Cedar And fiberglass

[OKDave]

I have this great old cedar plank sailboat.
The problem is the very old fiberglass is delaminating from the cedar in places. I'd like to remove this blight from the exterior and replace it (or not, but probably) with epoxy and cloth. Any ideas how to get the old stuff (I guess at least 30 years old) off? www.msnusers.com/woodboat

[DragonFly]

Yeup... Heat gun and scraper, seems to be the best method I found as well. I had to remove glass off a cold molded hull built in the mid-80's. Tried different things but always went back to the heat gun. Tried to use a grinder, sander, torch... But be careful with the heat gun though, don't burn any holes, keep the gun moving and scrap often. Also, a thin putty knife works if you are careful to push it between the glass and the hull as you apply the heat. Don't pull too much on the fiberglass else you will start to pull wood with it, let the heat do the work. Keep at it and you'll find a rhythm.

Helps to wear leather gloves, that's from experience!

Have fun
DragonFly

[Allen Foote]

Pull off any loose stuff by grabbing a loose corner with a pair of plyers and steadily pulling it back. When every bit of yankable stuff is removed (along with chunks of cedar) use "McCormack's Marine Finish Remover" available at McCormacks paint stores for $26ish a gallon. This stuff will "melt" polyester resins....so you can imagine what it will do to your skin/liver. Its caustic but works. I've removed polyester coated cabin tops with it and relaid West System epoxy in 6oz cloth....sos I knows from doing. :D Wash the suface with H2O to remove any stripper left. The epoxy will go into the wood -vs- the laying ontop of the wood polyester. After the first coat, wipe with vinigar to remove emine blush and then start fairing those "missing chunk" areas using West and 410. I preffer using a "brushable" mixture and "painting" on the filler with more than 1 coat. By the time the 410 is thick enough to trowel on with a putty knife, it wants to set. Anyway, good luck. smile.gif

[NormMessinger]

Good advise, but if you use vinegar be double sure to rinse it all off. Acetic acid plays hobbs with epoxy hardener.

--Norm