I recently purchased a used fiberglass kayak. ($30.00 at a yard sale, couldn’t say no) It appears to have been stored outside, and the bottom is “fuzzy”. Can I roll on some fiberglass resin, and then paint? My understanding is that fiberglass resin is not UV stable, and will have to be coated with something. I don’t mind putting a little money in the boat as it paddles well and fits my daughter.
Coating the bottom
Yes, you can do what you ask. When people say fiberglass resin they mean polyester resin. That’s OK but epoxy sticks better to hardened fiberglass. You have to sand it first because it could be waxy. It’s hard to get a coat without runs and drips on a non flat surface and you may have to do a few coats sanding in between. Make sue the last coat is sanded with some wet 220 or finer. Then you could paint it with oil base enamel.
I wouldn’t bother with resin…
…unless there is exposed fiberglass that needs to be covered. Sand it, prime it, repeat until you get a good surface, then paint it with a good marine enamel. It will be a lot less hassle than dealing with polyester resin.
I refinished a hull…
…with a two part epoxy I got on e-bay and I’m really happy with it. Perfectly crystal clear and no indication of yellowing after a year of use. Pretty hard stuff, too. I ran her up on a couple of sharp rocks enough to lift the boat a few inches, where I had to put my hands out and lift her off the rocks…just a couple of scratches. I banged the bow lightly on a concrete step and couldn’t even find where it hit!
Rolled it on with a small finish roller. A little orange peel feel to the finish, but that will be taken care of later when I touch it up somewhere down the road… (or river, or whatever…)
Polymer Products Max CLR-HP. Really helpful staff as well.