Fiberglass Repair

[Gonecamping444]

Crap,Just went to the storage pole barn at our local golf course & the care taker of the golf course told me that a worker backed into my fifth wheel & damage the bottom of the front cap near the corner.Not a hole but there a 2'' x 2'' of fiberglass missing,They said they would pay for it & have someone come out there to repair it,I do know I want to have input of you they get,Any ideas what else I should do?I want a good job but don't know who you to contact.Afraid they will do just a quick fix,I think it happened in November some time & they just tell me now.It's a 2010 CrossRoads Cruiser,Thanks

[Gonecamping444]

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.

[Bumpyroad]

excellent veebyes.
bumpy

[Veebyes]

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.

[lj_cox]

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.

[Gonecamping444]

Thanks for all your info

[Terryallan]

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.

[Gonecamping444]

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

[Bumpyroad]

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

[diazr2]

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.

[Terryallan]

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.

[bluka43]

Of course, it's your decision on how to fix it. You don't really need to repair this area with fiberglass cloth and resin. I did some damage to the rounded corner on the front cap of my FW a couple of years ago and repaired it myself. I used the type of plastic filler, similar to Bondo, with fiberglass fibers in it. Tape an area large enough around the damage and roughen it up with 300 sandpaper and a block. Mix and apply the plastic filler with a 4" wide plastic spreader. You can get these at any auto parts store. Let it cure and start sanding using a coarse sandpaper and block first being careful to match the profile of the surrounding area. Sand until the plastic filler gets down enough to start using a finer grit sandpaper to get a very smooth surface. (you should know when you're done sanding) I then used a 2" wide paint brush and painted 3 coats of white gelcoat and sanded until smooth using 800 grit. Now it's time to match the color of the FW. A body shop should be able to do this. Unfortunately there are no paint code numbers so it'll have to be mixed and tried until the exact color is obtained. How do I know this? Because my son owns and operates a full service auto body and paint shop. I did the repairs, he did the match and paint. It came out perfect. No way to tell. I would attach a few photos of the repair process, but I don't remember how.
In your case though, they offered to repair it for you.....go for it.

[C-Bears]

I am with most others on this one, call a experienced glass guy from one of your boatyards. Your unit is too new not to have this repair done right.

[Bumpyroad]

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

[fcooper]

A couple of years ago, I had to repair a hole in the front cap of my motorhome. I took a few pictures, and the process is documented in the link below.
fiberglass repair

Working with fiberglass is forgiving as you can grind away your mistakes and start over. Getting the paint applied without runs is the hardest part for me.

As other posters have recommended, a boat repair facility can do your repair.

Fred