1991 Prostar 190 hull repair

[bstewart0529]

This is the strong stuff.

[CC2MC]

Originally Posted by MIskier

The angle all depends on who you ask, but a 12:1 bevel is ideal. Overlapping the existing gel after scuffing it by 2-3 inches and alternating between chopped strand and woven roving will result in the best repair for this type of situation.

If you're interested in marine composites I can recommend several book and have one on PDF. Feel free to PM me with your contact info and I will send it to you.

The books that I would recommend for a good basic primer: Fiberglass Boat Design and Construction published by the Society of Naval Architects and Marine Engineers.

More advanced topics: Introduction to composite materials

Hexcel Composites and SP High Modulus also have many great resources on their websites.

Great books! You are correct in rotating between chop and woven, which is why I suggested using something like a 1708 or 3610, which has both in one mat.

The repair is looking great so far! The gel will be pretty tricky to avoid having a halo. I will be interested to see how well it turns out. Where did you end up getting the gel from?

[bstewart0529]

A really good friend of mine gave it to me. The only thing is if we use this on the bottom of the boat, it is harder than concrete, so it will be next to impossible to sand smooth. I was going to use the normal Poly resin on the outside and this on the inside. Also I will have to put the gel coat over the final patch as well. So I am going to want this as smooth as possible. Any thoughts.

[bstewart0529]

Hopefully this weekend we will have all the glass work done and next weekend we will start putting it back together.

[Kyle]

I sure do like the color of your boat

[thatsmrmastercraft]

It is nice, isn't it?

[bstewart0529]

Thank you.

[TRBenj]

Epoxy resin isnt "harder than concrete", though it doesnt sand especially quickly. Neither does poly, though. An angle grinder with a suitable attachment (like a flap disc) will make quick work of major high spots. A random orbital or palm sander can do the rest.

If you use the epoxy for the repair (as I would) then be sure to use a conversion coat (like vinylester) prior to laying gel, as it wont adhere as well directly to the epoxy. Im not sure you would want to do the repair in poly though... unless MC builds their hulls with it. I thought they used vinyl, but ICBW.

[bstewart0529]

I like your idea better. Thanks again for the help.

[mikeg205]

Originally Posted by TRBenj

Epoxy resin isnt "harder than concrete", though it doesnt sand especially quickly. Neither does poly, though. An angle grinder with a suitable attachment (like a flap disc) will make quick work of major high spots. A random orbital or palm sander can do the rest.

If you use the epoxy for the repair (as I would) then be sure to use a conversion coat (like vinylester) prior to laying gel, as it wont adhere as well directly to the epoxy. Im not sure you would want to do the repair in poly though... unless MC builds their hulls with it. I thought they used vinyl, but ICBW.

MIskier was an intern there and he cited vinyl ester as the resin...