Fiberglass Repair

A tree and the awning of my Fiberglass RV had an unfriendly meeting. The screws were puldled out top and botton, leaving small holes in the fiberglass. where the screws enter.

So now comes the issue of repair.

I filled in the holes with a fiberglass repair putty, but have not yet reattached the screws.

Some sites discussing fiberglass repair go DEEP into the subject. I want to smoooth the fiberglass repair I made (no leaking), paint it with the same color paint, reattach the screws, and be as "good as new."

Can I do this myself, or should I look for a RV or boat shop that works in this area.

Nathan

[Donna D.]

Nathan, I've had very good luck using a Marine Epoxy stick for plugging holes in the fiberglass of my Scamp. It hardens, is sandable, paintable and waterproof. It's a two-part, two-color stick. You cut off a chunk and knead the chunk between your fingers until it's all one color (off-white) roll it into a sausage and push it into the hole. I've plugged the holes on the rear of my trailer when I took the spare tire off the back and used it on the front when I removed the stinky slinky tube. I've also used it on my wooden fence. The holes for the gate latch became stripped, so I used this product in those holes and replaced the gate hardware....it's holding just fine

The best part, it's CHEAP. I think I paid less than $3 at Lowes and still have half a tube left.

[MyronL]

Of course you can do it yourself. The real question is do you want to do it? Only you know enough about the damage and your talents to answer that one.

[Gary Lynch]

Also, it depends on how much damage you have done to the integrity of the fiberglass right around the hole. Sometimes, filler is not enough. It may also need cloth to strengthen the area. Some fillers fill holes well but do not have the needed strength to drill into and hold a screw.

These repairs are not hard to accomplish. One just needs to know what the problem is and what the appropriate material is to repair the site.

[Ken James]

On a freeway near Sacramento we took a hit on the front of our Trillium from a piece of loose steel on the highway that resulted in this fiberglas damage.
Now that will give you a heartache! But, this is such wonderful material to work with I was not at all worried. See the next posting

[Ken James]

When we got home I put a sheet of waxed paper on the inside behind the hole and propped it in place with a piece of plywood. Then I went outside and repaired the damage. I took the grinder and ground the new glass to shape, sanded it and painted. Voila! As good as new.

[Christi V.]

Nice repair job!

[shirley munson]

That's why I don't have an Airstream.