RV & Camper Fiberglass Repair Kit with White Gelcoat

Name: RV & Camper Fiberglass Repair Kit with White Gelcoat
Brand: Boat Suppliers
SKU: SK-RVK001
Price: 109.95 USD
Availability: InStock
Rating: 5.0 (1 reviews)

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Boat Suppliers

RV & Camper Fiberglass Repair Kit with White Gelcoat

SKU:SK-RVK001

$109.95 USD

$109.95 USD ~~USD~~

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A structural repair kit for fiberglass RV and camper bodies: cracked end caps, holed sidewalls, broken corners, damaged wheel well trim, and cracked wet-bath or shower pan fiberglass. The same materials a fiberglass shop would use, portioned for one repair, with a quart of white gelcoat to finish the patch in the gloss white most RV exteriors and baths already wear.

What is in the kit:

1 quart marine-grade polyester layup resin, with its own 1 oz bottle of MEKP hardener
1 quart pure white gelcoat, with its own 1 oz bottle of MEKP hardener
2 oz surfacing wax, stirred into the last gelcoat coat so it cures tack-free and sands clean
1 yard x 38" of 6 oz woven fiberglass cloth
1 yard x 38" of 1.5 oz chopped strand mat
1 quart fumed silica thickener, for filling gouges and building fairing putty
2 chip brushes, 2 graduated quart mixing tubs, a plastic spreader and wood stir sticks

You supply: nitrile gloves, eye protection, acetone, a grinder or 80 grit block, sandpaper (120 to 400 grit, finer to polish), a dust mask or respirator, masking tape and plastic sheet.

How the repair works: grind back the damaged area, laminate mat then cloth for strength, fair the patch smooth with silica-thickened resin, then brush on white gelcoat and sand to blend into the surrounding finish.

How much it covers: about 2 square feet of structural patch built from three layers of mat capped with cloth, with resin left over for filler, or several smaller repairs.

Works on: fiberglass and Filon RV skins, end caps, and interior wet-bath fiberglass. Not for aluminum-skinned campers, rubber roofs or polyethylene tanks.

Bubbled or wavy sidewall with no crack in it? That is delamination: the skin has let go of the wall behind it. It needs adhesive injected behind the skin, not a patch, which is what the RV Delamination Repair Kit is for.

Ships by ground to the lower 48. The resin, gelcoat and MEKP hardener are regulated for transport, so the kit cannot go by air.

Guides for this job:

Specifications

Package size14 in x 10 in x 6 in

Specifications

Structural resin: marine-grade polyester layup resin, 1 quart, with its own 1 oz MEKP hardener
Topcoat: pure white gelcoat, unwaxed, 1 quart, with its own 1 oz MEKP hardener and a separate 2 oz bottle of surfacing wax
Reinforcement: 1 yd of 1.5 oz chopped strand mat plus 1 yd of 6 oz woven cloth, both 38" wide
Filler: 1 qt fumed silica for thickening resin into fairing putty
Also in the box: 2 chip brushes, 2 graduated quart mixing tubs, plastic spreader, wood stir sticks. You supply nitrile gloves and sandpaper
Surfaces: fiberglass and Filon RV sidewalls, end caps, fender skirts and wet-bath fiberglass
Not for: aluminum siding, EPDM or TPO rubber roofing, polyethylene tanks, or a sidewall that has bubbled with no crack (delamination)
Ships by ground only: the resin, gelcoat and MEKP hardener are regulated for transport

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What does the RV fiberglass repair kit fix?

Cracks, holes, broken corners and gouges in fiberglass and Filon RV bodies: end caps, sidewalls, wheel well trim and wet-bath or shower pan fiberglass. It rebuilds the damage with mat, cloth and polyester resin, then finishes it in white gelcoat.

Will the RV fiberglass repair kit fix delamination?

No. Delamination is the skin letting go of the wall behind it, which shows as a bubble or wave with no crack. That needs thin epoxy injected behind the skin and the wall pressed flat, which is what the RV Delamination Repair Kit is for. The fiberglass repair kit is for damage to the fiberglass itself.

How big a repair does one RV fiberglass repair kit cover?

About 2 square feet of structural patch built from three layers of mat capped with cloth, with resin left over for filler putty, or several smaller repairs. The quart of gelcoat is far more than one patch needs, so there is plenty for a second coat and touch-ups.

Does polyester resin and gelcoat work on Filon RV siding?

Yes. Filon is a polyester fiberglass sheet, so polyester resin bonds to it once the surface is ground clean and dull. The white gelcoat cures to a smooth gloss, so on a pebbled or textured wall the patch will read smoother than the panel around it.

What do I need that is not in the RV fiberglass repair kit?

Nitrile gloves, eye protection, acetone, a grinder or coarse sanding block, sandpaper from 120 to 400 grit, a dust mask or respirator, masking tape and plastic sheet.

What temperature can I do an RV fiberglass repair in?

