repairing cracks - Fiberglass RV
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×


Reply
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread Display Modes
 
Old 02-13-2003, 11:51 AM   #1
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
repairing cracks

Hello - HERE ARE THE PICTURES OF THE DAMAGE AT THIS WEBSITE: http://www.eyepopdesign.com/scamp.htm

I was sent over here from the nice folks on the scamp Yahoo user group. I have two questions:

1) What product do I use to clean the grime before I get to repairing and waxing (or painting)

2) And what would be the simplest way to repair wear cracks on the exterior of a scamp that otherwise has no other major damage?
(I've been reading the fiberglass repair threads - they all sound like more than I would want to tackle)

OH, Forgot to mention, the previous owner had a TV antenna installed on the roof - we want to remove it - so I suppose we are looking at a fiberglass repair there? Thanks in advance

1984 13' SCAMP



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2003, 02:04 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Welcome!

:wave Glad to have you on board.

We have several people on here who have done things from restoring finishes to some pretty big glass repairs. Just hang on, they'll be around.

Meantime, we do have a great seach feature that really works well (Top right tab). From dull to shiney, cracked to whole.

Any pictures that you can post here might also help us help you. We LOVE before and after pictures. Heck, we just like pictures!

You've come to the right place!



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2003, 02:36 PM   #3
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
glass repairs

Before I say anything else I would like to point out that I was (and remain) a complete novice at glass repairs. I'm sure I didn't do things the 'right' way - but it plugged the holes...

Cleaning:
I had to remove a bunch of old paint. Used a scraper for the paint, plus plenty of good old soap and water with a stiff brush to get off years of crud.

Another major point: I was planning on painting the outside of mine anyway. IMHO that means that I didn't necc. need to make the repairs be 'pretty', they just needed to be relatively smooth.

For large holes - I started by gluing a thick plastic sheet on the backside of the wall that covered the hole. The hole was then patched with fiberglass cloth and resin (lots of it). That was sanded down as smooth as possible. Remaining dips and valleys were filled with body putty, then sanded smooth. For smaller holes (1/4" max) I skipped the backing plate and fiberglass and just used body putty.

For REALLY small 'holes' (pitting in the gelcoat), I smeared gelcoat repair material into them. I also used the gelcoat repair extensively inside the Boler to fix the many small holes and points of damage to the various bits of glass furnishings.

When all was said and done - I sanded it down to scuff up the surface - then primed and painted using Rustoleum (rolled on). Doesn't give the perfectly smooth finish it would have originally had - but that has the advantage of covering up the fact that not all my repairs were perfectly smooth either. :) I was interested in making something that was USEFUL and presentable, without being a show quality. Is short - it's more of a remodel than a restoration.

I'm sure there will be more responses here that are much more particular and precise. They are undoutedly also the "correct" way to do the repair. However - I didn't want to take it to a pro shop and also had a good idea of what my skills and limitations were. I did what I felt I was capable of, that accomplished my primary goals.

mkw



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2003, 02:50 PM   #4
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Hi Renee!

Welcome aboard! Lots of good folks here ... folks who've done wonderful restorations ... so I'm sure a lot of then will chime in!

>>fiberglass repair

Are you planning on painting the outside? Or are you trying to just clean up and polish the gel coat?

What kind of cracks do you have? Structural or just some "spider webbing?"

Boat stores and catalogs have numerous products for cleaning and repairing fiberglass.

Afterall, if it's good for a fiberglass boat in the water, it's great for your little fiberglass trailer.

The boat stores have spider-web and gel-coat repair kits ... and if you go to your local store now (in the winter), they'll have time to talk to you about your respective problem.

>>filling holes

Mike's right on the money for filling holes. If you are not painting, but trying to repair/polish the existing gel coat, your final coat on your hole patch will have to be gel-coat ... and you'll probably have to "blend" the color a little to make it match.

Again, boat stores ... or do a web search for "West Marine" online. West Marine will send you a catalog ... but they also have loads of fiberglass and gel coat repair tips and products.

Can you post some pictures so we can see what your project entails?



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2003, 03:23 PM   #5
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
fixn an egg

Welcome.

You will have to do some looking back through previous threads using the search function, but you will find pictures and explanations galore.

As mentioned before try to take some pictures and give a little more detail on what you would like to do.

:wave



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2003, 09:49 PM   #6
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
THANKS!
I will grab the camera tomorrow and get some closeups to you pronto so you can see exactly what I am up against.

Question:

When you patch these so-called "dents" or dimples - has anyone experienced your repair medium "popping-out" of such a shallow dip?

