DIY RV fiberglass repair

Hello, we are Allen & Rose and a very warm welcome to RV Field Trip!
How to RV fiberglass repair, if you ever thought fixing your RV fiberglass on your own and have no experience with fiberglass repairs, RV DIY repair then this is the video for you

[@KatrinaWilliams-jv7em]

Thank you so much! I learned a lot from watching. My project is the repair of a tractor canopy that was damaged by a branch. Fingers crossed that it turns out as well as yours. On to your painting video.

[@RVFieldTrip]

Tree branches and tractors don't get along LOL. We've had the same thing happen to our tractor I wanna say three times and we used the same method to repair it and it worked out perfect each time, good luck take your time and I'll be just fine, let us know how it works out

[@JMacVideos1]

If I may, I would recommend if you have to do this type of repair do a “stop drill”, which is to use a small 1/8 or so drill bit at each end of the crack. This will relieve any stress and the fiberglass will cover those holes. Thanks for the video!

[@RVFieldTrip]

Justin McCrary, thank you for the recommendation, I was thinking of doing that but my crack was so deep and and it's circular motion with not a very hard edge so I sanded it down very well in that area, but I can see how drilling holes would help, thank you very much for your comment and your suggestion

[@raymondbrown867]

Bondo shrinks in freezing westher.poly or epoxies are better for Crack repairs.

[@11alliLo]

​@raymondbrown867 how has it worked better for you personally? And what did you use it for?

[@madebydoug]

I need to fix mine thanks for the recommendation

[@OhioHillTopsHobbyFarm]

Ahh this is exactly what I needed to watch! Just backed my camper into the pole barn and forgot my 2x4 lumber rack boards sticking out 😩. Little crunch sound made be remember real quick! Thanks for the video, great job.

[@RVFieldTrip]

LMAO sorry not laughing at you it's just when you said "Little crunch sound made be remember real quick!" I've had that kind of experience several times in my lifetime and it brings back all those memories, it's nice to meet you thanks for posting your comment it made my day

[@OcalaBrew]

Phenomenal job, Allen! That’s not a job most people would attempt, but you did an incredible repair, and it looks just perfect! Applause, applause!

[@RVFieldTrip]

Well thank you very much OcalaBrew, I was proud of it but rose is extremely happy with it and that's all I can ask for, and yes saving $2500 dollars was a big plus,

[@sharonf7520]

At 70, I am converting an old Roadtrek campervan. The roof is fiberglass and needs repairs, but I'm scared to try. I bought all the products I need...been watching KZbin, but I'm still nervous. You doing so well at your first efforts and sharing your feeling of low confidence has made me feel braver. I'll do my repairs tomorrow...maybe. ;-)

[@RVFieldTrip]

LOL "I'll do my repairs tomorrow...maybe. ;-)" it really was a lot easier then I imagined, if you watch the video you can even see my hand shaking, but the end result was so much better then I thought it would be professional, my best advice is don't panic and just do it what's the worst you can do, please let me know how it turns out for you and how you feel after you fixed your roof, good luck and thank you for commenting

[@jv2ly]

Yes, I understand and makes good sense. Thank you for helping the rest of us rvers out.

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you jv2ly, we are rvers have to stick together and help each other out, I'm glad you like the video, and we thank you for commenting hopefully we'll see you next time

[@tomfisher1099]

Thanks for the video. I'm going to be pulling the duct tape off of our new RV and doing this in the next few weeks. Nice to see a new video and have the full instructions. Great job.

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you, Tom Fisher, “taking the duct tape off” LOL, good luck and have fun

[@joeldarri2796]

Really helpful video. I have a very similar damage on a trailer unit that I rent out. This is all the information I needed to be confident to fix my problem. Think you my friend

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you Joel Darri, after you start getting into fixing it you do really gain confidence as you go on, thank you for commenting and let me know how it turns out good luck

[@nmartin5551]

Thanks for a short on relative scale, full process video. Some people seem to feel that they have to stretch beyond content. Researching this to repair some outer plastic trim for motorhome

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you N Martin, I know exactly what you're saying nothing worse than popping on a video that shows you how to fix something it is 30 minutes long and they put 5 minutes have them fixing it and don't even show how to do it, we're glad you enjoyed it and we appreciate you commenting, I'll see you next time

[@patricegallagher9858]

Love this video! I can't wait to try it!

