whitish discoloration on fiberglass

I am new at this and first kayak.  I had gotten fiberglass on but not additional epoxy coats but then had it in storage for 2 years. Took it out this summer, it was in sunlight for about 2 weeks then got it back indoors but whitish coloring on top - after applying epoxy one coat,  most of the whitish area disappeared but some remained.  What should I do next ? 

? remove with heat gun the areas affected, remove down to wood and reapply fiberglass

or

? keep applying 3rd coat of epoxy and varnish

 

https://www.dropbox.com/scl/fo/crz39nf3haxlg1u5qw7ku/h?rlkey=ti98dji7zzkdc3336xkbkx3ek&dl=0


2 replies:

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RE: whitish discoloration on fiberglass

if you have put an epoxy coat over the white and the white is still there, then the only option other than having the white is to pull it up and re-do it.

the heatgun approach is the fastest.

its hard to really evaluate keeping the white glass on....if it were me i would redo it.

h

 

RE: whitish discoloration on fiberglass

The pattern doesn't look right for chalking and unless you stored it outdoors in the tropics I don't see how you could have gotten enough UV to cause chalking white spots.

With only 2 weeks of actual use it's pretty much impossible for it to be fatigues stress. That means that it's only a cosmetic problem.

Based on your pictures I'd say that it's most likely abrasion from the handling it got during storage and your tryout. The fact that it's concentrated in specific areas and that the patches around the coaming look like a light sanding (even including what looks like small sanded blobs) reinforce this opinion for me. In that case case there's no structural need to remove the glass.

You could try sanding the whole thing with ##220 until it's an even dull finish (don't sand into the glass), then wipe it down with denatured alcohol. If the white spots all disappear, keep going and fill the weave and finish the boat as normal.

If any white spots stay, then either the abrasion or sanding  got into the glass and those spots are there to stay unless you replace the glass or cover them up with paint.

But looking at your pictures I'd say that it's not structural, just cosmetic, and that sanding will fix most if not all of it.

Good luck,

Laszlo

 

 

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