Re-Fiberglassing a canoe....

[Rip_Some_Lip]

Hi guys, I bought an old fiberglass canoe for $25 about a year ago. It had a couple of patches that I knew leaked when I bought it. I sanded the whole thing down and sanded the patches down to the original fiberglass. I noticed the floor seems kind of thin and flimsy and I am thinking of fiberglassing the whole bottom. Would it be better (and cheaper) to just do it in myself sections or try to find someone who can spray it on all at once? I live in Southern MN and I am not sure who does it in the area. Any tips or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. I have never fiberglassed anything but hey...how hard can it be?

[FRESHWATER PETIE]

Stinky!! Working with fiberglass resins can get real stinky and messy. Use acetone for clean up. It is fairly easy to do your self, just get all the air bubbles rolled out.

[Bobb-o]

fiberglass pacthes are surprisingly easy to work with. got a kayak that needed some patches put on it and the work went really fast (except for sanding the 14 coats of paint off)The fiberglass kit i used was made by Bondo and came in a little black box, has everything you need, except as was mentioned before, some acetone to clean up with.

[Whoaru99]

Not sure it would be either better or cheaper to re-glass the whole bottom yourself. I'd call around and see if you can get some estimates.

You might find it's better just to patch it up and use it for what it's worth.

[Steve Bakken]

If you can swing it by the shop sometime, we can take a look at it and figure out what it'll take to get it fixed up. Then at least you'll have an idea of what it'll cost to have it done, and you can weigh your options.