GRP hull repair

**outoffuel** · 03-11-06, 20:09

Evening all. After months of searching for the right sort of boat for a first timer (me), I found the right one for me today. Its a small (15') cabin cruiser for £300. Needs a bit of a tidy up and odds 'n sodds. One problem though is that I noticed the hull has a few (2 or 3 at the most) not holes, but cracks and dents in the GRP about the size of a cigarette packet - now before I dive in head first and buy the thing how hard is it to repair the small damage to the hull? Having no experience of boats or repairing them (but lots when it comes to cars & vans) is it easy to repair it to a good water tight seal? Or should I leave it to the pros, and if so how much are we looking at cost wise?

Many thanks -

**GC1** · 03-11-06, 20:15

Welcome, £300 for the repair doesn't sound that bad, it cost me more than that to have a few scratches taken out where a small boat came alongside my Larson with no fenders, worth getting a second quote if you are concerned.

**omega2** · 03-11-06, 20:26

If you have worked with grp in the motor trade then this is no different, if you are able to get at the damaged area from the inside even better, just push the dent out and reinforce the area with glass matt, then fill on the outside and rub down, you can get fillers in most colours, or if inclined paint it, but I would try not to paint if possible as once done you will never stop having to repaint. Good luck with your project.

**landlockedpirate** · 03-11-06, 20:42

I think he ment £300 for the whole boat. [img]/forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif[/img]

**hlb** · 03-11-06, 20:51

GC1 it's the cost of the boat, not the repair. Keep up!

You need to clean up the holes or what ever to v shapes as near as possible. Start at the back using glass fibre, build up till you feel it's strong enough. Make sure that the fiber glass is a few mil from the front. Then use white plastic padding or other as you would on car, except you, wet and dry it to mirror finish. Ideally matching it to the gell coat. But for £300 for boat, Umm. Plastic Padding.

**GC1** · 03-11-06, 20:54

Oops, too much red wine [img]/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif[/img] What can I say, better not suggest safety kit, EPIRBS or liferafts then it may bust the budget slightly [img]/forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif[/img]

**outoffuel** · 03-11-06, 22:48

Thanks for the info. But I get the feeling that filling in small cracks and holes in this boat is a bit different than the wing on a VW Jetta [img]/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif[/img] . Surely there must be some sort of sealant type paint/gel to "seal" the filler water tight??? Also (forgot to mention it ealier) how would you go about wiring in a small lighting setup onto a boat that only has a outboard motor (do they have a built in alternator or dynamo?) or would I have to rig up a 2nd small engine with a charging system built onto it?

Many thanks.