Scratch repairs to fibreglass?

[Chrissy and Martin]

We've no idea how it got there but we have a sratch (part of it deep enough to get a fingernail into) on the passenger side at the rear of our outlook. Its about a foot long I guess.
Any tips on the best way of getting a repair?
Martin

[lunnie]

I am sure Ant will come along with a solution.

[ant]

Hi Martin.
1200 wet and dry paper( always use it wet) will remove fairly deep scratches in the GRP so long as it is only as deep as the gel coat, be very careful not to rub too hard as you may start to see the fibres underneath. Once the scratch has been removed or reduced as much as you dare, polish it back to a shine with some G3 rubbing compound and a good wax.
You'll be the only one who notices it from then on!
Ant

[yamaha]

What about the specialist coloured scratch kits that places like Halfords sell?
They have a selection of basic shades - and usually come with a wax stick attached - if this is used across the scratch, it should "fill" it in.

Once it was dried - and the surplus removed, it may be virtually invisible.

Mike

[barry5933]

You do need to be VERY careful in rubbing down glassfibre mouldings. The gelcoat is very thin, being not much more than a coat of thick paint applied to the inside of the mould before the first structural layer of resin and mat is laid in.

On my boat, I fill the scratch first using a "Plastic Padding Gelcoat Filler". This is a two part polyester goo, that once cured is a hard substance that can be shaped by blade or file. The secret is to very slightly overfill the scratch, avoiding too much of a bump. Then shave off as much surplus as possible without marking the surrounding panel. Finally, follow Ant's advice and use the wet & dry paper, trying to remove only any remaining protruding filler and as little as possible of the adjacent gelcoat.

Do it very gingerly, little at a time. If in doubt ... stop, have a cup of tea ... and then resume if necessary.

Good luck

[ant]

Barry is right to advise caution when rubbing gel coat down, but fortunately with all Romahomes a double layer of gel coat is used during manufacture which allows a bit more depth of shine and repairability. Aren't you pleased you own a Romahome and not some other pretender with just one layer of gel coat!
Ant

[paul]

Most filler pastes are an ugly shade of grey but if you go to a company which supplies vehicle body repairers you can get it in white - specially made for caravans, campers etc. It's called U-pol.

I got mine from Jawells who have a lot of branches round here in the W.Midlands but I don't know about the rest of the country. Unusually, google was no help. The makers though are at www.u-pol.com/countries/en/navigate.htm, so an email ought to find your local stockist.

The only downside is that it comes in industrial-sized quantities. The smallest size is 1Litre at around £15. That's expensive compared with a little patching kit from Halfords but then, Halfords don't do white.

As has been said before, fill the scratch, overfilling slightly but getting as little as possible on the surrounding surface. Then carefully cut it level with wet-or-dry and finally polish.

[lunnie]

Would this help me, my locker door has had a piece knocked out, the hinge side, I think it could have been done by someone carrying a pipe or something from the builders merchants, and it hit my vehicle door on the corner, breaking off a small chunk. I wouldnt mind paying £15 if 'Freda' was whole again

[paul]

lunnie said:

Would this help me, my locker door has had a piece knocked out, the hinge side

I'd say it probably would but it depends on the size of the missing piece. I'm no expert - I just did a one-off DIY repair - but I'd say that if the missing bit is any bigger than perhaps a 50p piece then you should back it up first. Just use a standard glassfibre repair kit as a patch on the inside, then finish it off outside with the white filler.

[lunnie]

Thx u, size of 10pence piece.

[loneranger2272]

I don't have scratches in the bodywork of my very old Romahome but I do have several cracked areas almost like spider's webs. What type of repair does anyone recommend? My van was sitting on a back lot for a year before I bought it and the bodywork has no shine at all. What can a mature woman reasonably manage to do to improve it's looks?