Try to Repairyself or Let the Pro do it.

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marc.moore01

marc.moore01

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Jul 6, 2013
6
Oday 28 Parlin
I figure I'd put the Question to the Group I have a 1979 O'Day 25" I was wondering if I should Attempt a repair myself or leave it to the expert I have included some pics (both up-close and from far) I have little experience with fiberglass repair.I got a quote from the yard guy for about $1800 which I feel is way too much
 

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Ritdog

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Jul 18, 2011
184
Oday 25 Portland, ME
Concur- $150 on the outside - you will learn things you really should know too! FG work is fun, and creative! Finding the piece of rubrail will be the hardest part of the whole job.

Find a book: "This Old Boat" by Don Casey. Will explain everything, in great detail.
 
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Ward H

Ward H

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Nov 7, 2011
3,814
Catalina 30 Mk II Cedar Creek, Bayville NJ
Rudy at D&R Marine has that rub rail and the insert. Nasty hit. I too would try to fix it myself rather than spend that much money on the repair.
 
marc.moore01

marc.moore01

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Jul 6, 2013
6
Oday 28 Parlin
@Ritdog "This Old Boat" Located and Ordered ($4.42) on Amazon (Priceless_)... I Wonder could this be why there is always a little water in the Cabin? there is a Panel in the Cabin on the Floor about 8" by 1'
 
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Ritdog

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Jul 18, 2011
184
Oday 25 Portland, ME
Hi Marc- I can tell you as a 25 owner that there ALWAYS seems to be water in the cabin- owners will tell you that they seem to have a built-in leak over the SB galley counter, coming down from somewhere up top. . The screws of the handrails seem to be leaky. Or, could be the screws holding the sliding hatch sliders down. You have to get in there, route out the balsa, and epoxy plug the screw locations. Am not familiar with that panel....there IS the bilge panel , 4' x 8" .
 
jepomer

jepomer

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Jan 22, 2008
507
Catalina 310 278 Lyndeborough NH
The quote is reasonable especially if you are looking for a "perfect" repair and have the new gelcoat match the remaining.

With that said, if you have time and patience AND are a hands-on type of person, you will do well with repairing it yourself. Epoxy systems are well defined and straight forward to use. You can also grind out the repair and start over if needed. Applying gelcoat is akin to spray painting. There is skill involved in making it look "perfect", but it is doable. The rub rail is available at D&R Marine.

Do an initial repair to keep the boat sailing for the season. Do the permanent repair at the end of the season.
 
Golden Road

Golden Road

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Nov 5, 2010
99
Oday 23 Stonington, CT
Unless you are experienced with fiberglass repair, the end result will look like crap. $1800 is very reasonable. And BTW, you would NOT use epoxy here!!!
 
jepomer

jepomer

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Jan 22, 2008
507
Catalina 310 278 Lyndeborough NH
Stusail said:
Unless you are experienced with fiberglass repair, the end result will look like crap. $1800 is very reasonable. And BTW, you would NOT use epoxy here!!!
Click to expand
If not epoxy, what would you use to rebuild the missing material that is not external rub rail?

The original poster will have to make a decision as to what is most important to him. As I stated earlier, if he has no hands-on aptitude and wants a "perfect" looking result, then the $1800 is reasonable.

Remember, many of us enjoy the repair process and learning how to do new things. The results may not be aesthetically pleasing to others, but it can be reworked until it is correct. In the meantime, the boat can be made "functional" for the rest of the season. This has value on its own.

The torn fiberglass needs to be repaired. Unless you know of something magical, epoxy is the best repair material for torn or damaged fiberglass. In this repair I would expect that a sprayed gel coat would be the best finish to cover the epoxy.
 
Erieau

Erieau

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Apr 3, 2009
209
Oday 25 Erieau
Hey, it's already broken. What's the worst that can happen if you repair it yourself?
Search for Nate Bayreuther's rubrail repair on his O'day Mariner, Orion. He had this same damage exactly. I believe the pics are on the Mariner Association website, but Google will tell you for sure.
 
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Ritdog

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Jul 18, 2011
184
Oday 25 Portland, ME
Gelcoat does not really do too well with epoxy- it tends not to dry, or when it does, it will soften the epoxy underneath, while being firmer on top.

You can put epoxy on poly, but not poly on epoxy.
 
Kelly

Kelly

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Feb 27, 2006
37
Oday 22 Michigan
A couple of years ago I had to repair my forward hatch after the wind caught it (my other half claims it was dogged down, but that's another story). Anyway, I jumped in and gave it a shot which was a very gratifying learning experience. Although your job is somewhat bigger, many of the concepts are the same. Built up the damaged area with West System resin and fiberglass cloth, then applied gelcoat with a Preval sprayer ($5 at many locations). The gelcoat was then wet sanded with decreasing grit count, followed by buffing it out with compound. Couldn't have been happier with the final result. If you're not averse to tinkering, then I would encourage you to go for it.
 
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