1 Introduction 1-4

Repairing Minor Cracks and Holes 6

3 Repairing Stringers and Floors 8-14
4 Repairing Damaged Skins 19-23
5 Repairing Core Related Damage 26-37
6 Repairing and Upgrading Soles and Decks 40-42
7 Installing Hardware 45-51
8 Repairing Keels and Rudders 53-56
9 The Problem of Gelcoat Blisters in Fiberglass Boats 58-63
0 Hull Preparation 64-68
11 Drying the Laminate 69-70
12 Repairing Blister Damage 72-74
13 Barrier Coating 78-81
4 Final Fairing 83-92
15 Finishing 94-96
16 Using WEST SYSTEM Epoxy 104-112
Appendix ATool s 123Lofting foil shapes for rudders and keels126Cold
temperature bonding127Additional reading 129Appendix BEstimating guides for
WEST SYSTEM products 130Epoxy handling132Appendix CApplying fiberglass
overhead133Appendix DRepairing machined holes in fiberglass laminate
135Appendix EProblem solving guide140Problem solving notes142 Index 143
summary

Introduction Over the last several decades the popular

perception of fiberglass boats is that they are maintenance free and far more
durable than the wooden boats that preceded them. While fiberglass boats do, on
average, require less maintenance, they are not without problems.

Typical fiberglass boat constructionA fiberglass boat is a

composite structure, made of many layers of various reinforcing fabrics and core
materials, bonded together with plastic resins. You could also look at it as a plastic
resin shell reinforced with various fibers, or Fiber Reinforced Plastic (FRP). Most
loads in the structure are carried by the fibers in the laminate. Resin and core
materials support the fibers in positions to effectively carry and spread the loads.

1 1 1 Fiberglass resinsThe vast majority of fiberglass boats in use today are built
with polyester resin. Modern unsaturated polyesters used in boat construction are
made up of three basic components: glycol, organic acid and reactive diluents
(usually styrene). If you were to look at uncured polyester resin at a molecular level,
you would see what appear to be thousands of chains made up of alternating glycol
and acid units.

1 1 2 FibersFibers used in production fiberglass boats take the form of various

types of fabrics, including mat (chopped-strand mat), woven cloth and roving, and
uni-directional, bi-axial and tri-axial cloth. Each fabric type offers different properties
and they are often used in combination to provide specific strength or stiffness
properties in different parts of a laminate.

1 1 3 CoresCores are used in laminates to increase stiffness of a panel without

adding a proportional increase in weight. Doubling a panel’s thickness can result in a
panel that is eight times stiffer. By laminating a lightweight core between two
fiber/resin skins a lot of stiffness can be gained with a minimum amount of added
weight.
1 1 4 Construction methodsGenerally, production fiberglass boat hulls are built
in a female mold. A release agent is first applied to the surface of the mold, over
which the gelcoat material is applied. Gelcoat is usually a pigmented, unsaturated
polyester resin and may be anywhere from 12 to 22 mils thick.

1 1 5 Hydrolysis and gelcoat blistersThe repair procedures in this manual

address problems most often associated with mechanical damage–abrasion,
bending, fatigue, impacts and the resulting water damage to cores or other
structural components. Another type of damage common to fiberglass boats is
chemical in nature. Hydrolysis (and its symptom, gelcoat blisters) is a widespread and
growing problem in the fiberglass boat world

5 Repairing Core Related

Damage As mentioned in Section 1, the core material separating the
two skins of a cored panel reduces the tensile and compressive loads on the skins
and allows a structural panel to withstand greater bending loads without a
proportional increase in weight. To do this, the core material must remain bonded to
both skins and be able to resist compression loads applied by the skins when the
panel bends.The previous section provided procedures for the repair of damaged
skins. This section describes how to restore the core-to-skin bond and/or the
structural properties of the core. Although the skin itself may not be damaged, it
may be necessary to cut or remove a portion of the skin for access to the core.
Repair or replacement of core material nearly always involves some degree of skin
repair, requiring you to refer back to the procedures in the previous section.

