The Fiberglass Boat Repair Manual

"This book will save you money and grief before you can say woven roving."--Sailing

"A comprehensive and accurate work that should benefit almost any owner of a fiberglass boat."--SAIL

"This book will prove a valuable addition to the library of any boat builder or owner who is seriously interested in doing his own repairs, as well as intercepting minor problems before they become major projects."--Boatbuilder

Are there hairline cracks in your boat's deck or topsides gelcoat? Have her color and luster faded over the years? Does she have deck leaks? Has she been holed? Is her hull oilcanning in a sea? If your answer to any of these questions is yes, this book is for you. This is the definitive guide for fiberglass boat repair and beautification, covering not just cosmetic dings and scratches, but also major repairs of structural damage to hull and decks. It will show you how to:

• replace deteriorated gelcoat, or repair the flaws in an existing gelcoat and recoat it with polyurethane or marine alkyd enamel paint;
• strengthen a weak and overly flexible hull or deck;
• tab in loose hull liners and joinerwork;
• make templates from the good side of a hull to reshape large shattered or missing areas on the other side;
• repair or replace water-saturated deck cores;
• repair keels, rudders, and centerboards;
• rebed and refasten underwater and on-deck hardware;
• rebed, refasten, and strengthen hull-to-deck joints;
• fix broken hatches, and make new ones when necessary;
• treat the symptoms and causes of overstressed hulls.

That beautiful craft swinging at anchor or nestled dockside, her topsides reflecting water and sky like a polished mirror, could be yours. Here's how.

Mr. Vaitses has been at this for a long time and with experience in the world of wooden boats (all boats have wood in them somewhere) as well as having been a player in the fiberglass revolution, is able to offer a well-rounded perspective. His honest, no-nonsense approach to problem-solving is refreshing.

Besides the obvious background info and how-to descriptions, this book can be an invaluable asset when examining a used boat. Mr. Vaitses is currently working as a marine surveyor (a person who inspects and evaluates the condition of boats for prospective buyers). All used boats need some kind of work and the challenge then becomes evaluating the nature and scope of needed repairs, e.g. distinguishing structural and safety issues from cosmetics and determining whether one can affect the repairs oneself vs. how much it will cost to have someone else do it.

Studying this book allows one to communicate more effectively with the surveyor and to describe problems more accurately to repair facilities in order to estimate projected costs. We recently completed the evaluation and purchase of a 1974 36-foot fiberglass cruiser. I can honestly say that the knowledge and confidence I gained from this book made the entire process a good bit less nerve-racking than it might have been!