Renee from Iowa



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2003, 10:27 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Renee

Welcome to this forum.Lots of great ideas and help here.:wave



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-13-2003, 11:36 PM   #8
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Welcome Renee

I agree that you need to visit a marine supply store and check out the material available to you. On your first visit buy a quart of acetone to clean the fiberglass with. Acetone is to fiberglas what paint thinner is to oil base paint. (CAUTION Read the label) You are going to need a lot of it. The first thing is to clean a lot of the old grit and grim off of the dull finish. It is going to remove all of the wax off the area to be repaired. The repairs are going to be the same as above the water line boat repair. You will find this is a good source for supplies and advice. Read a lot of the labels on the cans of resin, gel coat, and repair kits. You will learn a lot even from the ones that you don't buy. Also discuss some of the type repairs you wish to make with anyone and everyone in the store. A good fiberglass repair person (notice I didn't say man) may be standing next to you in the store.

First you must decide if you are going to paint the trailer or repair the fiberglas and gel coat. The repairs are done pretty much the same for both. But after the repairs are finished the next step is different. If you are going to paint then it all should be sanded and then painted. But if you are going to repair the gel coat you should leave the repaired area about 1/16 inch low. Then clean the area with acetone and apply gel coat to the repaired area. After it has cured 24 hrs then sand smooth reducing to finer and finer grit paper. After it is worked down to shape then use fiberglas buffing compound to get the shine.

For dents and scratches, if they are shallow just repair with gel coat. If they are deep, fill with marine tex to just below level and let it cure 24 hrs. Then fill up with gel coat. When the gel coat cures sand and rub out with compound. What keeps it from popping out is to clean it well with acetone before and between each step.

I put together a 32 ft fiberglass sail boat several years ago and sailed it for twelve years. It is still being sailed by the doctor that I sold it to. All of my fiberglas work is still holding together. Ketch Mistress is the ripe old age of 33 now.



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2003, 08:52 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Ron

Thank you, thank you, thank you! And did I say thank you?

I have a place that I need to gel coat (and a few others that wouldn't hurt). I have read, searched, and tried to understand just how to do it. You, on the otherhand, in one writing, finally made it clear for me!

Once the weather improves, I am going to be on this in a flash. No doubt that I will be successful, thanks to you.



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2003, 08:57 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Ron

Just in case you are wondering, I think it was that you didn't say too much, but just enough. Since I don't have a clue about this stuff, I always got bogged down in the details.

Thanks for putting it so straight forward and simply.



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2003, 09:04 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Marine-tex

Ron, doesn't that stuff get extremely hard when it cures? Do you have any tips for handling it, getting it as smooth as possible before it sets up? I realize you cover it with gel coat afterwards, but seems like the smoother the better to start with.

We made a very poor repair on a boat, using Marine-tex (some years ago). I would've loved to have had some advice prior to working with that stuff. We had no idea it would set up so hard. We found it almost impossible to sand it smooth.

I think I'm thinking of Marine-tex... :o



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2003, 03:48 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Fiberglas repair

Thanks Suz, Mary, marine-tex does set up very hard and is hard to sand. I use an electric grinder in areas where I can. You must be careful and not allow it to get hot. In other areas tape a piece of cardboard over the area. This will keep it smooth until it cures.

Renee, I don't know how large the hole for the antenna is. But for holes larger than a half inch I chopped up fiberglas cloth and mixed it in the marine-tex to add strength. (the same thing is done to concrete to add strength)

Caution! Read the instructions on the can. To much hardner can cause fire. It will get warm as it cures.



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2003, 04:54 PM   #13
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Just in case you missed it...

...Renee edited her first post and put a link that shows the damage to her trailer.

:thumb Good job, Renee!

Ron....check it out...whadaya think?



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2003, 04:56 PM   #14
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
If anyone missed it, my fiberglass damage pictures are at this website: http://www.eyepopdesign.com/scamp.htm



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-14-2003, 09:49 PM   #15
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Renee

You may get away with doing just gel coat repair on most of it.

I hate rust and the first thing I would do is drill out those pop-rivets and try to clean that rust. And yes you need to do something to prevent it from happening again. I don't know of any thing that will remove all of the rust stain. Some rust removers will take some of it off. Ace hardware has a product called rust out that will help.
If you can't get it off then sand the area with fine sand paper, remove any loose chips and refinish the gel coat.

Let us know how you do.



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2003, 07:59 AM   #16
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
THANK YOU FOR EVERYONE'S REPLIES!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
(expecially Ron's and Bernice's!)

After I posted the pictures and read Ron's previous reply, I got to thinking that I was incorrect in talking about "fiberglass cracks" when I should have been talking about "gelcoat cracks". A few more questions to clarify:

1) When you said clean with acetone, did you mean only the area to be repaired, or my whole entire grimy trailer? Are there suggestions as to anything to clean the dirt off the trailer before the acetone?

