Fiberglass repair recommendations - Dutchmen Owners
Journey with Confidence RV GPS App RV Trip Planner RV LIFE Campground Reviews RV Maintenance Take a Speed Test Free 7 Day Trial ×

Go Back   Dutchmen Owners > Dutchmen Brand RVs > Travel Trailer
Click Here to Login
Reply
 
Thread Tools Display Modes
 
Old 09-25-2021, 02:07 PM   #1
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Denver
Posts: 51
Colorado
Fiberglass repair recommendations

Hi, my husband had to repair the door latch on our 2020 kodiak cub 175bh. He drilled thru the door damaging the fiberglass on the exterior - see photo. I see online some repair kits. Does anyone have a recommendation? And color choice? There are many 'white's listed....
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20210925_074111.jpg
Views:	186
Size:	32.8 KB
ID:	7177  
__________________

__________________
Tresa
Kodiak Cub 175bh
2021 Silverado
(was 2014 4runner)
twertsch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-25-2021, 02:17 PM   #2
Senior Member
 
sundancer 87's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Tahlequah
Posts: 3,079
Oklahoma
Repair to that damage would be minor to a body shop but would be expensive. I think I would find a small piece of polished Aluminum, perhaps diamond plate, to cover the damage.
It could be fashioned to form around the lock to look like it is nothing more than a scuff guard.
__________________

__________________
2013 Voltage 3800, 2012 Chevy 3500 HD
2010 Yamaha V Star 950
2009 Yamaha Raider
Volunteering with Habitat for Humanity Caravanners
sundancer 87 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-26-2021, 04:56 AM   #3
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Denver
Posts: 51
Colorado
Thank you Sundancer for the idea. Definite idea if the patch repair goes array, but I was hoping someone out there in the group may have tried one of the patch kits out there, like gcp (gel-coat products), and could give some guidance - did it work OK? Look OK? Easy to use? Complete disaster,? Color match OK? (My trailer is white). Any feedback on these patch kits would be great
__________________
Tresa
Kodiak Cub 175bh
2021 Silverado
(was 2014 4runner)
twertsch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2021, 12:41 AM   #4
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: FLA. largo
Posts: 220
Florida
West marine or any local boat parts store has small kits
For gel coat repair that would be a Very simple easy fix
Ovalvw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2021, 09:03 PM   #5
Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2015
Location: Portland
Posts: 28
Texas
Looking at the cracks around the hole and next to it, I suggest you got to a shop for repair, If it isn't closed up and sealed properly it will allow delamination of the fiberglass further around the area. It is a minor repair but can be costly. It is better than buying a new door.
2Slides is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2021, 11:03 PM   #6
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2014
Location: Atlanta
Posts: 13
Georgia
Make sure it's flat and put some sort of decal on it.
Wgjr is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 09-29-2021, 11:28 PM   #7
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: FLA. largo
Posts: 220
Florida
Very simple gel coat fix
Have the satisfaction of doing it yourself
All our best central FLA
Ovalvw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-18-2021, 04:03 AM   #8
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Denver
Posts: 51
Colorado
Update - I went to West Marine with photos. They were extremely helpful. Since part of the damage was a hole thru & thru , the repair was a two step process - liquid fiberglass filler last weekend to fill the holes & seal it up, then gel coat this weekend to make it look pretty (see photos of stuff used - 'white' is a bit yellow/grey). A dremel w a fine tip helps to smooth out the edges of the hole for a better surface to cling to & cut out the cracked areas in order to then fill them w fiberglass filler. You can get a gel coat 'kit' that gives u different colors u can mix, but it's 40$ & my camper is white. Both of these kits were easy to use & have lots of instructions. At $30 total, a lot cheaper than a repair shop. Could have gone without gel coat kit but I was hoping for a better final finish - see photo of results - didn't really get what I was looking for but that's what stickers are for! And most importantly it's sealed to the weather.
FYI - if the hole had been 1 inch or larger, they recommended doing a layer of fiberglass cloth to build layers with the putty-like liquid fiberglass filler to build up the surface & provide the necessary structural support. Being a wood kayak builder, which also involves working with fiberglass, this all made sense to me, and isnt difficult for anyone to do, there are lots of utube videos out there to walk you thru it. Hope this doesn't happen to you but if it does, I hope this helps
Attached Thumbnails
Click image for larger version

Name:	20211017_143428.jpg
Views:	148
Size:	62.4 KB
ID:	7229   Click image for larger version

Name:	20211017_143310.jpg
Views:	155
Size:	49.9 KB
ID:	7230  
__________________
Tresa
Kodiak Cub 175bh
2021 Silverado
(was 2014 4runner)
twertsch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2021, 12:18 AM   #9
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: FLA. largo
Posts: 220
Florida
Nicely done. Plus satisfaction you did it
All our best central Florida
Ovalvw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2021, 12:20 AM   #10
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: FLA. largo
Posts: 220
Florida
A little light rubbing compound and cleaner wax
You won’t see it
Ovalvw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2021, 02:36 AM   #11
Senior Member
 
Join Date: May 2020
Location: Denver
Posts: 51
Colorado
It was actually pretty fun to go through the learning process, and we already have the sticker picked out
__________________
Tresa
Kodiak Cub 175bh
2021 Silverado
(was 2014 4runner)
twertsch is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 10-19-2021, 11:22 PM   #12
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Feb 2018
Location: FLA. largo
Posts: 220
Florida
Fantastic
Ovalvw is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 11-06-2021, 07:36 PM   #13
Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2021
Location: Mt Home
Posts: 19
Idaho
For future readers, I've done gelcoat repair on my sailboat for similar damage. The West Marine kit I purchased had an assortment of pigments to match color. That worked great for me. Also after filling the whole and letting it harden overnights I ground out the face with a Dremel and applied the colored gelcoat but sealed it flat with a piece of clear plastic cellophane wrapper and rendered it flat with a squeegee. Once that gelcoat is solid I pulled it off leaving a perfect level shiney surface. The little track left y the squeegee off to the side comes right off with a plastic scraper. Damage was repaired and vanished. All the components work liked fiberglass epoxy resin and filler if needed.
__________________

Pastot is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Thread Tools
Display Modes

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are Off
Pingbacks are Off
Refbacks are Off


» Featured Campgrounds

Reviews provided by

Disclaimer:

This website is not affiliated with or endorsed by Dutchmen RV or any of its affiliates. This is an independent, unofficial site.


All times are GMT. The time now is 06:58 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.7
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright 2020 Social Knowledge, LLC All Rights Reserved.
×