Boat Building Forum

Find advice on all aspects of building your own kayak, canoe or any lightweight boats

Re: Slick Method!
By:Dale Frolander
Date: 9/11/1999, 2:58 am
In Response To: Slick Method! (mike allen)

> Hey that's a slick method!

> One question and one possible addition:

> If your patch is of a few layers of glass is it easy to to peel off the
> inner layer of plastic when it's all wet?

> After the patch is applied and squeegied, tape the whole perimeter taught
> and remove the outer layer of plastic after the epoxy has set - you'll
> probably have a very smooth surface left over the whole area.

Thanks, but I can't take the credit for the idea, I used to do some fiberglass repair in the Air Force and that's how we did it. This is not a new idea, just not well known to most people.

You apply the bottom layer as described, peeling off the plastic, then apply the next layer the same way and so forth. Each ply is cut and applied on it's own so there is no inner layer of plastic to remove.

I'm not sure if the outer layer of plastic would release if you let the epoxy set up (you might want to practice on some scrap). After we would apply all of the patches, we used to apply a layer of plastic that would release over the whole patch, then a pad that was like thick gauze cloth (so all of the air could make it to the vacuum tube), then vacuum bag the area to get rid of any trapped air. Most people, including myself, don't have the equipment to do a vacuum bag repair so that's why I would squeege the air out.

Messages In This Thread

fixing a ding
Jay Babina -- 9/10/1999, 8:17 am
Re: fixing a ding
Dale Frolander -- 9/10/1999, 5:27 pm
Slick Method!
mike allen -- 9/10/1999, 8:19 pm
Re: Slick Method!
Dale Frolander -- 9/11/1999, 2:58 am
Re: Slick Method!
Ian Johnston -- 9/11/1999, 4:21 am
Turn Out the Lights!
mike allen -- 9/13/1999, 1:06 pm
Re: Turn Out the Lights!
Ian Johnston -- 9/13/1999, 10:48 pm
Re: Slick Method!
Dean Trexel -- 9/10/1999, 8:47 pm
Re: fixing a ding
Paul G. Jacobson -- 9/10/1999, 3:45 pm
Re: fixing a ding
keith hunter -- 9/10/1999, 11:49 am
Re: fixing a ding
Nick Schade - Guillemot Kayaks -- 9/10/1999, 8:41 am