How to FIBERGLASS and GELCOAT in the COLD! Pro tips for DIYers

[@PradeepYadav-zj8gg]

Good job I am from india

[@DondiTrent]

Capt Joe fish bump family good to see y'all rolling on Thankful for your time and sharing valuable information!

[@FishBumpTV]

I appreciate that, thanks for watching!

[@walkertongdee]

We just put a few drops of cobalt, a hardener accelerant in the resin when it gets cold, it heats right up. I've heard you over there have hardliner accelerants too. but plain old liquid cobalt is cheap and works well. Don't add too much or it will get too hot, it solves the cool weather problem....

[@FishBumpTV]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with the channel and taking the time to watch and comment!

[@joesloan1724]

Heat blankets and heat pads will help, too.

[@FishBumpTV]

Good tips! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@88northoutdoors29]

Thank you for this. Typically how long do I need to keep the temps up after applying resin/topcoat? Thanks from Montana.

[@TotalBoat]

Great tips, Joe!

[@FishBumpTV]

I’m glad you found them helpful! Thanks so much for watching!

[@NatTate-f7e]

Working inside the sailboat tomorrow. Finishing up the hull work. Next is the interior repairs.

[@FishBumpTV]

It's great to hear you are making progress, keep up the good work!

[@HeyUncleArt]

Great advice Joe! That's exactly what I do up here in Jersey!

[@FishBumpTV]

I appreciate that! Glad to hear that you are enjoying the videos!

[@lawrenceveinotte]

At the fiberglass plant I worked in we used a lot of heat lamps, on the winding machines we had racks of lights that could be lowered close to the pipe, we also had lights on stands that could be sit close to the lifeboats or some other projects, I use a heat lamp for my own little projects.

[@FishBumpTV]

Heat lamps are great! It’s amazing to see how many different ways people tackle the same projects! Thanks for watching!

[@markystew]

Thanks for the great tips.

[@FishBumpTV]

You bet, I'm glad you enjoyed it!

[@copperheadmarine]

Another great video with great information!

[@FishBumpTV]

Thanks, I'm glad you found it helpful!

[@brian1715]

Great tips as always brotha 👍🏻🤙🏻🔥

[@FishBumpTV]

Appreciate it! thanks so much!

[@brian1715]

@ hey buddy, I’ve been doing some gelcoat the past few weeks. I’ve noticed it seems to get a tacky sticky layer on top and take a long time to wet sand, even after a whole day or two has gone by. I was told by my company that the gel already had wax in it. Do you think this is the wax coming to the top layer or do you think this is an issue with not having enough wax. I was thinking about starting to use Duartec clear Or maybe pva over my repairs but if it already has wax in it, this can cause problems. I like the idea of the 50/50 mix and dries hard fast . I’m trying to do a couple repairs on my side time to make a little extra money but I need to speed up the drive time so I can actually be profitable. I was wondering if maybe I need to start covering the gel coat to close it off from the air speed it up . What do u think ? any advice from you would be greatly appreciated as I’m trying to dial this in. I’m so close but just need to get this issue figured out. Also yes I’m using right amount of mek :)

[@FishBumpTV]

@brian1715 You might try adding more wax solution into your gelcoat, even though it is already waxed. I have found that sometimes there just isn't enough wax in it from the factory. If that doesn't work, then pva is probably the most common next step. Duratec, or air dry from Orca composites are both good additives, and can be used, even with gelcoat that is waxed. You don't have to always go 50/50 either, it can be less and still get a good result. Just do some experimenting on some non critical test panels first to see what is working best. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!

[@brian1715]

@@FishBumpTV ​​⁠ awesome I really appreciate you answering those questions Captain Joe you’re the man!! Also yes I did just remove a seat tub from underneath a 2024 Pathfinder that was a warranty had a big crack in it so I’m gonna do some test repairs on that with different products to see what works best since the company doesn’t want the product back, it’s a perfect time for me to test some different things out. what is the standard on percentage of wax you’re adding say per ounce of gelcoat or per quart of gel coat is there a rule of thumb? Does adding too much wax cause any issues?

[@Jimmyfisher121]

Thank you Joe and Logan this was just the video I needed, working on my boat in the Scottish winter I now have the confidence to leave the fibre glassing to warm weather yeh it is 1c out side at the moment, so I will switch to the Sterndrive, Engine, and the woodwork, and thank you Logan for the great video work. Jim from Scotland

[@FishBumpTV]

Our pleasure! Yep, it sounds like engine and mechanical work is your best bet in those temps. Thanks so much for watching and commenting!

[@allenclark1914]

Nice information.

[@FishBumpTV]

I’m glad you found it helpful! Thanks for watching!

[@raw123yt]

In the cooler months I store my resin in the house. Then at the last minute I take it into the garage. That way the resin is at 70 degrees instead of 55 degrees. In the summer time I'll store the resin in an ice chest with a small ice pack. Keeps the resin around 60 degrees. Slows down the kick in the hot weather.