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you, let me know how it works out for you I bet you'll be happy with the result, good luck and we thank you for commenting

[@jerryshelby3700]

My wife screams when I attempted to add a light. You did great.

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you jerryshelby3700, there might have been a little bit of screaming if it didn't turn out the way it did LOL

[@karlsoffthegrid1378]

I can’t wait to see how it turns out after paint. I kind of had the same repair years ago but what I did was I pounded the fiberglass back out from the backside and then just went over it with resin only. It turned out pretty good. So far everything looks great, I hope it works

[@RVFieldTrip]

For never playing with fiberglass before I think it turned out pretty good, like you we were looking to see if we could pound it out like you're talking about but unfortunately that was a no go, wait till you see the spray paint job, thanks for visiting my friend and commenting

[@MAERvideos]

Thanks guys! Happy diy fixing 💪🏻✨

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you we also appreciate it, thanks for commenting

[@texaschick6153]

Awesome. Thanks for sharing

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you Texas Chick, and thanks for watching

[@bobnewsome8416]

Awesome Job!

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you bob newsome, and we appreciate you commenting, see you next time

[@isaacmorrison4660]

I have a giant crack in the back of my camper and I was quoted 12000 dollars, so I’m definitely using your method.

[@RVFieldTrip]

OMG $12000 dollars, that's insane I just read your comment to my wife and it's like she said they hear the word RV and all of a sudden they think you're rich, so that means they can add zeros to the amount, I agree with you fix it yourself, let me know how it turns out

[@tomg2010]

Nice work definitely going to save your video I have a 1999 Chevrolet p30 motor home class a that needs work I was nervous as well but this video will be helpful thx

[@RVFieldTrip]

Tom G, first I would like to say welcome to the channel, and thank you for subscribing, to be very honest with you I was extremely nervous starting off but as I was putting on the layers my confidence level skyrocketed, I think when you start working on your Chevrolet p30 motor home you will see what I'm talking about, good luck and let me know how it turns out for you I think you'll be pleasantly surprised not only that save a whole bunch of money by doing it yourself, looking forward to talking with you in the future

[@ula172]

Great job 👍 my wife would never let me try but will have her watch this video 😂. We'll dun

[@RVFieldTrip]

Rose was a little reluctant but you did give me the go ahead to try, and as you can see I'm still here' cause I'm replying to this post LOL

[@davidrasmussen2975]

You needed to keep glass and resin below surrounding surface. That way the paint will bond to the original and bondo surfaces. They are able to bond to paint better than the harder and non porous resin.

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you for the advice, always like it when somebody with experience chimes in, thank you for commenting and your advice

[@billhiggins32]

Looks awesome I’m getting ready to do the same thing to ours

[@RVFieldTrip]

Glad you liked the video, now you're getting ready to save a whole bunch of money and get the same result, let us know how it works out and thank you for commenting

[@StepvanDan]

Great job looks like that’ll work just fine in the $2800 is still in your pocket big hugs from Minnesota thank you for sharing

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you Step-van Dan, it was a big time savings considering I only spent $200 for the whole repair, we appreciate the big hugs from Minnesota and send big hugs from Florida, we do appreciate you watching and commenting

[@StepvanDan]

@@RVFieldTrip I and the wife need a break so we are driving to fl be there some where sunday ,thank you for the hugs back

[@jameslaiola4976]

Incredible job Sir

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you Sir, and thank you for commenting

[@clysack07]

Nice work.

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you clysack07,

[@kevinthorpe8435]

I too am learning how to use fibreglass. I restore WWI and WWII helmets. Some of the damage is cut away with a grinder. And from the inside of the helmet fibreglass repair kit is used (then car body filler from the top). I'm trying it out this weekend. I'm also nervous, but if it fails I can keep on trying until I get it right. I've already used the resin and hardner on the inside of the helmet (as it's metal) for a base for the fibreglass to adhere to. After seeing your video I'm now confident. Nice horse by the way.