2) As you can see, some of the damage appears "flaky" - so I assume any damage that has loose chips, those chips should be removed and then proceed to repair with gel coat. If you remember the 1" diameter damage from the pictures - would that be best approached NOT to "flick" it off, or just repair it in place?

And then I understand that the gel coat repair will stand out - I will try to have to match the existing color? Will this difference be less noticeable after everything is cleaned and waxed?

3)To quote Ron, "When the gel coat cures sand and rub out with compound" What do you mean by "compound?"

4) The rivets around the window are similar to what's on the rest of the trailer. In another thread someone talked about not having "buttons" on their trailer - the earlier ones don't seem to have them - this is something I could opt to replace - and at the same time reseal somehow? I know it is leaking in two spots.

There is a boat shop about 30 miles from my home. I live about 45 miles west of the Mississippi, so I will check with them before I start this project.

Thanks for your patience!!



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2003, 08:39 AM   #17
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
:thumb , Renee.



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2003, 09:03 AM   #18
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Renee ... these are only my opinions ... ok ...

1. Tow your rig over to your local boating store. Ask them what they recommend to clean up your fiberglass surface. There are all kinds of cleaning products and waxes, depending on whether you're dealing with mold or chalking, etc. Also look on line ... do a search for West Marine.

2. Renee .. gel coat is bonded to the inner layer of fiberglass. If it's loose, I'd remove it ... water probably got behind the gel coat, froze and broke the bond. If the chip is solid, I'd just little chisle out the crack a bit (to increase the bonding surface, and try to fill with gel coat (mixed to match)(sold at boat stores.

3. Compound. Any auto store or boat store will sell rubbing compounds ... which is basically paste with grit .... comes in various grits. It helps put a little shine on your finished surface

4. Most home improvement stores sell "snap caps" which are plastic bases and caps. Purchase a rivet gun and a supply of aluminum rivets (from Scamp), drill out your old rivets, caulk the hole before inserting the new rivet, place the rivet through the snap cap base, insert in hole, pop with rivet gun, snap on cap. Trick is to caulk the hole BEFORE inserting the rivet for a leak-free fix.



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2003, 09:11 AM   #19
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Looking at your pictures .... I only see two things that concern me a little bit.

Door hinge pix (top left), looks deep ... and instead of a cosmetic spider web crack, looks like it could be structural ... from someone overtightening the door hinge bolts. Is the hinge loose? You probably should remove the door and the hinges, and really inspect the damage. It will also be easier to fix with the hinge off, obviously. (Even if it is structural, you should be able to strength the area with some fiberglass screening and patch.)

Window cover hinge pix -- the little stress cracks are undoubtedly from 20 years of vibration ... but the cracks don't look deep and structural. To solve the rust problem, however, you are going to have to remove the hing by drilling out the rivets, then scrape and sand BOTH sides of the hinge, paint with a Rust converter, that chemically bonds to rusty metal, actually converting the rusting metal to a primed paintable surface, spray with paint, and then reinstall. If you try to do an "on the trailer" repair, the bottom side of the hinge, up against the trailer, will remain rusty and cause a rusty streak every time it rains.

Renee ... I am not an expert at this, but have faith. There are a lot of folks here who have a lot of experience.

Out fearless webmaster Michael used to actually build and repair fiberglass canoes. He's out camping for a few days, but I imagine he'll add his two cents ... and Ron will continue to help you too. And there are many others doing frame-off restorations.

But go make friends with the folks at that boating store! Pull your trailer over their, and have them look. It's their quiet time. Don't try to get them to help you during the height of the summer boating season.



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 02-15-2003, 09:19 AM   #20
Senior Member
 
Trailer: No Trailer Yet
Posts: 18,870
Small sampling

Here's a link to West Marine's Boat Care section. Lots and lots of good stuff.



Legacy Posts is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply


Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
 
Thread Tools Search this Thread
Search this Thread:

Advanced Search
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
Show my cracks Perry Mac Donald General Chat 9 01-09-2010 08:07 PM
How do you fix Fiberglass cracks SharonNDean Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 12 02-12-2008 09:46 PM
Hairline Cracks Thom T. Problem Solving | Owners Helping Owners 3 09-19-2006 08:50 PM
Cracks BAMA & Pachyderm Posse Care and Feeding of Molded Fiberglass Trailers 7 12-13-2005 04:57 PM
Repairing the gelcoat Legacy Posts Care and Feeding of Molded Fiberglass Trailers 16 08-07-2003 02:56 PM

» Upcoming Events
No events scheduled in
the next 465 days.
» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by


All times are GMT -6. The time now is 08:09 PM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.11
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions Inc.