With Instructables you can share what you make with the world, and tap into an ever-growing community of creative experts. There has been a small but obnoxious rain leak in the aft cabin of my small sailboat. It looks like the source is where the outboard motor control First thing you need is a mold! This one is a soda bottle filled with water to hold shape Three layers of glass cloth were Here the flange is being laid up. Several short pieces of glass cloth small scraps were used to form the flange.

Then a couple more layers of cloth Wet out the covering layers and cover the layup with plastic wrap epoxy won't stick to it. The wood pieces press the flanges to make it nice and When cured the plastic can be peeled off very easily - but the resin wicked up under it leaving a pretty ugly surface. Or just a stick with 60 grit sandpaper Traditionally, fiberglass parts are coated with "gel coat", a wax rich polyester resin.

Gel coat is thick, heavy and brittle, so it doesn't take a lot of it. In this Instructible I made a part for a boat. But the basic ideas and techniques can be used to make ANYTHING from a blue water yacht Fixing a Cracked Kiteboard by noahw. Hand Laying Carbon Fiber Cloth in a Kayak by Guillemot. Carbon Fiber Cell phone Case by zuelion.

Boat Repair with Carbon Fiber by schkip Building a Rowing Shell by damonv. Let your inbox help you discover our best projects, classes, and contests. Instructables will help you learn how to make anything! Making Small Fiberglass Parts After cure, the molding is rough trimmed with shears. Rough trim to get rid most of of the excess flange Now we can trim the flange to final size and shape Looks a little better now, doesn't it?

It looks like the source is where the outboard motor control cables pass through in the cockpit foot well wall. There was just an open hole there and the rain was getting in. That ought to be easy to fix. It just needs a cover that will keep the rain out instead of funneling it into the locker.

But where would that come from? Who has the right size and shape in stock? I couldn't find exactly what I thought I needed, so I decided to bite the bullet and make it instead.

This picture is the end result. Just a small cover to divert the rain water away from the hole in the wall. This was made in one afternoon and evening - hand laid fiberglass This one is a soda bottle filled with water to hold shape Three layers of glass cloth were laid on and wet out with West epoxy.

West System has a lot of information on how to mix and use their resins as well as safety precautions. Read the books and follow the directions. It's not complicated, but mix ratios are important - so get it right! Then a couple more layers of cloth were added over the whole thing to cover all the edges. The wood pieces press the flanges to make it nice and flat. If I were going to make several parts like this, I'd probably cut a piece of plywood into a "U" shape for this step, but for a one-off, just a couple of pieces of wood worked fine.

Then put some weight on the wood parts to compress the flange a bit while it cures. We are not done yet. Or just a stick with 60 grit sandpaper glued on one side? Health warning - breathing fiberglass dust is not a good idea. Wear a mask - and keep others away while grinding.

Also - vacuum up either while grinding! But it provides excellent protection against UV damage from the sun. It goes on like thick paint, and cures in a few minutes. Once WELL cured, it can be sanded smooth start about grit for shaping and for smoothing. Lastly a touch of polishing compound on the buffer and - it's ready to go to work.

But the basic ideas and techniques can be used to make ANYTHING from a blue water yacht - to space craft parts - to Princess Lea's slave bra. A cover for a robot? Literally - just about anything. What do YOU want to make today? I do a lot of small boat repair and you have opened a lot more ideas for special molds I am in the middle of a Sailboat Restoration, well versed at Expoxy, but this Post gave me some great ideas.

I especially liked your side by side 'before and after' picture. I have soo much west system just lying around and this gave me some inspiration to develop a fiberglassing tallent. I'm gonna go play around right now and see what i can make.

Love your hat, jaelanne! This is really going to help.

This will work great to protect the back side of speakers so shoving life vests into storage compartments doesn't damage them. I use either duct tape or packing tape. The sticky side grabs up those glass hairs quite well, and cactus hairs as well. Very good job, Cavelamb.

Using a really sticky tape has helped me romoved a few splinters in the past. Not getting them in the first place is best obviously.

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That is a beautiful piece of work, cavelamb! If we add your custom fibreglassing to the PVC inspiration we get from Thinkenstein, there're really no limits are there? I want to make a fingerboard for a ukulele. But i'll use paper instead of the glass cloth. That's another instructable, though. Did you use caulk to seal it to the bulkhead, or some kind of gasket material?

Take a look at these two 'ibles.

Guide to Fiberglass Entry Doors | Todays Entry Doors

I got the idea from them. I love playing with color. For sealing deck hardware I use a very high quality butyl rubber tape.

Want to Learn to Make Fiberglass/Carbon Fiber - LS1TECH - Camaro and Firebird Forum Discussion

Lots of information and well done. In the initial picture, I kept looking carefully to see the 'home made' cover, until I realized that the part that I thought was store-bought was the piece that you made. You took great pains to make it look good. About This Instructable , views favorites.

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