Redo of 1984 Companion (U-Haul) Trailer - Page 2 - Fiberglass RV
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Old 07-03-2017, 09:48 PM   #21
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Day 5- cardboard and digital mockup and a lot of philosophy of why I'm doing what I'm doing, if anyone cares.

My Quality Day: My Trailer- Redo Day 5- Planning and Philosophy

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Old 07-04-2017, 05:05 AM   #22
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Joan,
I enjoyed reading your posts and blog updates just now. Enough pictures to complement your writing, and a good testimony to reading & planning & mocking-up before diving in!
I liked, too, your focus on utility & getting the most bang for the buck.
Best of luck to you, as your build continues!
Gary
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Old 07-04-2017, 07:20 AM   #23
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Thank you Gary! I have one more day off before another work week. I think I'm going to tackle patching one of the holes. Then again, the lawnmower has a flat tire
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Old 07-04-2017, 09:31 PM   #24
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Stepping up to the fiberglass plate.

My Quality Day: My Trailer- Redo Day 6- Fiberglass 102 and Ceiling

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Old 07-05-2017, 05:42 AM   #25
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Joan,

Way to go! Fiberglass repair work puts a lot of people off, but you did a nice job there.....and a nice job of describing it step-by-step on your blog.

I found Fiberglass Dave's lengthy thread helpful when I was starting the fiberglass repairs on my own U-Haul. Gonna have to do some more of them soon, when I move the battery location more mid-ship, but it's not the big mystery that it once was.

keepin' on...
Gary
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Old 07-05-2017, 05:54 AM   #26
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Thanks, Gary

I'm on page 13 of the Fiberglass thread here. Gonna read it all, but this forum tends to lock up my browser so I have to reload after every few pages. Back to work today. Will see how much time I have for trailer fun.

I did get that mower wheel off, too. Will drop it off this morning to be fixed.
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Old 07-05-2017, 07:27 PM   #27
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Did some shopping- one problem all fixed, one success within budget. A brainstorm to fix a design annoyance

My Quality Day: My Trailer- Redo Day 7- Shopping and Tweaking

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Old 07-05-2017, 08:16 PM   #28
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Joan, keep at it. You are killing it!
https://www.walmart.com/ip/3M-Scotch...14-oz/14862978
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Old 07-05-2017, 08:32 PM   #29
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Quote:
Originally Posted by likeair2me View Post
Joan, keep at it. You are killing it!
Your enthusiasm helps me stay motivated. The guy in the flooring store was actually interested too. He got me talking, and then I said, "I'm probably just flapping my lips and giving you way too much detail, " but he said he really was interested and wanted to see pictures, so I gave him my card with my blog address on it.
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Old 07-06-2017, 06:49 PM   #30
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Started trying to clean up the exterior. It will take some work!

My Quality Day: My Trailer- Redo Day 8- Is Bar Keepers Friend My Fiberglass Friend?

I'm thinking now that it must have been painted once in the past. You can see the gel-coat surface beneath the cracking paint in this area where a lot of the paint is now off. Any opinions on how much of that old paint I'll need to sand off are welcome. If I leave areas that are still tight the whole thing will be pretty uneven. Will Interlux fill and level that much?

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Old 07-06-2017, 06:53 PM   #31
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I agree that it sure does look like it was painted. FG doesn't degrade like that. You could consider using a FG-specific paint stripper.
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Old 07-06-2017, 07:00 PM   #32
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Quote:
Originally Posted by John in Michigan View Post
You could consider using a FG-specific paint stripper.
I'll look into that. If I'm going to repaint it (and I guess I really must) I'm going to do it right so it looks as good as I can get it.
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Old 07-07-2017, 09:00 AM   #33
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Joan,
I have NOT used this product myself, but have seen it referenced on boat building-and-repair forums. Specifically claims to be safe for f/g gel-coat, and is available at Home Depot, for one source.........
Aqua-Strip 1-Qt. Safe Marine Paint and Varnish Remover-65032 - The Home Depot
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Old 07-07-2017, 01:20 PM   #34
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Gary- Good to know. Thanks. I've seen some videos using Citristrip for paint over gel coat also. Any opinion?
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Old 07-07-2017, 06:59 PM   #35
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More washing today, and a mystery.

