).

[@pabloenriquetirabassi7060]

I already subscribed. Surprising your impeccable way of explaining and sharing your secrets to carry out a job of such high quality !! Thank you, the video is super nice (including the soft music) in all aspects !! Greetings from Buenos Aires !!👋👋👋

[@140corvairbuggy5]

I have a long wheelbase dune buggy body I am restoring. This video was perfect in content and information.

[@whitelockoutdoors6391]

Thanks for the video man! Should prove handy when I fix up my dad's old boat. I plan on turning that thing into a duck hunting boat come spring.

[@graemehickman7341]

I love you Andy , mate you Have hepled me out so much .ive rebuild a 6 meter cabin cruiser using nothing but coosa board from basicly the gelcoat up . Got about another year befor i finish. Thanks andy .from yoir mate in western Australia, Graeme.

[@DiabloOutdoors]

Thank you for you taking the time to do this video for all of us. This is very nice and may help me big time since I may get an old wrecked canoe very soon.

[@Proj1423]

Incredible video! You mention that epoxy would be better especially for larger hulls, but you used poly because of your particular plan. If I use epoxy, are there epoxy versions of each of the materials you used here? Do you have a video with a hull repair using epoxy instead?

[@hendrikboshoff]

Hi Andy thanks for great videos! On this project I have a question : if you're using laminating resin does the inside ever cure properly seeing as there is no wax additive material on the inside?

[@TruthandloveKRA]

I don't even have a boat, but this looks like a cool process 😎 great video. 👍🏽

[@Ja518]

Hi Andy, very informative videos thanks so much. My dad and I are trying to fix a Hurricane Dorian damaged vessel and will be using your videos for reference. Theres a lot of big cracked off pieces, would you recommend cutting back to have a clean surface or just lay fiberglass over the torn edges?

[@joakimskog7596]

Thanks for this, previous owner of my boat did for some reason drill a hole in the hull to install a fish finder and sealed around it with what i assume is tec7 sealant and its getting really old. Kind of sketchy. Gonna remove it and use this method to fix the hole. Cheers!

[@brotherdom1]

Great vid 55 years at this stuff .and shoulders are slowing me down now .

[@christinamoneyhan5688]

Very nice looking work. Thank you for teaching how to do this kind of repair.

[@toddmaersch7200]

Great video!!! Can you explain further why you applied gelcoat if the whole boat gets covered with chop strand?? Why not just the faring compound???

[@edthomas7918]

Would appreciate telling us when you’re using sander, grinder, what grit or tool

[@jeremymitchell995]

First time watching...what a great and informative job...so much prep and work...many thanks for this.

[@franksleder8986]

What is the fiberglass mat cutters you use? Who makes the vacuum sander, and what abrasive are you using?

[@franksleder8986]

Sander is a festool with the auto clean vacuum, but I’m trying to find the shears too

[@fishhuntadventure]

I see a few comments skirted about an issue but didn’t mention it directly. I was told once to use CSM for a first layer because it “provides 2/3 more fiber contact area” within the resin. Than roving over that for strength. Is that an old wives tale? I’ve also seen it mentioned that applies to glassing bare plywood as well. Love to hear the engineering response.

[@garryhalupka4963]

Thanks Andy from Australia for your great light hearted and easy to understand tutorial. 😀I have an old fibreglass sand buggy and your information has given me the confidence to tackle it myself. Keep up the great work.👍

[@lifeclipsofe-rock1287]

Youre really good at containing the mess.

[@tomfitzgibbon6691]

Andy, thanks for another great video. I have been a regular viewer for several months and have learned a lot. I have two unrelated questions for you. 1. You probably covered this in an earlier video I have not seen yet, but how do you clean your tools? Are there specific cleaning products and methods? Also, what about the measuring cups and yellow spreader. I know they are ultimately disposable but do you clean them for several uses and then toss them or toss them every time? 2. There is no way I can use a long board like you do due to arthritis and shoulder and elbow injuries. Any suggestions for alternate ways to fair a surface or are there power (air or electric) long boards you can recommend? Thanks.

[@boatworkstoday]

For the most part I clean trowels and tools with the surface cleaner and de-waxer and it works really well on resins an epoxy. The plastic spreader I'll remove what I can and let it cure. A quick bend following day and the material just flakes off :-)

[@tomfitzgibbon6691]

BoatworksToday Thanks!

[@brettm720]

I too am a fiberglass repair tech. It's nice to see that you seem to enjoy your work. I too enjoy it. It's cool to see broken boats come back to life. Keep up the great work man.

[@nagunaks2222]

"One Sided Repair" where every repair goes your way every time

[@bzidro]

My Man.... ! THIS IS the Video that was MISSING on NET to teach us all Structural Repair ! Great. Thank you !

