Refiberglassing strip on TNT

[Carsen]

Im a bit nervous because I have to refiberglass a 6 inch strip on the bottom of my TNT. Yes... its a Glen-L homebuilt, wooden boat, most people despise them, but I love them. Anyways, the reason im nervous is because this strip is going to overlap, and i want to make sure I cut it properly, with the right amount of decrease angle on both sides. Any tips would be very appreciated, I'm bringing it in the house next thursday to do the job... getting it in the house will hopefully be the hardest part. Well, thanks a lot in advance for any tips, they will be greatfully appreciated.

[Reese]

The forum crashed and we lost some posts so I may be repeating myself...

Glen-l boats aren't all that bad, I've seen some nice ones including the Riviera. I'm not exactly sure what you mean by glassing a 6" wide stripe...post some pictures of the boat and I'm sure a ton of helpful opionions will follow.

[Liqui-Fly]

Decrease angle?? Are you trying to make a clean seam with overlapped pieces of cloth?

David

[Carsen]

got a pic of the bottom
check it out

[Carsen]

heres a pic of the body, pretty nice

[Liqui-Fly]

Sand the current strip nice and flat. Get some 6" fiberglass tape..wet out the hull with epoxy about 12" wide and lay two of the 6' strips side buy side with a 1 to 2 inch overlap. Ret the tape the rest of the way out. Then take a sharpe razor blade and make a cut down the middle of the overlap. Peel away the cut off portions and lay the glass down. You will have a book matched seam. An additional piece down the center of the seam would finish it off nicely. Visit www.westsystem.com . They have some tips and techniques on their web page...also an excellent manual for wooden boats.

David

[Techno]

If the pad is 6" wide why not just lay a 6" wide strip? If 12" wide a 12" strip?
I would lean towards mat if this is a cosmetic like fix. The cloth will need the weave filled and sanded.

If it is just the pad then a simple cheat is to cover the pad with a board covered with waxed paper. The board MUST be flat. This will provide a finished flat surface with minimal after work. Just lay it on the stuff don't press it too much.

Another option although about 3 times the cost is do it with Kevlar. Abrasion resistant if you need that.

[Liqui-Fly]

Well what if it's only 5 3/4"inches? What do you do then?

David

[Carsen]

does it need to be overlapped?

what if theres a bit of gap between the current cloth and new?

im gonna measure it soon, and see what the actual measurements are. if theres an overlap, 1-2inches of the overlap?

thanks for your advice,
Carsen

[Liqui-Fly]

Just allows for error or a wavy hand in the cut. The actual amount of overlap really doesn't matter. I think you're making this much harder than it actually is. Maybe a phone converation would help. I can be reached at 518-762-1421 after 8 pm east coast.

David

[Techno]

LF
If it was less I would slap the 6" on and sand off the fizzle later.

I'm not actully understanding what is being glassed where or tapered what.

[Carsen]

the only thing im wondering is:

does it matter if theres a gap between the cloth

there is already cloth except the strip right on the keel is off. it measures 4 ", i just went outside (its freezing!) and so ill just use 6" and overlap by an inch on each side. everyone agree?

thanks for all of your help, carsen

ps. theres a pic of it at the top, the width is 4"

[Carsen]

ive recently just been thinking abouit doing it without any cloth.

would that be a bad idea? would it still be as durable as i need... i mean, ill have buoys for when its docked, other than that... unless i hit a rock.

just any opinions on taking off all the cloth and just putting resin would be appreciated.

[Techno]

Where the glass is gone or bad you need to feather the edges of these areas and lay glass back in them. Once everything is about the same thickness then lay on another strip of glass over it all.

If the stuff is easy to remove it might be worth it to just remove it all and lay on a new strip. Try sliding a putty knife under it. If it comes off easy enough then take it all off. Sand any smaller areas that don't. It's probably a good idea to remove anything that will come off with a putty knife anyway.

[Carsen]

so redo cloth.. or take it all off and just resin it up nice?

[Techno]

I would throw some cloth or mat on. I think it's there to help against abrasion to protect the wood. Easier to fix than gouges in the wood. Which if gouged is now getting wet.

[Liqui-Fly]

Resin is nothing but brittle and week without filler or cloth. At the bare minimum add some graphite powder and fibers to it to help with adhesion and abrasion.

David

[Fibertron]

I cant believe i found my old TnT on this site. I was browsing through old posts trying to learn a thing or two when i stumbled across my old boat. So how did the repair go. I would recomend peeling the whole old strip of the boat then sanding the bottom and finally fiberglassing the whole bottom. It will add some weight but increase the strenght of the boat. Anyways hope to hear the progress you made on the boat.

[Carsen]

oh is that you bryan?

[Fibertron]

Oh Ya!

you fix it yet

[Carsen]

i'm going to my dads next weekend to do it all... then i'm gonna reinforce the transom because i have a 35hp merc to put on it... i built a bench seat for it... check it out. i'll post some pics of the work we'll be doing in a week or so. can't wait to throw it in the water :p