How to Refinish a Fiberglass Canoe
Working with fiberglass canoes requires having special polymers and adhesives on hand. It also requires working in a well-ventilated space. Fiberglass boats can last a long time, much longer than wood and canvas canoes. If you own one, it's important to know how to perform standard maintenance on the boat, as well as how to refinish your fiberglass canoe.
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Things You'll Need
- Gel coat resin (from canoe and kayak shop)
- Acetone-based cleaner
- Paper towels
- Blow dryer or hand-held fan
- Brushes for applying resin
- Canoe wax
- Sandpaper
Instructions
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Assemble Your Materials
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Gather acetone (such as paint-brush cleaner), sandpaper for sanding out scratches and abrasions, and the gel coat resin for refinishing.
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Place the canoe on sawhorses or on another work surface that will allow you plenty of room to maneuver around the boat. You can refinish a canoe in a narrow space, but this will leave you with ventilation problems. The larger the space, the better.
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Turn on fans and open windows in your well-lit work area to keep the process from making you dizzy and causing headaches.
Refinish the Craft
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Clean the craft with the acetone, and then wash the canoe thoroughly. Any remaining acetone can eat into the gel coat you are going to apply.
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Smooth scratches and gouges with sandpaper. An electric orbital palm sander can make the process much easier and more uniform than attempting to hand-sand. Blow the dust created by sanding away with a blow dryer or hand-held fan. You can also use a "brushing liquid" to remove the grit from sanding. Brushing liquid is a solvent that can be found in paint stores.
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Refinish the newly smoothed canoe with the appropriate gel resin. Paint it on with a brush, just as you would a regular paint. Two thin coats are standard. Paint rollers can be used on the larger surfaces of the sides and bottom. Foam "brushes" that can be purchased in any paint store can be used to varnish corners and tight spots, as well as to smooth out puddles.
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Cover the craft with a layer of canoe wax when the gel coat is dry. This will help keep the canoe protected against abrasive agents in the water.
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Tips & Warnings
Work in bright light so that you can inspect your craft for holes while you sand and prepare the canoe for refinishing. Your canoe should be inspected regularly as part of your craft maintenance routine, to prevent mishaps on the water.
