Question:
Any advise available for cutting fiberglass? Fortunately, appearance
is not too critical. I need to enlarge the opening for the anchor
cradle. I have a 21' center console with a typical anchor locker in
the bow that has a flip up door. Beneath the door is an opening with a
bracket on each side of the opening that would cradle a danforth
anchor - a very small danforth. I need to move the brackets to a wider
stance and enlarge the opening so that I will be able to shut the door
with my anchor inside. What should I use to cut with? Do I need to
apply anything to the finished cut? Anything else to beware of?
Also, I would like to find a way to cover this boat. It has a t-top,
and the boat covers I have seen are just too high. Local canvas shops
are $800 - $1200. This may be worth it, but until I can justify the
cost, I'll have to find something cheaper. I use the boat year round
and I really wanted to be a little more discreet than the typical
blue tarp from WalMart. I'm not even supposed to have a boat in my
driveway in my subdivision, so I'd better not give the homeowner's
board any ammo. This is a fishing boat, but I would still prefer to
keep the harsh sunlight off of it as well as improving general
cleanliness. Any suggestions?
Answer:
-I got almost four years out of a Road Runner Greystone cover by Canvas
Products Company. Bought it at Boat/US for $179. I also use my boat (19'
bowrider) year round, and it's parked on a channel of the San Diego Bay.
Four years of sunlight and salt air. It just started tearing a couple of
months ago. I bought a replacement for it but, since the weather's been
crappy, I'm still using the old one - it keeps the boat clean by keeping the
damp air and dust off it.
-Cutting fiberglass is no different than cutting wood, in many respects. Lots
of hazardous dust, of course. Depending on the specific application, I'd
probably just use a saber saw with a hacksaw blade in it. You may have to
drill one or two holes to start the blade, and it would be a good idea to
cover the entire cutting area with masking tape. That should protect the
exposed fiberglass from scratches from the saber saw base. Sometimes, if the
area is large, I just cover the base of my sabresaw with tape, then proceed
to cut. But, covering the area to be cut is probably better protection
-Another poster spoke of hazmat in the air and using a sabre saw "just
like cutting wood"...Let me add to that. If you use a circular saw,
use a plywood blade and put it on the saw backwards. By running the
teeth backwards you help eliminate the possibility of a tooth catching
and chipping or cracking the surrounding area. In the same respect, if
you use a sabre saw or similar, I would use a metal blade with lots of
teeth per inch and may be even file the curf points of the blade to
get a similar effect as running the circular saw blade backwards. Cut
slowly and watch for melted material dripping off the work area for it
will burn the out of you if it drips on your hand...
