How to Lay a Fiberglass Cloth on a Canoe

Covering a wood or canvas canoe with fiberglass can strengthen the boat and protect the hull if done properly. A lightweight fiberglass with an epoxy-based resin sets clear and polishes up nicely, preserving the look of your boat while toughening the hull. It's a big messy job and takes some skill, but if you pace yourself at first and work small sections at a time, you will soon figure out how fast you can work.

Things You'll Need

  • Epoxy fiberglass resin
  • Hardener
  • Respirator
  • 4- to 6-oz. E-glass Fiberglass Plain Weave Thickness: 0.0093" (enough to cover and drape the hull)
  • Scissors
  • Disposable mixing bucket
  • Stirring stick
  • Trim knife
  • Sandpaper and sander
  • Acetone
  • Brushes, 1-, 2- and 3-inch
  • Plastic or metal flat edged spreading tool
  • Latex or rubber gloves
  • Duct tape
  • Power buffer
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Instructions

  1. Laying the Glass

    • 1

      Turn the canoe upside down on supports so it's at a comfortable working height. Clean the hull thoroughly with soap and water and then wipe it down with a rag dampened with acetone. Wear gloves while handling any chemicals in this process.

    • 2

      Drape the fiberglass cloth over the hull so it hangs down past all the edges and over the ends of the canoe. Trim the cloth at the edges with scissors an inch or two past the edges because the cloth shrinks a little as it cures. Tape the edges at intervals with duct tape to temporarily hold the cloth in place while you stretch and trim. Where the fabric bends over curves and over the end of the canoe, little folds will pop up. You will need to cut the excess fabric off, leaving little V shaped notches in the fabric where the fold was. When you apply the fiberglass resin you will pull the edges of the trimmed sections together. Just pull a few threads from the edges of trimmed sections, so that when you press them down and together, the edges feather into each other.

    • 3

      Mix a small batch of the resin with the hardener, pull back the fiberglass cloth and pre-wet a section of the hull. Start from one end and work you way toward the other. Pull off the tape as you go so you can lift up the fabric. Don't mix more resin than you can spread before it hardens.

    • 4

      Lay the fiberglass over the wet epoxy, and then brush over the top with the resin mixture until the white areas between the threads and all bubbles have disappeared. E-cloth is a bit harder to wet than regular fiberglass, so it's better to use a low viscosity resin or to pre-warm the resin. The fiberglass will set completely clear. Repeat section-by-section, pulling up the fiberglass, and then wetting it through. Use the spreader blade to work out any bubbles or high spots as you go along and blend the new sections with ones you did earlier.

    • 5

      Test the bond between the fiberglass and the hull. As the epoxy-based resin and fabric bond to the hull, the cloth seems to magically disappear. When you're done, go back to the end where you started. Take a quarter and tap the surface all over, listening for a hollow sound where the fiberglass failed to bond with the hull. Delaminated sections should be removed and redone with a fiberglass cloth patch. If you thoroughly wet the fiberglass and use the spreader to remove bubbles and press down the fiberglass as you go, however, the covering should be solid.

    • 6

      Sand the edges thoroughly to remove any sharp or rough edges. Lightly sand the hull with fine sandpaper, gradually using finer and finer grades, and finish with a lightweight steel wool. Allow the fiberglassed hull to cure in the sun.

    • 7

      Brush or spray on a final epoxy clear coat. If you're brushing it on, do several thin coats, scrubbing between coats with fine grade steel wool. When you've finished with the final clear coat and it has had a day to cure, polish the hull with a buffer till it shines.