[@RVFieldTrip]

WOW WWI and WWII helmets that's awesome, yes I was very nervous when I started it but it's like you mentioned you can always go back to it and fix it, but working with it was far easier than I expected, yes we love our horse her name is red by the way, if you would let me know how it works out good luck my friend

[@kevinthorpe8435]

Thanks for your video yesterday. I've plucked up some Dutch courage and gone and applied the fibre glass to the helmet after watching your example. Not sure how long this takes to dry but it's looking good thanks to your example. Since I've used the two resins in my kit, next doors dog has gone mental (think he's high on the fumes). I'm trying to send you a picture. I'm not tech savvy ! I used your video as an example ol'man 😉 Thanks, from London.

[@RVFieldTrip]

@@kevinthorpe8435 LMAO, next doors dog has gone mental (think he's high on the fumes), that was funny it may be true but it was still funny, it doesn't take long to dry it's the sanding that will take an extreme amount of time to do it right, thanks for getting back, from Florida

[@D_one]

When doing those type of patches you should make the patches before hand to the exact size used to smaller patches first build your patch before you put it on the RV when you put it on the RV then you’ll buy one final layer of fiberglass and Bond over the top sanded blended paint it

[@RVFieldTrip]

Athlete1, nice to meet you, you are 100% right, we do appreciate your input on this if it helps out other people then we did a job well done, we do appreciate you commenting, thank you very much for commenting, and thank you for subscribing

[@TheAverybanks]

Thanks for the video I have to repair my 5th wheel tomorrow

[@RVFieldTrip]

Good luck on your repair, and thank you for commenting

[@julaneschnittker6564]

Lol, my husband will probably not want me to but yes I'm going to repair our too!!

[@RVFieldTrip]

At the end just show him how much money you saved by doing it yourself, good luck on your repair and let us know how it turned out

[@HappyPlaceCamping]

Haha she can't possibly lose respect for you trying! Never messed with fiberglass. But man I think I'd give it a go to save almost 3 grand! Wow this is a pretty long process. I feel like I would lose interest and stop with only a couple layers LOL. Wow this looks like it's turning out great!! And it did turn out great! I'm pleased with your results too. And think of all that money you saved doing this yourself!! So awesome!

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you very much it means a lot coming from you, To be very honest with you at the beginning I was totally freaking out LOL, well the truth is I was freaking out doing the whole thing, once I got the fiberglass on I had nightmares about doing the paint LOL, I'm so glad it's all done, thank you very much for visiting and commenting

[@vdubing01]

As someone with a small puncture in my rv, and who has never messed with fiberglass, I was nervous watching this. Lol. But wow it looks great!! Your giving me courage. Thanks for this video so much. Any additional tips? I'm headed over to watch the paint video.

[@RVFieldTrip]

The only tip I can give you and take your time build the fiberglass up just a hair bit higher then the surface it's easier sending it down then trying to fill fill in more later, I was also nervous when doing it but yes the end result was fantastic, good luck and let me know how it turns out

[@MerriElla750]

You did a good job! Merri :)

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you Merri, I've got to admit I was freaking out when I started it, nice to talk to you again and I do appreciate you watching and commenting

[@jarrodohlsson3839]

Well done, nice job. I dinged a hole in my fibreglass luggage trailer. Your DIY guide might very well be the "how to fix" because the type of hole is similar to your RV's.

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you Jarrod Ohlsson, I'm glad you found the video helpful, to be honest it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be, hope you're able to fix yours and let me know how it turns out, thanks again and thanks for commenting

[@adundee89]

Great job! Do you think I could repair a small hole in a similar way? Sand down and cover hole with the fiberglass, extending it out a couple inches beyond the hole?

