How To Boat Restoration; Fiberglass Hole Repair

A step by step process of how I restored a fiberglass boat console. Large holes are filled with fiberglass resin and fiberglass mat. A little filler is applied and the holes completely disappear ( after a lot of sanding ).
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Resin Thickener (white stuff): amzn.to/2z2qS9d
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Check out my book: amzn.to/2fQ357H
My Children's book: amzn.to/2xfDnw3
This video demonstrates how to patch large holes using fiberglass resin, mat, and filler.

[@oldergeologist]

A really well structured teaching video. I wish more KZbinrs would follow your example.

[@MrKistel]

+oldergeologist Thanks. It often takes more time and effort to do the filming then to perform the actual project. Not to mention the time and effort editing. I greatly appreciate your comment.

[@elchinodecai]

Dude, thank you! Gotta fix like 25 holes in my new boat, easy explained, I don´t think is going to take me more than a weekend to fix it, and another to paint. Thank again

[@MrKistel]

+Angel Chino Thanks man, best of luck with your project.

[@xSpazx7]

I watched this video before I started my life with boats and had no idea what you were doing or talking about. Here I am now. This is brilliant. On an old work boat you said? Shoot I'd put that on my weekend warrior it looks so awesome. thanks for the vid! :)

[@MrKistel]

Sam Fisher Thanks Sam!

[@nnaber]

This is an excellent video! In a sea of amateur, chatty-cathy, DIY-ers... this stand out above the rest.

[@MrKistel]

thanks for the awesome comment

[@allthingsaustralia4861]

same.. got a couple of holes to fill - this video helped a lot. Thank you for your time.

[@MrKistel]

+000Troy000 L awesome, best of luck to you with your repairs

[@datsall4now]

Nice job on the video. Thank you for a quick tutorial to get the job done.

[@DeltaForce2032]

thanks for the video, very straight foward and easy to understand.

[@MrKistel]

+Alejandro Arias thanks for the supportive comment

[@jwong19]

Excellent step by step tutorial, thank you for sharing your expertise. My respects.

[@samuelburns8923]

jwong19 I

[@poophead393]

Thanks alot, I've never done these types of repairs before .Now I'm ready to try and have some idea of what to do .

[@MrKistel]

best of luck with your project

[@jkppayne]

loved it , to the point and all the way to paint. very helpful.

[@MrKistel]

Thanks

[@nicholasross8551]

coming from a fiberglass tech, you did this 110% the correct way, only one on youtube i’ve seen that has. great work

[@MrKistel]

Wow, thank you

[@dirtymotovation]

I know this has been a year ago- but after patching a hole like that- can you drill through it to attach stuff?

[@Leon1das352]

Great video. Thank you for the information

[@truebalsamhogs]

Thanks for making this video. Good job.

[@richroberts8238]

good job, will help me in my future boat restorations.

[@MrKistel]

+Rich Roberts Thank you best of luck on your projects

[@robertleemurrerjr.8245]

Perfect! Just bought an old dump truck which needs some holes repaired in the fiberglass cowl so I can remount turn signal lights. Thought I might have use gelcoat as well but it looks like your surfboard concoction did the trick. Thanks!

[@MrKistel]

Thanks! Let me know how the fiberglass repair on your truck turns out.

[@stevo131313]

Thank you! Well done!

[@WheelDweller]

Your use of cardboard-on-cardboard to support the one side of fiberglass was inspired! Good job! I used to be able to do this kind of job with balsa. In model aircraft weight is even MORE important, and when you've spent the night making a broken plane look like it's brand new, it feels about like THIS did, when you were done with it. :) The product you suggested- in 'the balsa arts' they have a filler called "microballoons" you add to paint; this might be the same kinda thing- I know it's the same end-result. If you can't find more of the product, try looking by this generic, perhaps jargon, name. Great job!

[@MrKistel]

Brian Fahrlander Thanks Brian, I have dropped a few RC aircraft out of the air myself and can relate

[@realgman1]

Great video! Thanks so much for putting this up.

[@MrKistel]

realgman1 Glad you found it helpful, thanks for watching

[@onestopvinylshopinstagram6468]

Sweet & to the point!!!! Thanks

[@Kevo464]

very helpful, thank you Joe.

[@MrKistel]

Awesome, Good luck with your project.

[@GatorFan6911]

Thanks for the vid, bud! Great info!

[@MrKistel]

Thanks for the supportive comment!

[@sinoakoresident2133]

Wonderful video , very nice ♥

[@AllenMichaelsVlogs]

Nice job! You make it look easy!

