From Repair To Refinishing: Preparing Your Boat for Painting After Fiberglass Repairs!

[@chrisgiacalone7670]

Hey Andy, my name is Chris I live in Newburyport MA. I need to say that there is nothing I won't myself or try once I have done my research. I have a 35' sailboat that thanks to you, I have been able to be confident in the restoration. I watch u almost every day or whenever I get a little nervous using a product I have never used thank you so much for taking the time to properly explain how to do things right! Thanks Chris G

[@TTM-GEB]

OMG - You need to try - Drywall Sanding Screen Mesh Sheets - They work great, last longer and blow clean with an air compressed.

[@daviddickmeyer5231]

Andy, you have taken on one of the most difficult projects ever. Trying to get a panel that large flat is most certainly the toughest things you could ever try. It’s very rare that would there ever be that kind of job in reality. Most all panels are either concave or convex. And they would be much easier to complete. But I understand why you are doing it this way. You are the master of the “devil in the details”. Another great series!

[@t-dog8528]

Thanks Andy, over the past year and a bit you've been a great mentor.

[@trebor1263]

Good video. Still working on the Bertam? You were a big help on my 25 Bertram project. Inboards to outboard, new transom, stringers, and every inch of boat ground down to fiberglass and re-gel coated. Two years. You inspired me to do it myself. Thanks for all the help. Like to send some pics to you. Not sure how too

[@boatworkstoday]

I'll be back on that after the Spring rush tapers off. Not enough time to make any meaningful progress right now

[@jimragsdale9128]

Very timely video for me. I’m in the glasswork stage of my boat project but I have applied some fairing to parts that I have finished. I bought a flexisander filling spatula that I’m learning to use and I am most likely going to get the electric longboard. I ran a hand longboard for a few minutes and decided I had too much to do to do it by hand!

[@MrBreden]

Hallo Deine Beiträge sind eine große Inspiration die mir bei meinem Boot (Microplus 502) sehr geholfen haben Danke dafür Martin

[@kokodin5895]

that is insane work for just some video i been laminating stairs for my pool today, internal stairs and i agree pinholes are a pest but in my case i just gelcoat over them and be happy when they all fill in because pool get scrubed all the time in use and sometimes you go trough gelcoat with the brush if it is really dirty so globing it in places you know be high mainthence anyway is a good investment, also i don't expect ever to get gloss finish :]

[@cesarescudero1481]

Thank you Andy for always providing invaluable information. I learn a great mount watching you go through the process in your videos. We get to see your technique while listening to your narrative not to mention the music. Haha! I continually go back and watch them as I work on my center console. Keep ‘em coming!

[@xmarksthespot5188]

Thank you for showing this as I was going to skip primer and paint , but not now ! Proof is in the pudding !

[@ocxb]

Look into an 8” DA for the large areas, auto body supply stores have them, they are workhorses for big flat areas.

[@Cybercox1]

I appreciate your content. Just recently subscribed . Very informative. My question is pertaining to water on the inside of hull. I get the gelcoat with wax on the outside to seal the water out. But what if a boat has some water inside the hull. Will the putty or the fairing hold up if there was some water intrusion working from the inside out . I have an old whaler that I don't care to rip the floor up to replace the foam if I don't have too. Also does the fairing compound work well to fill holes from bolts inside the boat from seats , accessories , etc . Thank you for the education you provide...

[@nunyabusiness2294]

Really appreciate this content!

[@michaelhanewich245]

That is going to be the most stunning 4 by 8 sheet of plywod. I would be honored to have it.😅

[@choimdachoim9491]

For leveling floors in homes there's a self-leveling, very soupy cement product used. A fairing for boat repair like that would be useful. Our 31 year-old boat has thousands of hair-line cracks in the gel-coat: I'm wondering if paint would fill them in or do I have to grind and fair each crack?

[@jonnenne]

Self-level only works when you aim for level surface. You rarely do on a boat

[@johncapo3497]

My experience is that paint won't fill the gelcoat cracks. Ideally, and I think Andy will agree, the best fix is a layer of glass. I'm in the yard right now and I was faced with the same problem. I sanded the gelcoat with 40 grit and applied 3 coats of Total Boat Barrier Coat Primer back to back. I finished with two coats of Alexseal back to back with the roller bubble reducer additive. That stuff is amazing. That was 6 months ago and so far all is well. Time will tell.

[@magicfairydust906]

there is a tool called a gelcoat peeler that is perfect for restoring old gelcoat that has thousands of hairline cracks. You may be able to rent one, possibly, from a good boatyard or just buy one, use it, then sell when done. As far as a soupy fairing compound, I make a recipe of one gallon gelcoat, 1/3 gallon poly resin, one gallon microspheres. I do this twice. to one batch I add styrene with wax at 4 percent and to the other batch I add a suitable pigment, say green. when using I catalyze at 1.5 percent of volume of fairing compound. I roll on the unwaxed compound first, let it cure, then roll on the different color, waxed compound next. After curing, I sand with an 8 inch Bondo sander and straightline sander. The 8 inch rotating sander bridges across and the contrasting colors that appear show you where it needs more work.

[@borismartinez6475]

He has a video, or two, addressing "spider cracks". Hope this helps.

[@patrickmurray7990]

I use "Rondo" a mix of body filler and polyester resin. ( Rondo = bondo and resin mixed to whatever consistency you need) you can brush it out.

[@scottwilson4079]

I have a quick question. I want to do sand out some rough areas on my hull(under the water line) can I apply gelcoat over fairing compound?….or should I use a thickened gelcoat from the fiberglass to the hight i want finished?