[@SailingwithMaury]

Great demo and explanation. Looking to learn more about strengthening fiberglass fatigue on a 30’ sailboat.

[@returnofsid]

Great video, and just what I needed, to do a small area of damage! Thank you!

[@christophercrowdis7308]

Good job explaining the repair,thanks.😊

[@vincentjacobs3695]

Great video! I have a question about when stacking the 3 layers on the visqueen at 12:00. Could you lay them down in reverse order, say piece 3, then 2 then 1. And then just lay the visqueen sheet containing the patch over the hole and then lift just the visqueen off leaving the patch on the hull or would that not work? My RV had an "encounter" with a trash dumpster, so I will be using your shared knowledge to repair it this weekend. Thank you very much for taking the time to make this video sir.

[@melinda5777]

This was GREAT! It's been some time since I've commented and this one is AT THE TOP! Mainly because, well I'm getting ready to put my boat back on the hard after only a year of the last time for a couple of different reasons. Major is I have a small leak and I'm pretty sure where it is and NEEDED THIS REFRESHER COURSE, for one of the jobs. (I LOVE YOUR TEACHING LIKE THIS, VIDEOS) Not screaming just wanted you to know how much I appreciate this and what you do! THANK YOU SO MUCH. I SAVED THIS ONE. LOL. GOD BLESS YOU AND YOURS and Stay Safe.🙏🏻❤🇺🇲⛵⚓

[@ryanjackson587]

Hi there, love the videos! Im actually working on an old kenworth dumptruck i have, and am getting ready to do the body work on it. Thos will be the first time ive worked with fiberglass, and your videos have answered a lot of questions. My main area of concern is a big divet in the roof where fiberglass is exposed. The hole doesnt go all the way through, but the hairs are exposed. Its about a golfball size in diameter, how should i tackle this? I was thinking id just sand it out and use fiber filler instead of glass itself. There is not a structural load on this just cosmetic and it's a little less than 3/8ths deep. Thanks for any advice, keep the videos coming, you're truly an artist my friend!

[@toddlehman928]

sand using a grinder or you can hand sand with coarse paper like 80 grit. expand the area to about twice the size of the area that needs repaired. take some pieces of fiber glass mat, 1-1/2 oz mat will be fine, and tear them into pieces the size of the hole, some a little bigger some a little smaller so that it will feather out. lay them over the top of the hole wet them out making sure to get all the air bubbles out between the layers of fiberglass. once it dries sand it smooth and then apply Bondo sand that smooth and paint it. instead of paint it would be preferable to use gel coat

[@m.a.5689]

You are teaching me so much thank you for myself and my little sunfish

[@gianmarcocantafio6034]

Great video, I'm repairing a Kayak and your advices are more than precious. THANKS A LOT 😄👍👍👏👏

[@jw725]

So much for a small hole! Thanks, Andy for another very informative video! Love your channel.

[@toneightO]

just discovered and subscribed to your channel. i want to say, some people are great teachers, and are able to explain their craft clearly and concisely, you are excellent at this. thanks for taking the time to share your knowledge. this topic has always been a point of curiosity for me, and you've satisficed my curiosity. thanks!

[@franciscosprott2433]

Thanks for making this video...i own a boat detailing business and most of our jobs our gelcoat restoration plus compound polishing and sometimes I am asked if we do fiberglass repairs. This video helped. Thnx Andy!👍👍

[@pettermathersimonsen6029]

Useful demonstration on how to repair. Question: would you care to outline the arguments for starting the layup with the smallest piece vs. starting with the largest patch and ending with the smallest one?

[@ivansemanco6976]

Good question, in the GA aircrafts all manuals said always largest and smallest last one. But I have zero experience in the boats, what is reason why I subscribe channel.

[@craigbielsky115]

he explained it in the video did you watch it?

[@sailorcherry1742]

So many great tips in this video, applicable to big and small fiberglass jobs. Thank you!

[@TurgutKalfaoglu]

great project -- thank you. Now to memorize and find equivalents of the chemicals you used overseas.