My Quality Day: My Trailer- Redo Day 9- Playing in the Water

Could this be a solar panel? PO said nothing about it to me, so I think it pre-dated him.



And, anyone know where to get the rubber seam cover? Mine is splitting. I've been looking up rub rails, but they all seem to be more complex than this is. It's just a slip-on rubber cover.
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Old 07-08-2017, 07:41 AM   #36
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Joan,
I just looked at the Citristrip home page, etc... also read a thread or two on boat-repair forums. [One of those included a comment that "...wasn't satisfied with the way it softened the gel-coat".]
I haven't ever stripped paint from f/g, so I can't recommend a product.......but I'd want to use one that specifically says "safe for gel-coat". Then, just try some out on an inconspicuous area first, to see how it does.
I'd also figure to lightly sand before painting, and to put a primer or primer/sealer on the gel-coat before the color coat[s]. I figure to use catalyzed automotive primer on my CT... and then automotive acrylic enamel [probably also with some hardener/catalyst added]. This should be a pretty tough paint coat, and the enamel finish will be easier to touch up later on than the basecoat/clearcoat system modern autos are painted with. Note--the catalysts tend to be nasty things--respirator required.
I'll probably end up spending $2-300 on paint, going at it this way. I already have the compressor & paint guns required.
My $.02 worth........
Gary
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Old 07-08-2017, 08:44 AM   #37
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Gary- Thanks. That's interesting. I watched a couple of videos of people taking paint off gel-coat with it and it appearing to work great. I wonder if the age of the gel-coat/paint has any bearing on the issue. At any rate, I thought I'd get a quart (or less if possible) and give it a try. I've asked FB friends if anyone has some, so I could try a small spot without buying any, but so far no luck.

Not sure I want to get into that serious of a paint project. I've read a couple of stories with the Interlux Brightside being put on carefully with a roller with good results. I can only work outside, on top of a hill where there is never still air, so spraying anything is problematic. Interlux has a color I like, so unless someone gives me a really good reason to go a different direction, I think that's what I'm doing.

Found a source for the trim loc- the real name for the center seam cover. That is thanks to a FB group that is dedicated to U-Haul, Companion, and Burro trailers.

Vinyl Trim Lock White 1/2" H x 3/8" W - U-Haul / Burro Campers
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Old 07-08-2017, 09:01 AM   #38
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Wow- If I use the Aqua-Strip (safe for gel coat and also environmentally ok so I'm not dripping a bunch of stuff near my house) it may cost me up to $150 just for the stripper. Hopefully, this old paint will come off pretty easily, and I might not need 3 gallons (using their coverage figures and fudging in my favor quite a lot).

The Citristrip is quite a bit cheaper. I wonder if the softened gel coat happened because it was left on for a long time. Will do more research.
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Old 07-08-2017, 10:09 AM   #39
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Just reading a boat forum about stripping without hurting gel coat. One guy (using a different stripper) said he got into gel damage issues when he left the stripper on too long, so I'm leaning toward that being the issue.

Just found a guy who is purposely trying to find things that damage gel coat on a test piece he has. He said the Citristrip did not cause any damage.

The Aqua-Strip is more expensive and has to stay on longer. I'm leaning toward Citrustrip
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Old 07-08-2017, 11:14 AM   #40
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Sounds good, Joan.

I understand about not wanting to spray the paint. And I've heard others say good things about the Interlux paint. Have you read what people say about the "roll & tip" method? [I think it just means you roller the paint on, and then very lightly drag a high-quality brush over it while it's still wet, to smooth it out.] I haven't tried that, but apparently lots of people have done it, with good results.

Best wishes on your project.
Gary
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