[@stemialert1]

I want to add a mounting board inside my center console but I do not want the screw to protrude through the finished side. What do you recommend laminating to the existing fibergalss: plywood, coosa.... ?

[@rockyvincent7790]

Hey Andy I have an idea but not sure if it would be feasible. I'm assuming that the pin holes are primarily trapped air from mixing the two parts to activate the fairing compound. Could you, or anyone that wanted too, put the mix into a vacuum pot and pull a good hard vacuum, therefore pulling the trapped air out of the mix? Don't you think that would help solve a lot of your pin hole problems?

[@ArcticSeaCamel]

O'glorious sanding. Got some of that ahead... 😅😱

[@ArcticSeaCamel]

As for question. Would you go with this same procedure with fairly (heh) large areas as well. Should we say for example 200sqm boat hull. 😅

[@captmiker7423]

Excellent video. Is there a reason you used gray primer instead of white? Easier to see pinholes w/ the gray?

[@boatworkstoday]

The primer color is determined by the paint color to be used. Light colors use white, dark(er) colors use grey :-)

[@jim-jf5rn]

Just for curiosity, could you use home fiberglass Insulation as chop strand, or do you think that the fibers are too small to laminate?

[@mrzif0013]

When to restore and when to paint oxidized fiberglass 2021 motorhome hard to polish area? The area is just to hard to reach to maintain w/ polish. .

[@svamour4574]

Are all of your repairs on small boats? Most damage repairs are on the side of the vessel not the flat deck. Will your show demonstrate how to do a large repair on the side of a hull for a large vessel?

[@lfinesseauto_boatdetails890]

Will u take any student I'm young and love do boat work and fiberglass ❤

[@alexw4628]

I am doing a hull repair on my cat currently in Indonesia. We can’t get proper fairing agents only epoxy and and some other materials. Is there a way to make our own fairing agents?

[@NextEraCustoms]

what is the purpose of this faring step what does it do ? and can you use this totalfair stuff in automotive as for body filler bondo and primer it and clear coat ? intersting ?

[@michaelburati6692]

Any suggestions for when the pinholes are on an inverted surface, like in the gelcoat on the bottom of a hull? Seems harder to get all the air out of the pinholes when it's an inverted surface surface.

[@seangoulding904]

15:50 After switching to the AlexSeal Super Fair, do you still use 80 grit to sand while chasing pinholes? When I do drywall, I switch to a slightly finer grit (100 or 120) after the first rough fairing to reduce potential scarring of a lower grit paper.

[@boatworkstoday]

Yea, switched over to 180 initially but wasn't cutting the primer. Went back down to 120 and that was perfect :-)

[@Twelvestonestacking]

Stellar 🤩! Goodonyas!

[@SB-nt9fp]

Hi Andy. Why did you change the brand half way through the project? Is the the TotalBoat fairing not great for pinholes?

[@boatworkstoday]

specifically addressed that in the video :-)

[@johnrathbun2943]

I noticed that after you sanded with the long board, you applied skim coat than you switched back to a DOA. I was curious about why you didn't just stick to the long board.

[@boatworkstoday]

by that time the shaping was done, just needed to knock down a skim coat of fairing :-)

[@duggojnr]

Hi “Andy” - what’s the best way to get TotalBoat stuff in AUSTRALIA at a reasonable price? . . . yeah that’s right. . . downunder here with kangaroos and koalas . . . TB doesn’t deliver outside the USofA

[@pekkahelminen7801]

This is the reason why you fold the two components together, dont stir them together. To minimze air bubbles, there will be bubbles, but a lot less.

[@genesmith4019]

Imagine if there was a place where one could rent these gold-plate shop tools.

[@trinitytoo]

Check your area. There's one in mine.

[@everlastingrhetoric8921]

Subscribed 👍

[@brianhof7599]

You also still have to trim out those windows. ;)

[@sethcarson5212]

Does anyone here have any tips or first hand knowledge about the flammability of fiberglass with poly resin after curing? I'm a beginner and someone mentioned "hey, polyester clothing goes up like a match, won't your (project: it's not a boat) also be super flammable?" And I didn't have an answer. Tried googling but results were dominated by fiberglass insulation testing not this. I'm kinda freaking out about it now.

[@sparkyprojects]

What's up with your lights, looks like something is sagging, or is it an optical illusion ?

[@boatworkstoday]

There is still wiring hanging that needs to be tidied up. With the air scrubber running the wires are swaying in the breeze lol

[@andrewwilliams9419]

If you plan on gelcoat finish use a polyester fairing not epoxy.

[@seamuscharles9028]

Tech Ingredients said the main reason for pinholes is in the mixing so he puts it in a Vacuum

[@mikesmith7259]

Back to the Bertram please

[@boatworkstoday]

When the Spring rush tapers off

[@cristilaye5912]

Not happy with totalboats new formula total fair. Seems there's much more talc and much less epoxy.. whatever changed in the formula,it's not nearly as good.May explain the increased pin holing.

[@duanemiller5606]

Why did you bleep the long-eared mule? Do you know somebody kicked my ass and I just laughed hilariously when ass reared up and kicked out with his hind hooves and knocked the guy clean out of the barn. He deserved it. You should never be cruel to animals.😂 if you look up the word ass in the dictionary, it will say long eared mule as in jack ass, the four legged critter related to a horse yet not quite. OK I may be paraphrasing a bit. 😂

[@doradosurfcharters]

Fairing without guide coat 🤦‍♂️

[@boatworkstoday]

that's the next step when doing the final sanding of the primer for paint ;-)

[@davetowz]

Fairing sucks! :)