[@RVFieldTrip]

Absolutely you only have to fiberglass the whole part of it you don't have to extend it beyond the hole, when you go to repaint it just extend the paint or should I say fade the paint beyond the whole, hope this helps you out and we thank you very much for commenting, let us know how it works out

[@cajunrcfamily6188]

My spouse is making me do this to our camper…lol

[@RVFieldTrip]

LOL don't you hate it when that happens, good luck don't make your spouse mad and let me know how it went

[@darlenebonsang]

Thanks, great job...now I I need to fix a crack in my RV

[@RVFieldTrip]

Darlene Bonsang, first I'd like to thank you for subscribing, I was pleasantly surprised on how easy it was to fix the fiberglass it did take some time but it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be, also it turned out better than I thought it would, good luck on your repair my friend let me know how it turns out

[@darlenebonsang]

@@RVFieldTrip thanks, I guess like you I gotta figure it all out. May I ask how did you match the paint,? And did you just go to a auto parts store?

[@RVFieldTrip]

Look at the link I made a video on what I did to match the paint and how I painted it also the materials I used, kzbin.info/www/bejne/mXuTmmp8n7KXi9k yes I went to an auto paint store but it is an auto supply paint store there's one in almost every town, they were able to shoot it and match it again on the video i showed how I got them to match it perfectly, good luck my friend and let me know how it works out for you

[@mikevanhorn2786]

How long did you let your resin cure before sanding? And did you wait for it to cure before adding a new layer?

[@RVFieldTrip]

I let the resin cure for about 2 hours before sanding, I added a new layers until it was done all at once no time between, hope this helps

[@travelingrvrv4608]

I think your homeowners Insurance would have covered this damage. But then you would have another claim on your coverage. But, I did like watching this because I also have a Fiberglass Camper. It looks real good!!!

[@RVFieldTrip]

You are right about the insurance I just did not want to have to put a claim in, to be honest with you it turned out a lot better then I thought it would especially with having absolutely no experience working with fiberglass, and thank you for the compliment and commenting

[@jamesebarclay]

Had a branch fall and gash my Roadtrek. Homeowners doesn’t cover the vehicle. Goes through your auto policy, assuming you have comprehensive, which I don’t. Thank you @rvffieldtrip for the video! Gave me the confidence I needed to try the repair myself.

[@carolinem.9800]

Just tore a 14 inch x 1 inch wide tear in my rv on a sharp rock. bought West system epoxy/ resin and some f glass mat , off to save me 3000 $ . thanks !,,

[@RVFieldTrip]

Caroline M, sorry to hear about the damage to your RV, I was real nervous about repairing mine myself but extremely happy on how it turned out, take your time on the repair work and it'll all workout, thank you for commenting and let me know how it turns out

[@CoconutFrappe]

Wanted to ask, is your repair still holding up? I want to do this, but don’t know if it’ll last awhile or will crack!

[@RVFieldTrip]

Yes, it’s still holding up, it has not faded or cracked at all, I’m glad I did the repair and how it’s held up.

[@jv2ly]

Question; why did you spray paint a larger area then the damaged area. I backed into a post with my class a and have a 2” crack. I am going to tty what you did. My body shop offered to repair it for $1700 cash. NO WAY

[@RVFieldTrip]

The reason I spray painted a larger area than the damaged area was to blend in the old and new paint, $1700 cash for a 2 inch crack that is ridiculous we had the same reaction as you NO WAY, I guess because we own RV's they think we're all super rich LOL, good luck on your repair take your time and let us know how it works out good luck my friend

[@GaryYoung-eq1ph]

Ever remove fiberglass from metal ,what tool is best?

[@RVFieldTrip]

Sorry I have not as a matter of fact this was the first time I played with fiberglass,

[@danielcraig3361]

Is your RV a Coachmen Apex?

[@RVFieldTrip]

Daniel Craig, It’s a Flagstaff super lite 26fkbs, but we did look at the Coachmen Apex thy are nice RV's. Thanks for commenting Daniel

[@anniejohnson7074]

Is there a list of the items you used for this repair? Love the video!

