For the record I measured out the MEKP. Had a quart bottle with the measuring cup built into it. Still didn't help my dumb arse. The resin and hardener came with a chart of ratios. I worked under a pole barn. Resin was always in the 90's in the afternoon even when the outside temp was down to the low 80's. Cut the glass to fit prior to mixing any resin. I always buy 5 gal buckets of resin so I would give it a stir thru the dispensing hole. Pour the resin into a work pale big enough to use a roller. (Smaller jobs used a 3" roller) Add the hardener as per the guidelines and mix it up proper. In glass with Vinylester you can multiple layer with 1.5oz chopped strand matt and then add woven roving 24oz. over that. Wet on wet the way Wellcraft built the hulls. Or you can step into some technology and get fabric that has the matt stitched onto multi directional fiber like 1208/1708. Then there is all the super trick tri directional, carbon and kevlar varieties. Working with bi-directional fabric gives lighter results that are very strong with a better glass to resin ratio, sometimes a little harder to wet out. I have used both. I was instructed to use the old school layer on layer. If you mess something up or something goes wrong be prepared to grab a putty knife and scrape off the carnage before it gets dry OR be prepared to grind after it sets. I normally roll some resin on vertical surfaces to help hold the fabric in place, roll on some more resin and then go to it with a bubble popper.
Surface prep and having the basics is the key to glassing success. Anywhere you want to repair existing fiberglass needs to be prepped by wiping with prep solvent/acetone, ground with 40 grit until all the shine is gone and the surface is relatively flat, cleaned and then wiped again with acetone and allowed to dry. Spot repairs should extend out well beyond the actual problem spot. If that problem spot is the hull itself you try and minimize the grinding on the outside of the hull and make the majority of the repair from the inside. The outside will be 95% cosmetic and 5% structural. The inside of the repair will be 100% structural and typically not seen. You can glass over the top of gelcoat after proper prep and grinding but I wouldn't make it a habit. On rebuilding my transom, Wellcraft had gelcoated the inside of the boat from side to side. I wanted my glass to cover the transom and wrap around the sides a good 8" or more. I ground it out and prepped it but still had a few spots of gel showing. No issues..
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1996 -19' NV Flats 115 Mercury 4-stroke
1983 -20' Wellcraft Center Console 250 XS
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