Fiberglass Repair

Just talked to someone who has done fiberglass patching on rv's said to do a good job he would loosen that corner of the cap so he could also repair it from the inside also.Do you think that's necessary?I told him the size of the hole & he said without looking at it he said he would charge $500-$600,That sounds like a good price.

excellent veebyes.
bumpy

I am actually quite proud of my learned fiberglassing expertise. With the help of a friend who has more experience than me we built a top for my boat from scratch.

First, we had to build a frame for the mold.



Next it was lining the frame with gloss counter topping.



After that came the glassing part using a couple layers of resin then cloth, then foam, then more cloth.


Things look rough popped out of the mold but from there all the pinholes had to be sanded & filler used in the imperfections.



Multiple coats of primer, wet sanding, more primer before finaly painting


Finally mounting onto the frame & hoisting back on the boat.



Job complete. When you look at it the thing is really not much different than a trailer front cap except that it has far more material in it.

Before you repair it get a repair guy to take a real close look at it. We had the same sort of damage (rental moving truck backed into the front cap) but on close inspection the cap was cracked over a wide area. Repair guy said "cracked like an egg." We were quoted over 2K to repair the damage and the company wasn't sure the repair would last. Replacing the cap was much cheaper, and a better fix.

Thanks for all your info

Gonecamping444 wrote:
What about fading?The sides have gelcoat so the cap must have gelcoat also,So can they even do it so you can't tell it was hit.I have taken good care of the camper & always waxed it,but iknow there must be a little fading,Ticks me off that's why i paid to store it inside to keep it nice,Oh well

A good glass guy can match it no matter what. Even if it means bringing the old back to life.

What about fading?The sides have gelcoat so the cap must have gelcoat also,So can they even do it so you can't tell it was hit.I have taken good care of the camper & always waxed it,but iknow there must be a little fading,Ticks me off that's why i paid to store it inside to keep it nice,Oh well

I guess all of my fiberglass boats have been made properly by reputable companies. the delamination you talk about is actually faulty construction, leaving air pockets, etc. not a fiberglass layer pulling off of a plywood or other substrate due to water intrusion.
bumpy

Bumpyroad wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
yep boat repair services do it all the time but one concern is that in a boat you are usually talking about solid thick fiberglass. will they be working on that or on filon etc. on a backing?
bumpy

You do know the hull on most normal size fiberglass boats is only about 1/4" thick. the Gel coat is around 1/16"

I am very familiar with boats. and unless you get a RV like a molded egg type, you are talking about an entirely different material, for 95% of them out there. have you ever seen a boat delaminate?
bumpy

Yes.

Bumpyroad wrote:

Terryallan wrote:

Bumpyroad wrote:
yep boat repair services do it all the time but one concern is that in a boat you are usually talking about solid thick fiberglass. will they be working on that or on filon etc. on a backing?
bumpy

You do know the hull on most normal size fiberglass boats is only about 1/4" thick. the Gel coat is around 1/16"

I am very familiar with boats. and unless you get a RV like a molded egg type, you are talking about an entirely different material, for 95% of them out there. have you ever seen a boat delaminate?
bumpy

In truth yes I have. More than you think. In my younger days I built boats, and was the "boat Doctor" for a top of the line manufacturer. Our boats were hand rolled not pressed. It was my job to repair "New boats" before they were shipped. Many things can happen to a boat before it leaves the shop.

Fiberglass delamination on boats is caused by air in the fiberglass. Those air pockets puff /bell out, and will crack like an egg and the glass just turns loose, and the outside cracks.

In fact. We covered every inch, especially the sharp edged with various wooden tools to find the air pockets. When you hit one you knew it instantly. And The Doc was called to fix it.

I also had to repair holes drilled in the wrong place, scratches, and lots of other stuff.