[@RVFieldTrip]

No sorry I didn't make a list but everything I used is in the video, glad you liked the video but maybe next time I will make a list, good luck and thank you for commenting

[@anniejohnson7074]

@@RVFieldTrip Thanks! I just finished your painting video, too. I’m tackling my repair tomorrow. So glad you filmed yours. I feel confident! 🙏🏽

[@RVFieldTrip]

I'm sorry I didn't make a list, but if you look at the beginning of the video I show everything I used to make this repair, good luck and thank you for commenting

[@RVFieldTrip]

@@anniejohnson7074 good luck on your repair tomorrow, let us know how it works out for you, thank you for commenting and looking forward to hearing from you again

[@anniejohnson7074]

@@RVFieldTrip I did it! It looks great! I followed your video. Used all the same stuff. Took a panel to the automotive paint shop - huge tip!!! Thank you thank you!!🙏🏽

[@kerrykc1]

My wife has no say so in what I do or what happens to our camper when it comes to repairs or maintenance

[@RVFieldTrip]

My wife also lets me do the repairs and maintenance on the RV, but when it comes to something that may cost us money as a result of what I'm doing I have to say yes she does have a say in it, but as far as maintenance she lets me have at it, thank you for commenting my friend hope to talk to you again

[@bigrob8966]

Nice job. I think i can😅😂

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you, "I think i can" LOL that's funny😄

[@danscamp1801]

that's fiberglass work tons of fiber glass and resin and sanding nice job tho

[@RVFieldTrip]

I definitely wouldn't wanna do it for a living, thank you for the compliment and commenting we'll see you next time

[@Workinggirlhomestead]

We dropped our camper on our truck and have a crack lol thank you

[@RVFieldTrip]

One day you'll be able to laugh at it just like we did, it makes a great conversation piece

[@beaniril8870]

carbon fiber is a whole easier to sand or finish and stronger too, just my 2 pennies.

[@RVFieldTrip]

Thank you for letting us know, and thank you for commenting

[@beaniril8870]

@@RVFieldTrip -thanks for this informative video

[@RVFieldTrip]

@@beaniril8870 you're very welcome and thank you for the tip

[@Workinggirlhomestead]

I am a wife and encouraging my husband to do it lmao opposite in this household

[@RVFieldTrip]

I married a country girl that keeps me on my toes it takes all I have just to keep up with her, I guess what I'm trying to say is i'm just trying to impress my wife LOL, it's not as hard as it looks to fix it once you start working on it you realize how easy it really is just take your time and have fun

[@kennethreed1127]

Hell no! She would freak out 😮

[@kennethreed1127]

I got to do the same thing for my RV😅

[@RVFieldTrip]

LOL, you're right she didn't freak out she was extremely happy with the result, we thank you for commenting

[@clintmurphy72]

I was quoted $4,700 for a 7” crack

[@RVFieldTrip]

See that's what I'm talking about that's insane $4700 for a 7 inch crack, I mean if you have to pay you have to pay it but if you can do it yourself for $200 I'm gonna take the $200 all day long, it's like I said in my video if I mess up then I take it to the professionals, it just shows what a little bit of homework and patience can save you, we appreciate you commenting

[@clintmurphy72]

@@RVFieldTrip I bought a fiberglass repair kit and have fixed the crack. Now that it's dry I will sand it down to a nice finish. Then it'll be ready for primer and paint. Once it's finished, I don't think I will have spent even $200 and now I have left over fiberglass repair materials if I have to fix something else. 🙌

[@RVFieldTrip]

@@clintmurphy72I didn't even have sandpaper but the $200 was included everything from the fiberglass paint primer and all the supplies, but yes it was slightly under $200, but like you said you're spending under that amount with leftovers and you didn't have to pay $4,700 for a 7” crack, let me know how satisfied you are with the end result I'd like to know, good luck my friend

[@heroesandzeros7802]

Oh. why the long face?

[@RVFieldTrip]

I have no idea

[@cedarwest37]

A horse video..????????

[@RVFieldTrip]

LOL... I guess in a way it is a horse video