I also came across some old Emails from my fiberglass finisher that relate to his repair of damaged areas of the checkering on the deck along the sides of the boat. Most people would assume that this is not repairable, because the checker pattern it is molded into the original gelcoat. But my fiberglass guy - Bo Walsh - was a master fiberglass guru. He actuall made a mold from an undamaged area and managed to use the mold to repair the damaged areas. It came out perfect. It is hard to imagine the labor that went into doing that. I didn't pay much attention to the pictures at the time - and I didn't post them here as far as I recall - but I just dusted them off and here they are - just in case anyone feels brave enough to try such a repair! MarkBano
that is pretty cool, he was a pro! Do you know what mold release he used to prevent the mold piece from sticking to the boat?
Unfortunately, I do not know. I tried to go back and find the emails from him, but as I recall they were actually sent by his wife, and I don't think she did much more than pass the pictures along. I recall Bo telling he how me made a mold and used it - and the pictures actually show him using it. But in term of the details - they died with Bo.
I made a mold of the checkerboard pattern but could not "print" the bondo. I tried mold release, celophane, wax, etc and could not get a good release. I tried to time the printing so the bondo was a bit firm but could not get it right. I finally hand cut the grooves with a small file. A real pain and you can tell where the patches are located. Too bad your guy is gone. I'd like to talk shop with him. Mike