[@MrKistel]

Allen Michaels Thanks Allen, but I cut out all the times when I messed things up and said bad words. HaHa

[@johnwaddell4107]

@@MrKistel I prefer to see the raw video and sound. Besides I might learn some new words!😂😂😂😇😈

[@leytonangermeier2120]

I have a pool table cue stick holder that is a shark. Thjere was a hole about 2" long by 1"wide. Any idea how to repair it

[@robbysteele]

thank you for this. i will use this method on my boat

[@MrKistel]

best of luck with your project

[@dirtymotovation]

Can you use cabosil/epoxy to fill old garboard drain holes under the waterline? (Will it be waterproof?)

[@MrSurfdevil]

Very informative, thank you.

[@MrKistel]

Thanks Chris, I hope it was useful for you.

[@splash5974]

Cool repair. But if you ever attempt a similiar repair, once you get to the filler stage, just get some short strand fiberglas filler. Mix up some with the supplied hardener, apply, and it will sand out a ton easier than what you made up for a filler.

[@MrKistel]

good tip, thanks

[@captainchippy8559]

great informative video. thanks

[@MrKistel]

Thanks Captain

[@DONphantasmo]

Great job!!!

[@MrKistel]

DONphantasmo Thanks!

[@TheMinimalistFisherman]

Great video man - really well done. Kudos.

[@MrKistel]

thanks for the supportive comment and watching

[@TheMinimalistFisherman]

For sure! I'll probably be referencing this when I work on the next boat project this spring and summer. Thanks again.

[@juanflorez1644]

Very helpful. Thank you

[@MrKistel]

Thanks Juan, hope it was helpful for any boat repairs you may have in the works.

[@jaytua730]

Thank you for the information

[@MrKistel]

Thanks for watching and the comment

[@tjrussell311]

First off, GREAT VIDEO!! I'm resorting an old Ranger bass boat right now and I mostly have drill holes to fill ( lots of them ) I was just wondering can I just use the resin to fill these or will I need to add shredded fiber? The drill holes are not very big but like I said there's allot of them.... Thanks for the great video 😃

[@MrKistel]

Thanks, If they are small holes, like those from drilling holes or screws, the resin could likely work. You just want to make sure the resin has some structure to stick to well (so the resin does not pop out down the road). Flaring the holes out could help. Also remember that resin is very hard when cured and difficult to sand. It might be wise to consider adding a resin filler such as Cab-O-Sil. Good luck with your project.

[@leebonifay5767]

great.....I didnt realize there was an "affordable" marine paint available......kept getting over-priced paints for small touch ups...Thanks for the info.

[@MrKistel]

I was real impressed with it. Link to the paint in the video description.

[@pli0utyer]

could be used in this type of repair when filling in holes? great video by the way!

[@MrKistel]

Thanks for watching and the comment Mateo

[@CorrectAgain]

No, you couldn't have "taken it further" you did everything right. Any boss or customer would be happy with that job. Beats my gaf tape and paint jobs, tho they are good for impatient people like me.

[@MrKistel]

Thanks for watching and the comment. I am curious about the gaf tape and tape approach, ha.

[@carloscameschi]

Excellent 👍🤝

[@MrKistel]

Thanks Carlos

[@looncan7484]

very informative, i aint doing a boat but the same rules apply i guess :)

[@SteveM5046]

Good job. I'm going to use this info over the next two weeks & I'll post my results then.............

[@MrKistel]

Great Steve, best of luck and let me know how it comes out.

[@johnlcallaway]

Thanks for sharing. Agree with the comment about the cardboard and wax paper, very helpful and a great way to easily fill the void.

[@MrKistel]

glad you found it helpful

[@greggartrell7790]

thanks for the post, good work. you might want to point out that polyester resin does not stick to gel coat. the inside of the your console is black gel coat or paint. either way it should have been sanded clear before the patch. second observation is that the edges of the repair need to be flared at a ratio of 12 to 1. in other words a 1/8 inch thick piece of work shoud be feathered out 12/8ths or i.5 inches. then the patches have some real purchase on the glass being added too. of course i could be wrong. cheers.

[@MrKistel]

greg gartrell thanks greg

[@justinsain1026]

I have a small weak spot on the floor of my bass boat. would this help to make it strong again?

[@MrKistel]

You would have to address the issue of the week spot. It may be that there is rotted wood underneath your soft spot. That would need to be replaced with something to provide the necessary structure (perhaps another piece of wood) and then that could be glassed over.

