GP14 Sailing Forums Forum Mk1 fibreglass repair questions

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    • #5989
      Anonymous
      Inactive

      hi,

      i wonder if anyone can help? I have an old mk1 fibreglass GP14 which I want to bring back up to a decent standard. My initial questions are:

      1. How should the wooden rubbing strip be fixed to the hull? I can see that it is screwed but is it also glued to the fibreglass or is there a sealant that should be used?

      2. If I take the rubbing strip off will it keep its shape Or will it need bending again to fit the shape of the hull?

      3. The fibreglass hull is pretty untidy, can it be painted?

      4. The blue gel coat is crazed and faded etc, it has also had fittings removed leaving holes. Is there a best practice for refurbing the gel coat?

      5. Does anyone know what wood should be used to make a new mast step and a source for the wood as the mast step is rotten.

      thanks

      Paul

    • #5993
      Oliver Shaw
      Moderator

      I can at least answer questions 2 and 4.    Yes,  the hull can be painted.      The best paint for the job is a yacht quality two-pot polyurethane,  such as Perfection (from International Paints),  or the equivalent from other yacht paint manufacturers;  these paints are specifically formulated,  in part,  to overcoat GRP gelcoat,  specifically as the final stage in the treatment of osmosis (a.k.a. boatpox).      Of course,  as with any two-pot product,  all traces of any one-pot finishes must be removed first.

       

      Having said that,  some years ago my oldest sailing friend made an excellent job of refurbishing a onetime training centre boat,  and he finished her by painting with Toplac (International Paints’ one-pot conventional yacht enamel),  and achieved a superb result.

       

      Either of these paints,  which are at the top of the range in their respective fields,  are capable of producing a first class result.   No doubt other specialist yacht paint manufacturers (e.g. Epiphanes,  and Blakes) have equivalents which are equally good,  but the International range is the one which I happen to be familiar with,  and it is readily available from chandlers.

       

      Beyond that,  rather than my hypothesizing about repair techniques I would refer you to the GP14 Owners Online Community (on our Links page,  near the bottom).   There are experts there who have first-hand experience of working on these early GRP boats.

       

      Hope this helps,

       

       

      Oliver

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