Working with fiberglass .... urghhh!

[Mitjam]

You might want to wait for the final photos before you make a decision!

I’m sure it will look great. That fiberglass reminds me of drywalling and painting I hate all 3

 

[McMXi]

I'm ok with installing drywall, but I don't like the whole tape, joint compound, sand, repeat and paint process. I particularly don't enjoy painting if a brush or roller is involved.

I finished up the front side of the console with two more layers of CSM and a different resin. I had to go to Home Depot to pick up more resin since I used up the Fiberglass Warehouse stuff. I have a nice "flat" surface on the front side with approximately 3/8" of fiberglass mat and resin all the way through, and possibly closer to 1/2" in the center section. When I cut holes for the various components I'll get to see just how thick the console is. I'll be applying a skim coat of Evercoat Formula 27 to the front surface and radii to get it as smooth as possible prior to gel coat. Once the gel coat is sanded with 1,200 grit paper, it should look like a factory job.

I got two layers of bi-axial mat and one layer of CSM on the back side, and after cleaning up the inside margins I'll add the last layer of CSM which will be nicely fitted to blend everything together. I feel good about the integrity of this modification with existing fiberglass sandwiched between new layers of CSM and bi-axial mat. As I said earlier, this is not a structural part like the hull so it's a good way to learn how to work with resin, mat and fillers where the penalty for failure is more inconvenience than catastrophe.

Some might wonder why I'm doing this during the boating months and not during the off-season. Well, fiberglass work should ideally be done when the temperatures are in the 65°F to 85°F range. Since I don't have a heated shop I can't do this in the winter, and living in Montana, we don't have a lot of days in the ideal temperature range. It's currently around 50°F in the mornings so I have to wait until it warms up before I can do much in the way of fiberglass work.

 

[Mitjam]

I'm ok with installing drywall, but I don't like the whole tape, joint compound, sand, repeat and paint process. I particularly don't enjoy painting if a brush or roller is involved.

I finished up the front side of the console with two more layers of CSM and a different resin. I had to go to Home Depot to pick up more resin since I used up the Fiberglass Warehouse stuff. I have a nice "flat" surface on the front side with approximately 3/8" of fiberglass mat and resin all the way through, and possibly closer to 1/2" in the center section. When I cut holes for the various components I'll get to see just how thick the console is. I'll be applying a skim coat of Evercoat Formula 27 to the front surface and radii to get it as smooth as possible prior to gel coat. Once the gel coat is sanded with 1,200 grit paper, it should look like a factory job.

I got two layers of bi-axial mat and one layer of CSM on the back side, and after cleaning up the inside margins I'll add the last layer of CSM which will be nicely fitted to blend everything together. I feel good about the integrity of this modification with existing fiberglass sandwiched between new layers of CSM and bi-axial mat. As I said earlier, this is not a structural part like the hull so it's a good way to learn how to work with resin, mat and fillers where the penalty for failure is more inconvenience than catastrophe.

Some might wonder why I'm doing this during the boating months and not during the off-season. Well, fiberglass work should ideally be done when the temperatures are in the 65°F to 85°F range. Since I don't have a heated shop I can't do this in the winter, and living in Montana, we don't have a lot of days in the ideal temperature range. It's currently around 50°F in the mornings so I have to wait until it warms up before I can do much in the way of fiberglass work.

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I hear ya. I do have a heated shop but not nearly big enough for everything that should be in there that’s for sure. A lot of winter projects end up being summer fall.

 

[McMXi]

I'm making good progress and will be gel coating the front tomorrow. I managed to get another layer of bi-axial on the back side after I cleaned the outer edges. I blended and leveled the front face using Evercoat Formula 27 to fill in the low spots and feathered in the outer radii. It doesn't look like it, but the front is almost as flat as a piece of glass, and that's before gel coat which will consist of three layers with wax in the last layer.

I'm probably going to gel coat over the bi-axial on the back side and use a roller for a textured finish since the inside of the console is fairly "rough" in appearance. In case anyone's wondering why there's a black circle under the bi-axial mat on the back side, well, I noticed a bubble so I ground it out and then put two circular pieces of CSM under the bi-axial with the second circle larger than the first. The intent is to make the outer surface flat and having a divot under the bi-axial wouldn't have allowed for that.

 

[McMXi]

Still a ways to go but I got the holes located and cut out. The five round holes are done and good to go but the four rectangular holes need some work to get them to the finished size. I slightly undercut them to be safe. The fiberglass is 3/4" thick in the center and 1/2" thick towards the outside.

I still need to apply more gel coat and sand to a nice finish but that'll have to wait until I get back from a work trip.

 

[McMXi]

So from this ...

To this ....

 

[Russell King]

Odd that steering is not in center of the width! My symmetry meter is going off like crazy!

At least it looks like you got rid of the offset dip in the middle and appears the large rectangular opening is pretty close to centered over the steering column. (I think your layout had it further off than it appears now )

Looks good

 

[McMXi]

Now that boating season is winding down it's time for an update on the very deep rabbit hole that I found myself in. I learned a lot, and still have more to learn, but being out on the lake with friends and enjoying the boat this summer, along with the greatly improved functionality due to the upgrades has all been worth it. Looking at a couple of ferries in 50 ft of water where Flathead River enters Flathead Lake and seeing amazing detail via ClearVu is kind of addictive.

I have a couple of things to do still, more than a couple actually, but have decided to put them off to next spring since they're not pressing.

The first photo shows how the boat was set up when I bought it, and the second photo shows the upgraded layout after I modified the center console. I bought a new binnacle last year and decided to fix the chainsaw hack-job that Robalo (or the selling dealer) had done before installing the new one that's shown in the second photo.

 

[chim]

The last fiberglass project was on my new 1975 K10 Blazer. That was the last year that had a removable full fiberglass top. I bought a broken fiberglass top and cut it off behind the roll bar. Made a plexiglass rear window and had an upholstery shop make a tarp to cover the back. Lots of itchy sneezy work to make a super-shortbed

 

[Splinters and Sparks]

Very nice work! I wrote off fiberglass work after rebuilding a 18' open bow with rotted floors. It took me months and months.
Yours looks better than the factory!

 

[Runs With Scissors]

Wow, that looks great!

My hat is off to you sir; That must have taken forever, but the results are spectacular.

(just thinking about it makes me itch)

 

[BBFarmer]

Now that boating season is winding down it's time for an update on the very deep rabbit hole that I found myself in. I learned a lot, and still have more to learn, but being out on the lake with friends and enjoying the boat this summer, along with the greatly improved functionality due to the upgrades has all been worth it. Looking at a couple of ferries in 50 ft of water where Flathead River enters Flathead Lake and seeing amazing detail via ClearVu is kind of addictive.

I have a couple of things to do still, more than a couple actually, but have decided to put them off to next spring since they're not pressing.

The first photo shows how the boat was set up when I bought it, and the second photo shows the upgraded layout after I modified the center console. I bought a new binnacle last year and decided to fix the chainsaw hack-job that Robalo (or the selling dealer) had done before installing the new one that's shown in the second photo.


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Man that looks excellent! Well done sir.

I fiber glassed part of the bed corners on my elco......25 years ago LOL

I can still smell the resin, and like @Runs With Scissors said, im itching just thinking about!

 

[North Idaho Wolfman]

Now that boating season is winding down

I'm not ready for bikini season to end and for sweater season to start!

 

[Runs With Scissors]

I'm not ready for bikini season to end and for sweater season to start!

Although I understand the sentiment, and agree mostly……."Sweater Puppies" are nice and “snuggly” as well.

Just say’n...