About 65 to 85°F is the easy range. Catalyze the kit's polyester resin at about 1.25% MEKP at 77°F (about 12 cc per quart), rising to about 1.8% at 65°F and dropping to about 1.1% at 85°F. The gelcoat takes about 2% at 77°F, about 19 cc per quart. Below 60°F, wait for a warmer day.

How to use this kit

Structural fiberglass repair with a gloss white gelcoat finish.

Safety: MEKP hardener is corrosive. Wear gloves and eye protection any time it is open; if it gets in an eye, flush with water for 15 minutes and get medical help. Work outdoors or with strong ventilation, and wear a respirator if you have one. Mixed resin heats up as it cures: never cap a mixed cup, and pour leftovers out thin to cure. No smoking or flames near open containers.

What is in the kit

1 qt Polyester layup resin, marine gradethe structural resin for every glass layer
1 qt Pure white gelcoat, unwaxedthe gloss white finish coat
2 MEKP hardener, 1 oz bottlesone for the resin, one for the gelcoat
2 oz Surfacing waxstirred into the last gelcoat coat so it cures tack-free
1 yd 6 oz woven fiberglass cloth, 38 in widestrength and a smooth outer layer
1 yd 1.5 oz chopped strand mat, 38 in widebulk and the first layer against the repair
1 qt Fumed silica thickenerstir into resin to make fairing putty
2 / 2 Chip brushes, graduated quart mixing tubs
1 / 1 pk Plastic spreader, wood stir sticks

You supply: nitrile gloves, eye protection, acetone, an angle grinder or 80 grit block, sandpaper (120 to 400 grit, finer for a polished blend), a dust mask or respirator, masking tape and plastic sheet.

Mixing MEKP (resin and gelcoat)

4 oz mix	1.8 mL MEKP (about 1/3 tsp)
8 oz mix	3.6 mL MEKP (about 3/4 tsp)
Full quart	14 mL MEKP (about 3 tsp, half of a 1 oz bottle)

That is 1.5 percent for 65 to 85 F. Above 85 F drop to 1 percent; at 60 to 65 F go to 2 percent; below 60 F wait for a warmer day.

Working time is 15 to 20 minutes. Mix small batches you can use right away.

The job, start to finish

1

Prep and grind

Wash the area with soapy water, dry, then wipe with acetone. Grind or coarse-sand the damage back to solid glass and dish the edges out wide and shallow, about 12 times the panel thickness. Scuff 2 to 3 inches beyond that with 120 grit and mask off the surrounding finish.

2

Cut your glass

Before mixing anything, cut chopped strand mat to fill the dished area and cloth patches slightly larger to cap it. Mat goes down first, cloth on top. Lay the dry pieces in place to check fit.

3

Laminate

Mix a small batch of resin with MEKP (chart at left). Wet the repair, lay in the mat, and stipple resin through it with the chip brush until it turns translucent. Lay the cloth over it, wet it out, and chase air bubbles to the edges with the spreader. Let it cure hard, 2 to 4 hours.

4

Fill and fair

Stir fumed silica into a fresh catalyzed batch until it stands in peaks like peanut butter. Spread it over the patch slightly proud of the surface. Once cured, sand fair with 120 then 240 grit until the patch feels flush under your flat palm.

5

Gelcoat and finish

Stir the gelcoat well, catalyze it the same as the resin with its own bottle of MEKP, and brush on the first coat about the thickness of a business card. For the second and last coat, stir surfacing wax into the gelcoat first, about 3/4 teaspoon per 8 oz, then catalyze it and brush it on 30 to 45 minutes after the first. The wax rises as the coat cures and lets it cure tack-free. Next day wet-sand with 320 then 400, and for full gloss keep going with finer grits and a polishing compound.

Works onFiberglass and Filon RV skins, end caps, wheel well trim, and interior wet-bath or shower pan fiberglass.

Not forAluminum-skinned campers, EPDM or TPO rubber roofs, and polyethylene tanks: polyester resin will not bond to them. Not for a sidewall that has bubbled or gone wavy with no crack in it. That is delamination, an adhesive repair.

If something goes wrong

Laminate feels tacky

Normal. Layup resin stays tacky on top so the next layer bonds to it. It sands fine once hard underneath.

Nothing hardened

Too little MEKP, or under 60 F. Scrape it off, warm the space, and remix.

It kicked in the cup

Too much MEKP, or it is too hot out. Cut back and mix 4 oz at a time.

Gelcoat stayed sticky

No wax in that coat, or it went on too thin for the wax to rise. Add another full coat with surfacing wax stirred in.

Patch shows through

Gelcoat is translucent when thin. Two coats minimum over a faired patch.

Sandpaper is not in the box: 120 and 240 grit fair the patch, 320 to 400 wet levels the gelcoat, and finer grits with a polishing compound bring back full gloss. A wall that has bubbled or gone wavy without a crack is delamination: see the RV Delamination Repair Kit at boatsuppliers.com.