repair job

I just bought a old fiberglass canoe.  The keel needs fiberglass repair.  I also would like to add some extra support to the floor of the canoe because it seems a little flexi.  I have never repaired a canoe before.  What steps do i need to take to repair the damage? I know i have to cut out the damages areas.  I know i have to layer the fiberglass mesh.  <br />

I guess i am wondering what do i need to do to prepare the surface for the repair. Also, once the repair is finished do i need to gel coat the canoe again. Note: this canoe will be used for hunting, and i want to paint it flat marsh color, no gloss finish for me.

What materials do i need for this project? fiberglass mesh, epoxy, epoxy hardener... what else?


The help would be appreciated.

mask/respirator
if working inside, maybe a stiff wind if working outside and you on the upwind side…rubber gloves, wood sticks to mix with, squeegee to spread out the epoxy. At any given time many of us are fixing/reparing. I’ve got a quarter size chunk of gel coat to fix soon myself

mesh??
I forgot what fiberglass mesh is used for, but boat repair isn’t it. You want to use fiberglass cloth,a few layers of 6 oz or 10 oz stuff.(you also don’t want to use the chop strand fiberglass matting with epoxy)

And just to make sure…you want to use the thin epoxy made for laminating, comes in bottles/jugs with pumps, not the little tiny squeeze tube ones you buy for gluing things.

Respirator,for sure. lots of gloves. sandpaper and a sanding block. I wouldn’t re-gelcoat the whole thing, you can paint it just fine with marine paint after proper prep.

Little tip-you want to use enough epoxy to saturate the cloth,but using more epoxy than you NEED will just add more weight and make the repair more prone to cracking.