[@sel7245]

For small project I use my greenhouse. I can get 25 C inside while 5 C outside (Sep/Oct. (Feb)/Mar)... Nov/Dec/Jan/(Feb) The sun is to low. And the days to short (7,5 hours).

[@FishBumpTV]

Great suggestion! Thanks for sharing your experience with the channel!

[@GilbertWest-c3g]

Question, do you use plain paper cups for mixing resin? Or are they wax lined? Where do get them?

[@si-sb2mx]

Joe, even with the diesel heater we use in shop, hull is still cold and leave the heating over night with all these chemicals on the shelves scares, pozdrav

[@FishBumpTV]

Sometimes, it's just too cold to work fiberglass and gelcoat.leaving diesel heaters running unattended is not something that I would ever recommend either, safety is a big concern here for sure! We have to just do our best, with the conditions we have as some point. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@mitchelllavalley3497]

Thanks Joe! Question Have you ever sprayed gel coat with an airless sprayer? l have seen some paint by one would the gel coat work out with the airless sprayer? 🤔

[@FishBumpTV]

I don't know if that could work or not. I have always used more conventional gelcoat rigs for spraying. Maybe someone reading the comments has some experience with that. Wish I could could be more help. Thanks for taking the time to watch and comment!

[@Avalonoutdoors]

Would love to see you do a video with an IR camera. I have one made by Flir that attaches to my Iphone. It would be cool to see a time lapse of a larger job heating up from the catalyzation process. Maybe at different catalyst ratios

[@FishBumpTV]

Thanks for the suggestion and for taking the time to watch and comment!

[@michaelwirtz3404]

I have a question about roll on gelcoat. When you are all done, what do you use as a protectant?

[@FiberglassWarehouse]

Cold Weather can be tricky. Always make sure the resin is between 70 and 85 deg. If the temps are too low, the resin with thicken, especially epoxy. When mixing, it will create millions of microbubbles at will make the resin look milky.

[@FishBumpTV]

Good tips! Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@loganlaster3617]

Hey can you show us or tell us how you added the non skid to you deck

[@86OEd]

👍👍👍

[@FishBumpTV]

Thank you!!

[@r52euphoria]

Hey Joe, question for ya. We’re up here in the Pacific Northwest building our hardtop so we not only deal with the cold but moisture as well. If I warm up our work space (upper deck tarped in) and get a layer of fibreglass on how long and at what temperature do I have to keep it for it to cure properly? Thanks

[@FishBumpTV]

Cure times can vary a bit with different materials. Generally, 60 degrees is the minimum working temps for poly and vinyl. If the materials are catalyzed properly, an hour or two after application, you should see everything curing. You will also notice the materials firming up as they cure. I hope this helps and thanks for watching!

[@r52euphoria]

Thanks Joe, I can get the temp up to a little over 60 during the day but it drops to mid 40’s overnight. Should I be able to lay down some fibreglass mid day and will it have cured enough after about 6hrs before it starts cooling off? Or does it need to be around 60 for a full 24hr cure?

[@diggy-d8w]

GlassWork & Temperature >> Ohh yes, working in the 70's is nice but I spent most of a summer fixing fiberglass damages on lots of boats in Norther Texas, it was in the high 90's everyday & the boats were littered all around a large yard. THere was no building to get inside nor fans to cool us. 50 yrs later here I am wanting to fiberglass again = Go Figure? happy holidays

[@FishBumpTV]

Thanks for sharing your experiences with the channel! Yes, hot weather has its own challenges as well. Maybe I will do a hot weather fiberglass video when the time comes. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!

[@diggy-d8w]

I wasn't asking for one.....lmao, been there, done that & besides, most of your work is gonna be in hot weather! As I see your show it brings out things & I appreciate it. peace

[@christopherbowersdresser4188]

definitely some advantages to working in the cold. by default you'll have a jacket of some kind on so you'll stay cleaner. and you won't sweat so nothing really sticks to you. wet sanding in the cold sucks. those propane heaters are nice but they arent as effective as youd think. atleast not in the old tin buildings i was working in. basically only warm directly in front of it.

[@Veemack21]

I have a question I’m painting my boat an I used top deck paint now I know the top and bottom are two different paints but when should gel coat ? A should I the color of the boat to gel coat or should I do clear? It’s a very old bass boat and the gel coat is gone . Or can I use gel coat with paint to the bottom of the boat?

[@mihai6475]

Hello.

[@FishBumpTV]

Hi, thanks so much for watching!

[@mihai6475]

maybe a diesel heater will help you better

[@FishBumpTV]

Thanks for the suggestion! I have run them in the past, but the smell is not as strong with the propane heaters. It is for sure a personal preference thing. I appreciate you taking the time to watch and comment!

[@copperheadmarine]

​@FishBumpTV , It's better since ultra low sulfer diesel, but think there still may be more by product of the combustion than propane.