Patching Crusader’s Hull
sanding down the area
curing the resin-coated fiberglass
The front of one of Crusader’s hulls had been leaking since the Roboboat competition. Now that Crusader needs to be tested on in preparation for RobotX, we decided to patch those holes.
Steps:
sand off the area surrounding the hole using an orbital sander or sandpaper
Cut two sheets of fiberglass mat and one sheet of mesh in the shape of the area so that they can fold neatly over the hole (so you don’t get bubbles)
Put the fiberglass sheets (mats first and mesh second) over the hole, applying resin on each layer and brushing it to make it lay flat on the surface
Shine the uv light on the fiberglass and resin to cure it
Sand off the edges of the fiberglass that stick out
Apply bondo over the whole area, sand it down a little after to make it smooth
Finish the surface by painting
mesh fiberglass
mat fiberglass
Patched hole
