Possible Skylight??

[Cat futrell]

We have been doing lots of glass work on our 1973 13' Love Bug. We have noticed the nice glow that shines through the fiberglass where the gel coat has been sanded off.

Been thinking (usually means trouble), what problems could be caused by sanding the gel coat from a section of the roof to create a "skylight"?

Any input?

Thanks,
Cathy

[Darwin Maring]

Well it will THIN the layer of fiberglass and not having any insulation on the ceiling will make thing hotter in summer and colder in winter.

One solution is to put in a ceiling vent with either a clear or white dome.

[Ed Harris]

My first Egg a 73 Trill had a standard auto skylight in it above the bed.
That thing was unbearable in the summer and a leaker too!
Seems like a good idea but.....?

[captsteve2002]

From my experience with boats that had skylights, by not having gel-coal in one area, was that the glass unprotected by gel-coat had a lot more UV damage. Seems the gel-coat gives some protection of the glass and resin that make up the shell. When gel-coat gets chalky, it is from UV damage, but can be restored with a good cleaning and a coat of wax. I would think twice about removing the gel-coat.

[Donna D.]

If you remove the gelcoat, what will be left is the fiberglass strands and resin. Most generally these trailers are built by spraying fiberglass strands (chop). I'm thinking before too long your trailer will look "fuzzy" as the chop starts popping out of the resin caused from UV damage.

Not a good idea IMHO.

[glamourpets]

Perhaps an upgraded roof vent would be a wiser option?

[Darwin Maring]

Donna said: If you remove the gelcoat, what will be left is the fiberglass strands and resin. Most generally these trailers are built by spraying fiberglass strands (chop). I'm thinking before too long your trailer will look "fuzzy" as the chop starts popping out of the resin caused from UV damage.

And Then: Moisture penetrate into the layers of chop, freezes in the winter, expands and creates more of a gap and this continues to happen until you wind up with a crack all the way through.