I am new to sailing and was given a mirror sailing boat.
I am going to have ago of restoring it, its not that bad concisdering its 40 yrs old.
When fetched it on the trailer, theres a roller on the trailer that went through the bottom of the hull and havn't a clue to fix it.
I would be very much more than gratefull to anyone who could tell me step by step what to do
thanks

dean, June 2010

Is your mirror a wooden one? if so you can repair easily. Method 1; clean an area inside the boat around the hole to bare wood. Cut the hole to give clean edges to the ply. make a plywood insert to fit the hole of the same thickness (best to use marine grade ply) Make a patch of similar ply approx 50 mm bigger all round than hole. Use a good waterproof glue (epoxy?) to glue the patch inside then glue the insert into the hole. Fair it in with filler and sand level then paint.
Method 2; Make the hole a regular shape (square or rectangle) scarf all sides of hole with a taper at least 3 times the thickness of the ply. make a patch of the same thicness ply with matching scarf to fit exactly and fit using a good quality waterproof glue. Finish as above.
Method 2 is prefered especially if access inside boat is difficult. It is a more professional repair but requires more skill.
Good luck

Alan D, November 2010

Hi, you can buy small packs of repair glass fibre matt + resin with catalyst. you will also need a small amount of
gel coat the same colour as your boat.
make sure the edge to be repaired is scraped clean.
on the inside it needs to be cleaned about 4 to 6 inches
all around the area. get (this is an example) a plastic
milk container. cut a piece out to cover the hole, tape it to the outside and make sure it touches (tight) all around the hole, press something against it if necessary. repair the hole from inside. first, paint the
gell coat on. when it is touch dry wet some matt with resin the size of the hole, (use a roller to fully wet the mat and remove any air bubbles)
when thats dry after about 15 minuets put another 2 layers of matt at the same time going about 3 inches
past the hole all around. you may need to put another layer. acetone is used to clean brushes
if you made a good seal on the out side before you started you can now remove the plastic. job done

john, July 2010