I've got an old fiberglass canoe that I want to use as a go anywhere with no worries boat. I'm not sure the brand but it's a 17-18 footer with a flat bottom. The previous owner layered his own hand made fiberglass skid plates onto it which at the time I thought would be ok but the more I use it the more I realize I'm not "banging" it around that much and they look pretty ugly. His explanation was he added a layer of felt and then fiberglass/resin over that. Maybe more than one layer? I'm thinking of a spring project to get it out of the garage, take it carefully back to original lines (flat bottom) and give it a new finish coat. It's now an ugly dark blue and I'd like to brighten it up.

Anyway I've not done work with fiberglass like this and wonder how experienced folk would go about removing that added buildup and would welcome any advice.

Some pics would be a great help !

Did your friend use epoxy resin ?

Was the felt Kevlar ?

Jim

Not a pro but think you will wind up grinding them down.
Angle grinder and some 80 to 120 grit disks will make short work but dusty, wear protective gear, do not do this in the living room! Sandpaper of differing grits and hand sanding can do also if time and effort is not important. If you take your time and be neat and careful you can get away with a nice smooth result only needing a gel coat skim covering. Get too aggressive and more work and materials will be needed. An automotive fiberglass kit can be a good starter for supplies, fg cloth and 2 part poly resin along with plastic spreaders most include instructions, Bondo Fiberglass Kit, Wenonah Repair Kit , Oak Orchard Canoe , various supplies.
Skid plate install CowDoc does some nice work!
OneMatch unorthodox fix
buttheads oddball ways
Composites are simple to work with, lots of ways to do what ya want.

butthead

I wouldn't advise an automtive bondo kit. Stick with a marine epoxy.

Epoxy will bond better than the polyester resin, in the bondo kits..

Care in removing the old stuff is the key !

Jim

Thanks everyone. I don't have pics right now but did talk to the owner and learned it was not a kevlar but regular felt with fiberglass repair kit using an epoxy. I figured it to be messy and am waiting for spring to work on in the backyard. The angle grinder appeals as a quicker method to endless sanding.

Good ! The felt will remove a lot easier, than kevlar.
Smart decision to wait until you can do it outside, and wear a good mask, while grinding.
Good luck !

Jim

quote 1JimD: " I wouldn't advise an automtive bondo kit. Stick with a marine epoxy.


Epoxy will bond better than the polyester resin, in the bondo kits..


Care in removing the old stuff is the key !


Jim "

Fiberglass weave and polyester resin, pretty much the same either automotive or marine, and easy to work with. Vinyl ester resin and epoxy can be found just not in local stores, a bit more expensive and difficult to work. Cosmetic work is what bapabear described, any will work.

butthead