Building a Fiberglass Boat On a Simple Ways

There are many ways to make a boat and one of them is from fiberglass. As the name implies building a fiberglass boat means that you are using fiberglass as the main material. Of course, it is not as easy as many people are thinking because fiberglass needs a material to be applied into so it can harden and become a complete waterproof material.

There are many benefits that we can get from making our own boat. First of all it can help us in having fun in our spare time. Yes, you can use your own boat for your amusement such as to take you fishing in the river. Or if you prefer you can also make the boat as a simple refreshing place for you to enjoy the scenery or your afternoon in your weekend.

Not to mention that you can also make the project with your friend or your children if you already have one. This will improve your relationship and make your children feels closer to you as well teach them the art of craftsmanship. Therefore, knowing all of the benefits we can get from making a boat then here are some of the explanation on how to make your own boat using fiberglass.

Things you should know: How to paint wooden boats

Building a fiberglass boat step by step

1. Prepare the Main boat for fiber glassing
First of all when you want to start in the step of building a fiberglass boat there are several process. The first one is to prepare the wooden boat you made from plywood based boat. Of course, it can be made by just joining several plywood boats. The most important thing is that the boat are ready for you to be applied with fiber glass.

After you prepare the boat make sure that you remove all of the extra items from your boat. This means that you need to remove the boat inside with sand paper to make it clean. Make sure all of the boat are cleaned so in the end you can make your own boat using the fiber glass method.

After sanding the whole boat in both exterior and interior, you need to repair any hole or damaged section by using dewaxing solvent substance. Then after that laminate the broken part using acrylic patch and PVA mold for the exterior of the boat. Additionally do not forget to apply fiberglass patch that are fit into the hole. Try to use this step more than one time for better results

2. Mix Resin and Hardener
Just as the section named, in this section we need to mix resin and also hardener to be applied into the boat itself especially on the hull of the boat to strengthen or fortify the boat. Do not forget that it is important if you want in the step of building a fiberglass boat.

3.  Resin Appliance
After you prepare the resin, then it is the time to apply the resin into your boat. Do not forget to use foam roller in order to apply the resin so it will be applied in a better way. To make things easier, you also need to wait for the surface to be even as you apply the resin in order to fortify the hull.

4 Fiberglass cloth
The next thing you need to do is to prepare the fiberglass cloth and then cur it into the shape of the boat such as in important part like hull and also tape it into the boat to cover it in one layer. Do not forget that you need to use tape or staples to make it work.

5. Apply Resin again
This time in the fifth step on building a fiberglass boat you need to make sure that you apply the resin once again. This type of coating is known as bond coat which you need to wait for 24 hours for the coat to dry first before you sand the hull again.

Apply the bond coat into the layer of the fiberglass cloth in order to strengthen it further and also make it even more interesting and also powerful. Note that you also need to remove the staples and tape that you used to apply the coat before you apply the resin or bond coat.

6. Apply Fill Coat
The next step you need to do is to apply another coat of resin which is known as the fill coat to make sure that the boat are fortified enough and it acts as the holder between this coat and the lower coat which will be applied after these steps.


More complete steps on http://buildyourownboatplans.com about how to build fiberglass from the scratch

7. Finishing
Finally. In the last part of the building a fiberglass boat, the next thing that you need to do is to sand the hull and then apply protective agents. Do not forget that each resin coated need to be wait for approximately 24 hours in order to give the best results.

How to Paint Wooden Boats

Hey guys- building boats- wooden boats, aluminum boats and other kinds of boats is a venture- such a fantastic and learning how to paint wooden boats will help you greatly in your future boat building projects.

I just wanted to provide some information for those that wanted to go all the way with their boat building projects- from finding the perfect wood , using correct measurements and even finishing the wooden boats with outstanding paint jobs and more.

Here are some quick steps for finishing your own boat with a great finishing paint job.

Preparing Your Wooden Boat For Paint

The first thing you must know about painting your boat- or anything else, is that preparation is KEY. In my experience , when a surface is not prepared properly, the results are usually less than satisfactory.

So what I want you to do, is set the boat on a couple of saw horses inside your garage or wherevere you have room. I would definetely prefer using a space that has limited dust and dirt.

Once you have set up your boat – its time to sand it down. Sanding down any rough spots – cleaning up grease and dirt and basically get rid of any unwanted stains and marks that can be considered unsightly.

Repairs- If Needed

Now, if there are any dings, dents or unsightly damages- try to fill them in with standard compounds – (they can be found at many local boat supplies and repair shops).

For more simple damages, like scratches or scrapes- a good standard sanding with stronger, 60 grit sandpaper should take care of it. Juts make sure you finish this job with some less rough sand paper , like mayb 100 120 grit.

Completely Sand The Entire Vessel – Inside and Out

Now this part is important- like I always say, preparation IS KEY. If you take your time and completely sand down your entire wooden boat, and make SURE THAT  there are no bumps or uneven area’s- your finish coat will provide you with a smooth almost flawless, like new finish.

And lets be honest – the finish is the most important aspect of the boats paint job.

Prime and Paint The Finish Coat

1st of all find a primer that is especially made for boats and water resistant vessels. The primer is what will ensure that your finish coat bonds completely and you will find that the final coat will last for a very long time.

After priming the boat- inside and out, let it dry for a good while. Basically until the primer and boat is completely dry.

This is so you can sand it one more time with a very fine grit of sand paper. Not only will you be able to sand out any missed bumps or imperfections- but this final sanding will help the final coat of paint bond to the boat completely.

And when you apply the final color/coat – make sure that you make sure the final coat of paint cover’s and cover’s well. And if you find that the final coat of paint does not cover completely – thats O.K. – many times have we had to give the boat another coat of paint. Thats why I always recommend using a sprayer – not only do sprayer’s have a tendacy to cover better- but if you find that the boat need’s another coat- you simply load up some more paint and give the boat a quick spray down.

I hope that this information has been helpful to you- you can do ANYTHING you want if you want to. And it never hurts to have proper tools and instructions and boat plans as well.