Installing Hardware Hardware attachment is a

critical and often overlooked element in a boat’s structure. Over time, high-loads and
fatigue can cause hardware fasteners to loosen, not only reducing the load carrying
ability of the hardware, but creating a source for leaks into the laminate. Leaks at
hardware locations are the most common cause of skin delamination and core
damage. Often, the first indication of loose hardware is an area of delaminated deck
nearby. This section provides procedures for the repair of hardware installations with
the objective of improving the load carrying ability of the hardware, and eliminating
hardware movement and leaks

The Problem of Gelcoat

Blisters in Fiberglass Boats Studies
suggest that one in four boats can be expected to blister in its lifetime. As more is
known about blisters and their underlying causes, it is apparent that the problem has
become more widespread and runs deeper than just the outward appearance of
gelcoat blisters. The extent of blister damage varies from boat to boat. It may appear
as a few large isolated blisters or as thousands of small blisters covering an entire
hull. In some cases, owners may be unaware that their boats are blistering or that
there may be a serious destructive process taking place beneath the gelcoat

Factors affecting blister formationAs a building material, the

unsaturated polyesters used in fiberglass construction seem to be a logical choice.
They offer relative ease of handling, reasonable cost and, what appears to be, an
acceptable working lifetime. Unfortunately, there are other important

Recommendations for the repair and prevention of

gelcoat blisters1 Inspect beyond the obviousIf you plan to barrier coat your
hull after repairing blisters, we feel it is important to inspect the hull beyond the
obvious blisters. Before beginning repairs, we recommend grinding through the
gelcoat in several small areas. These profile inspection points, 4" to 6" in diameter,
can provide valuable information on the condition of the hull laminate. If the
laminate shows signs of hydrolysis, consider removing all of the gelcoat and
damaged laminate. It is pointless to barrier coat over a hull that has begun to
deteriorate. Just as with skin cancer, the more serious problem may lie below the
surface.

Hull Preparation This section covers the procedure for

removing damaged gelcoat and laminate, and for abrading the surface to prepare a
hull for drying, filling, fairing and final moisture barrier coating.The probability for
the success of this repair, and the prevention of future blistering, depends on a
variety of factors, many of which are beyond your control. These include quality
control during the hull’s manufacture, the quality of raw materials used in
construction, the age of the boat, and the climate it was exposed to.

78 Barrier Coating 13 Barrier Coating After preparing

and drying the hull, and repairing all blister and laminate damage, the next operation
is to apply the moisture barrier. A minimum 20-mil (0.020") coating of W EST SYSTEM
Epoxy with 422 Barrier Coat Additive is recommended for good protection and can
be applied in 5 or 6 coats at room temperature. Additional coats can provide
additional protection. However, the benefits of the protection can vary depending on
the boat’s susceptibility to hydrolysis and its future environment. Boats that will sail
in cooler waters and showed little evidence of hydrolysis, will gain little added
protection from additional barrier coats.

Final Fairing 83 14 Final Fairing Fairing is the process of

creating or shaping a smooth line, edge or surface, free of hollows or bumps. In
traditional boatbuilding, fairing is first employed during the layout of the many
individual lines of the boat on the lofting floor, or on the less traditional computer
aided design (CAD) program.

Finishing Applying an epoxy barrier coating is the last step in the

fairing process and the first step in the finishing process. It is included in the Finishing
section because an epoxy barrier coating is widely used as an interface between
substrates and paints and varnishes even when fairing is not required.

16 Using WEST
104 Using WEST SYSTEM Epoxy

SYSTEM Epoxy This section is designed to help you

understand and safely handle WEST SYSTEM® Epoxy products and to provide the basic
techniques used in most repair and building operations. Refer to the W EST
SYSTEMUser Manual & Product Guide for more complete product information. 16 1
Epoxy safetyEpoxies can be used safely if handled properly. To use WEST
SYSTEM Epoxies safely, you must understand their hazards and take precautions to
avoid them.HazardsThe primary hazard associated with epoxy involves skin contact.
WEST SYSTEM resin may cause moderate skin irritation. WEST SYSTEM hardeners are
corrosive and may cause severe skin irritation. Resins and hardeners are also
sensitizers and may cause an allergic reaction similar to poison ivy. Susceptibility and
the severity of a reaction varies with the individual. Although most people are not
sensitive to WEST SYSTEM resins and hardeners, the risk of becoming sensitized
increases with repeated contact. For those who become sensitized, the severity of
the reaction may increase with each contact. The hazards associated with resins and
hardeners also apply to the sanding dust from epoxy that has not fully cured. These
hazards decrease as resin/hardener mixtures reach full cure. Refer to product labels
or Safety Data Sheets for specific product warnings and safety information