[@antoniocarloslaisacarneiro6955]

Aqui em

[@macloudon4415]

Hi Andy. What a great job you do. Thanks for the knowledge. I’m going to be doing some fiberglass work on the deck of my boat where an old repair has broken free. I was wondering what kind of fiberglass you ended up using on the bottom of that hull and which one would be appropriate for my job. Thanks again. Mac

[@elgrandetate]

Great video. Now I feel confident to repair my boat

[@jeffwarwick6124]

love your videos!!! not a boat question but thought you might help. i've got a fiber glass front end and have roughly a 1 inch wide door gap at spots what your thoughts on filling the gap with fiberglass and re-establish the door gap. any help would be appreciated

[@wombatillo]

My parents have a small motorboat that was run aground +10 years ago and only repaired from the outside. It's a sandwich structure and actually opening the entire boat like a clamshell would have been more trouble than the entire boat was worth. The boat is basically hollow between the fake bottom and the real bottom but the cavity is ~4-6" high and cannot realistically be reached from any of the openings. They did a seemingly ok job originally but now +10 years later the repaired patch has started to "bubble". What I saw this year pulling the boat up for a paint-job were quarter-sized round divots where the damage had been. I assume that's the repaired topcoat having flaked off? The original damage was about a foot-and-a-half long but now the divots can be seen in an area 2.5' x 1'. Bad job doing osmotic sealing on the inside and condensated water having done it's damage? The climate here is pretty cold so you do get considerable dew and condensation on many days of the year.

[@dl4922]

Ok! great video and good points to remember, I am re-gel coating my entire hull as well, but I need your input. I have sanded it down some previous small repairs were revealed because of small tiny air pockets and deep scratches. One spot is uneven needing fairing or leveling other areas are smooth and feathered out. what can i use for the uneven area I dont have silica? I am sanding to smooth with 180 grit should I go to a higher grit? and after fairing and sanding is it ok to blow dust off and wipe down with acetone and proceed with two layers of laminating gel coat without wax and final coat of gel coat with wax using Total Boat products ? I am at a disadvantage of completing the job from the bottom on a creeper by rolling will that be ok?

[@chrish2996]

Hi Andy. Another great video. Will you be demonstrating how to do a waterline on this? Cant wait for the next video. You did well with the bertram transom (nightmare). Bless you skipper.

[@shaunnorris]

Nice video Andy - you’re truly a master craftsman - have learned so much from watching you work over the past couple years.

[@shawnbartley9223]

Great video straight to the good stuff and well explained looking forward to learning more much to do on my first project boat.

[@Stoictuts]

I’m repairing a paddle board with a large hole on the side and crack at the tip. After applying a first coat with poly using the wet method, I learned from you I could do multiple layers. I also learned that I should be using epoxy not poly. I have sanded 80% of the poly off and will be doing the rest of the repair with epoxy. Here’s my question, once all the layers are down with epoxy, cured and painted, can I put down a final layer of poly to seal the paint? You say putting poly on epoxy is frowned upon but you don’t say why. In my case, will the paint be enough inbetween the epoxy and poly resin? Or do I need a layer of fairing compound as well? Great videos by the way!

[@simonallan6148]

Do you use different fillers below and above the waterline? Enjoying the series on this dinghy.

[@michielderuyter6011]

First 🙋‍♂️ Thanks for everything you shared for many years. Everything i have done to my small boat , what is lot, i learned from you and your channel. Many thanks from The Netherlands 👍

[@gregtocco5173]

Hello and thank you for this great video , very well done 👍. One question , why did you apply the gel coat if you send most of it before to put the fairing compound ❓

[@4xfun821]

A very good day to you from sunny South Africa. I have been anxiously waiting for you to finish the transom on the big canoo as I have a small '73 model cabin boat with a very bad ply transom. My question. I don't have access to any of the good products you get in USA like Kusa and any Alexseal products. I need to find out from you how you would approach this. Now might be good time to say I am also changing from inboard to outboard whilst everything is coming off now. I see some boats have like a "double" transom? I have the abilities to build just about anything, I just hate doing something over so I have been postponing this repair for months now. I am glad to see the small boat from your neighbour will be answering lots of other questions I had. That is me for now Looking forward to your ideas

[@ruaraidhmcdonald-walker9524]

This wee dinghy series is ace! Thought I would miss the Moppie but this is really great.

[@VLADiKish]

Yo man , cool job . I think better to use plastic plate for mixing putty etc . 😊 Paper plate taking material inside .

[@davidescudero8889]

Those powered hand shears are amazing!

[@dancubbage4959]

Awesome video. Very informative. Will be using your knowledge on my Hardtop Blazer

[@reddevilxt716]

Love your videos! Very informative! My father worked in a fiberglass shop for years. I’m tackling some minor repairs on my boat and the info you provide is great! Thanks for the great content!

[@joyed2851]

Ive only been subbed 2 days and I've watched a dozen of your videos this is amazing

[@johnhall942]

The little one at the end saying "This has been..." is priceless! Great instructional!

[@michaele8038]

You make the best videos and clear instructions!

[@daviddecesare4666]

I plan on doing a boat restoration one day and watch all your videos in the mean time. Each one teaches me a ton and gets me more excited to take on a project. Thanks so much!

[@daviddickmeyer5231]

So I’m trying to sleep and can’t. What better to do than catch up on one of my favorite you tube channels. Good night Andy! Zzzzzzzzz