[@fukkyoutube]

all great tips only one i could add is when addin resin ontop of the glass mat use a stabbing instead of brushing so it pushes the mat straight in good video 👍

[@MrKistel]

Good working with fiberglass and resin tip. Thanks for sharing.

[@jhyshark]

What would you do if this was on a trailer wall that could not be laid flat to pour in the filler?

[@MrKistel]

will you have access to both sides of the hole to be repaired?

[@GenericUserUnknown]

Nice work. I only used 1 sheet of biaxial fiberglass to back mine, then used a combination of fiberglass/resin and MarineTex to fill the holes and fill the grain. Thanks for your video!

[@MrKistel]

Thanks for commenting and sharing your process

[@dwells5902]

I have a simlar hole in my bottom of my boat. If i place cardboard in the area from the inside, i wont be able to remove the carboard when it is done, how would you fill a a hole from the outside only?

[@MrKistel]

+derek wells i wood try to get a piece of wood (or rigid fiberglass) down in there and glass it in. To get the wood in there you might try a similar technique like I show in this drywall patch video. kzbin.info/www/bejne/d4eVn2R8otWfptk

[@adhd4826]

Great tutorial, I'm half way there, all I need to do is find some cobasil but having no luck finding it locally, is there an alternative filler I can use that I can purchase locally and also have the same results as yours? P.S. I inhaled too much damn kerosene, felt like my lungs were getting stabbed repeatively.. Safety first kids! Lmao

[@MrKistel]

i have heard some using a very fine wood dust/powder

[@adamavis]

Flour or wood fiber. Google thickened epoxy + flour or wood fiber

[@islandmarine6092]

Good job. Cabosil is actually tiny glass spheres. That's what makes it so light. Best to add the cabosil to the resin before catalyst.. You can make a large batch to the consistency you need. Then add catalyst to the amount you need for each repair. You might want to add other products as well such as milled fibers. West Systems sells a bunch of them and there is a great book available on how to use them properly. Island Marine Group, LLC www.islandmarinegroup.com

[@MarksWorldofEngravingandMore]

Incorrect, Cabosil is a fine ground glass product. Micro spheres or micro balloons are glass spheres. they mix and handle entirely differently. Cabosil makes a formable glass jell-paste and microballoons makes an more easily sanded filler.

[@SgtRollo61]

Just wondering?? Why not gel-coat the helm?? Wouldn't it match the rest of the boat better?? I'm getting ready to do a similar project.. Just wondering if there was something I missed? :-)

[@MrKistel]

SgtRollo61 If it was for a nice boat I would. This was a helm for a work type pontoon boat so matching was not a concern. Gel-coat is more involved and more expensive and I didn't think it was worth it for this demonstration.

[@SgtRollo61]

Thanks! :-)

[@MarksWorldofEngravingandMore]

He did a lot of things wrong, He would have been immediately fired at any boat manufacturer or decent marina.

[@waynefrazier483]

Purdy!

[@sinoakoresident2133]

Your great MrKistel :* tightkisses to your lips :* :* :* Thanks for sharing that ♥

[@MarksWorldofEngravingandMore]

I'm not really wishing to be negative , But these repairs were done totally wrong and you will have cracks in your repairs once the polyester has shrunk while curing. Number one, when you are putting the first layer on your 40 grit ground substrate, it should first be a layer of matt not cloth. Layers of cloth should never be put on top of each. There should be a layer of matt between each layer of cloth as this improves interlaminate bonding. Matt always bonds better than cloth or roving to an existing substrate. On the outside the edge of the hole should of had a gradual taper ground to it by at least 40 grit out to about 3 inches beyond the hole. the hole should have then be filled with alternating layers of matt and cloth each layer being larger until the desired thickness is achieved.

[@MrKistel]

Thanks for the working with fiberglass tips

[@ianleckie922]

9 seconds??? 1 Week.

[@Rassccal]

too much talking and not enough showing!! Sheesh

[@hectorruiz3298]

Talking Malarky

[@MrKistel]

Hope you found the fiberglass hole repair video helpful.

[@BellyUpFish]

43 people don't own a boat..

[@MarksWorldofEngravingandMore]

No they are people who understand fiberglass repair better than you or him. The problem with the internet is there is a a lot of misinformation and no one to police it if people built boats like this fellow portrays fiberglass repair there would be a lot of delaminated boats out there.

[@BellyUpFish]

Signsalive-net I can’t wait to see your video.

[@bbingtube]

Gelcoat tho

[@MrKistel]

This paint worked pretty darn well as an alternative to gelcoat for this type of project in my opinion