BoatBanter.com - View Single Post - Fibreglass kayak renovation advice please.

Brian Nystrom

wrote:
Dear All,

I have acquired an old fibreglass kayak.

I was wondering the best way of breathing new life into it for my Dad
to use.

It floats and paddles well.

A little water gets in through the split line where the two mouldings
are joined. This is covered by tape.

Is this tape supposed to be there or has it been bodge repaired at
some point. How should I remedy this?

It sounds like a Mickey Mouse repair job. The seam should be joined with
fiberglass tape and epoxy or polyester resin.

I was planning on coating it in gelcoat. It is at present red. He says
he fancies yellow. Would this be easily achievable or would we be
better sticking to the red pigment. I don't know how well the gelcoat
will cover.

Should I gelcoat inside too?

If you're trying to change the color, DON'T even think about messing
with gelcoat, as all you'll be doing is setting yourself up for an
immense amount of work (multiple coats plus LOTS of sanding and buffing.
Your best bet is to cover it with a high-build primer, sand it until
it's smooth, then paint it. In the long, it's a LOT less work.

I have photos of fiberglass and gelcoat work, along with instructive
captions at:

http://community.webshots.com/user/brian_nystrom-reg