Fiberglass refurbishment - Help!

[Keith R]

I bought a distant cousin to the Fiberglass trailers - an Eriba Puck. A cousin that I know has been discussed on this site. The part I'm hoping someone can provide advice on is for repairing the fiberglass top. It is a 1969 trailer and the fiberglass strands are beginning to show through so I want to refiberglass the top to like new condition. The trailer will be repainted once the rest of the refurbishment is done. So if anyone knows the best type of place to get the top refiberglassed please let me know. It seems to be too complicated to do myself with the work space I have available. If anyone knows what this costs I'd appreciate that info also.

The rest of the trailer info is it is a fix up project trailer and needs interior and exterior repair.
Yes I'll post pictures soon - probably will be asked what's to repair but pictures don't show all the little things. (Wood rot, leaky window etc.)

Thanks for the help.

[Kent]

Look for nearest Boat dealer or Boat repair shop. They will most likley be able to help you or direct you to someone who can.

[don bowman]

Keith,

Most auto body repair shops also work on fiberglass. Take it to a few of these in your area and get quotes.

Have fun,
don

[Keith R]

Thanks Don and Kent. I'll start shopping both sources.

[Loren G. Hedahl]

Keith, what you'll find is that the gel coat as well as the resin for the fiberglass is polyesther. It is good stuff, but deteriorates quickly in sunlight. That's why the fibers are showing.

What I would do is clean it good, lightly sand and apply a good automotive epoxy primer, several coats with light sanding between coats to get everything smooth and level. Then I would top coat it with a polyurethane enamel in the desired color. Once this is cured, I would give it a good quality automotive clear coat that is compatible with the base color.

This will out last the original gel coat and will keep its shine with little or no waxing for years.

Good luck with your project.

[Joy and Martin]

Hi, this is my first post. My husband and I once owned a Camperized Van with a fiberglass pop-up roof. I took the van into a parkade, of which the van roof was too high, and literally heard the roof crunch and crack as I moved the vehicle in either direction (Oh, that's what that chain hanging from the roof was that hit my windshield as I entered the parkade). . I was fortunate to have a brother-in-law that taught body-shop in a local high-school, and I took the roof in to be repaired there. The job was done well, and I only had to pay for the supplies because schools usually don't charge labour.