# Fiberglass (delamination??) repair



## Badfish (Dec 17, 2000)

Ive got a 12 year old fiberglass boat. I bought it used last fall and thought I did a pretty good job of looking it over but I apparently didnt notice an area in the fiberglass on the forward deck, about the size of a silver dollar, that is soft and crunchy. Its soft enough that I can push it in with my thumb and it will make a "crunching" sound. There doesnt seem to be any damage on the surface, except hairline cracks in the gel coat (probably from me pushing it in with my thumb). Is this delamination or damage caused by something hitting it? What kind of repair needs to be done to fix internal (inside the fiberglass layers) damage? Is it as simple as drilling a couple of small holes in the surface and injecting a resin into the inner layers to fill any voids and bond the layers together or is it more involved like removing the whole area, patching it and refinishing it? Thanks for any thoughts. Ray


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## RichH (Jul 10, 2000)

Airex core???
Probably a simple ''void'' or gas pocket that formed during layup - a fairly common occurance in older boats. I''d inject polyester resin to fill the void. I''d avoid epoxy for this injection in case the void is too deep causing excess heat build up with an epoxy that may break the surface with extreme pressure as the epoxy ''kicks''.


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## Badfish (Dec 17, 2000)

Thanks for the reply Rich.
I believe your probably right. I talked with a boat dealer yesterday and their feeling, without looking at it, is that its just a void thats been there since the boat was made and never fixed. It sounds like a fairly simple repair. Is this something that I can do or leave this one to a shop? 
Oh yea, what is "airex core" mean?
Thanks again, Ray


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## RichH (Jul 10, 2000)

Repair:.... make a tiny hole to inject the mixed resin with a large plastic syringe. If you have access to a paramedic or nurse or physician.. get a very large bore hypodermic needle to attach to the syringe. Make a very teeny hole to allow air venting while you inject. Mix up the resin and push it in with the loaded syringe. Keep the injection holes as absolutely as small as you can... less surface repair.
Tape over the whole area with masking tape before you inject so you dont ''spill'' resin on the surface. 
Airex is ''plastic foam'' used for core material... You could also have balsa core.... Airex seems to bond less well than balsa. 
Good luck.


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## Charl (Mar 9, 2001)

I don''t know if you can help,but we purchased a new club 420 last spring. Within,3-4 weeks we observed various stress fractures, a warped centerboat,and a "popping" sound on the transom when my son placed his "Navy" sticker on the stern . It was as though the hull was not "together." I am concerned not only for my childs'' safetey, but this is a lifetime competitive boat. We were told by the company that stress fractures are normal but so soon ??? I am at a loss for words and don''t know what to do! Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!


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