refinishing a fibreglass kayak.

[paul collins]

my neighbour has just acquired a kayak which as i type he is sanding back.he needs to recoat it is there a special paint he can use?was going to use marine varnish but was advised against it.so i said i will get the collective wisdom of the forum onto his problem.thanks in advance.oh its fibreglass.

[durwood]

You will need a strong scratch resistant paint, the normal refinish material for fibreglass is polyurethane with a suitable primer, epoxy or a polyurethane primer (though you could skip the primer if the surface is in good condition when sanded.) . Poly is what fibreglass airplane parts are finished in and is what fibreglass boats normally are painted in, but you will need to be conversent with using 2 pack paint.

You could also apply acrylic urethane enamel as used on repair of modern motor cars but the same situation applies its 2 pack also. It is not quite as hard as poly but other finishes are not really up to the wear and tear a kayak would be subject to. Marine varnish and other similar paints are too soft and will not adhere very well to fibreglass.

Tell you neighbour to go easy on the sanding as he doesn't want to break through the gell coat into the glass layer underneath if he can help it. If he does he will have problems with what ever finish he applies as it has to be sealed off to prevent pin holes in the paint. If there are deep scratches have him fill them with a plastic filler such as used in car repairs.

[Froggie40]

G'day Paul,
I am a Licensed boat builder and worked in the marine industry for 17 years what your neighbour is doing is a very specialised process, there is a product specifically designed for painting Fibreglass but I can't remember the exact name for it the best advise I can give you is to contact a company in Sydney called Resene Devoe tell them exactly what you are doing and they will point you in the right direction but be prepared what he is doing is an expensive exercise. If he needs to do any filling do not use plastic filler it will crack if the Kayak flexes in any way you need to use a 2 part epoxy filler it won't crack.
The phone number for Resene Devoe is 1800 738 383 they are in Smithfield in Sydney their products are brilliant.

P.S. If you are going to use these products you will need the proper safety equipment it is very harmful but it is the only product that will work properly and last for good length of time.

Froggie

[paul collins]

durwood,froggie,your collective words of wisdom have been passed on to my neighbour who is very gratefull,thanks once again.