Maintenance of the hottest fiberglass boat

Maintenance of GRP boats

GRP boats in China have developed since the 1960s, and it has been nearly 40 years. At present, it has basically occupied the small boat market, and is welcomed by business units and passengers for its light weight, high strength, beautiful appearance and diverse colors

but for a long time, the maintenance of FRP boats has not received due attention. Most of the production units have not introduced the general knowledge of maintenance in the product instructions and user instructions. Many user units lack a link solution to the material and performance of FRP. Many people blindly believe that FRP has high strength, will not rust, and has gel coat protection, so it does not need maintenance. This has caused many FRP boats to lose their style prematurely due to lack of maintenance and shorten their service life

FRP is made of synthetic resin as matrix and glass fiber as reinforcement. It has the strength similar to that of steel, has the superior performance of water resistance and corrosion resistance, and has a beautiful appearance with a smooth surface like a mirror, which can be formed as a whole; However, it also has some shortcomings, such as low stiffness and poor wear resistance. In particular, there are many factors that affect the quality (such as the quality of raw materials, the technical quality of operators, production conditions and environmental factors, etc.), which will make great differences in the quality of similar products

compared with steel and wood ships, FRP ships have the characteristics of less maintenance, which is determined by the superior performance of FRP itself. But FRP, like all materials, also has aging problems, but the aging process is slow. Even if gel coating resin is applied on the surface of the boat to form a protective layer, the thickness is only 0 5mm, which will also be damaged and thinned under frequent friction and environmental erosion. Therefore, less maintenance of FRP is not unnecessary. Proper maintenance can not only maintain a beautiful appearance, but also prolong the service life of FRP boats

in addition to the routine maintenance of machines and equipment, the key points of the maintenance of FRP boats are as follows

1. Avoid touching sharp and hard objects. When the FRP hull collides with the stones, concrete structures and metal components on the bank, scratches and other damages will occur, so protective measures should be taken. For example, anti-collision and wear-resistant metal and rubber are set at the bow, dock and side of the ship that are often subject to friction. Fiber rubber fender materials can be made by ordinary wet spinning method, and wear-resistant rubber and plastic soft materials are laid on the deck

2. If damage is found, repair it in time. Check the hull frequently. If the resin peeling, deep scratches and exposed fibers are found, they must be repaired in time, otherwise the damage will be accelerated due to the infiltration of water

3. When not in use, especially in cold winter, it should be placed ashore. Due to the certain water absorption of FRP, water can gradually penetrate into the interior along the micro channel of the interface between glass fiber and resin, and the strength of FRP gradually decreases. Especially in winter, the infiltrated water freezes when it is cold, which expands the seepage channel and causes greater harm. Therefore, when the boat is not used in winter, it should be put on shore away from the water, so that the infiltrated water volatilizes and the strength can be gradually restored. This will prolong the service life of the ship. After landing, the boat should be cleaned first, put it in a good place with padding, and it is best to put it indoors. If it is placed outdoors, it should be covered with tarpaulin, and it should be ventilated frequently to prevent moisture. When the boat is not in use for the time being, it is best to leave the water and go ashore for maintenance

4. Do not accumulate water in the boat for a long time. If there is water in the boat, it should be removed in time. In case of acid-base media such as battery liquid spilling into the boat, it must be washed with water in time and wiped dry after cleaning

5. Avoid long-term exposure to the hot sun. A shed should be set up at the berth of the boat. Long term exposure to the sun is not conducive to FRP, and the color of the gel coat will also be affected

6. Wash and keep clean frequently. The surface of the boat should be kept clean and the deck should be scrubbed frequently. The surface contaminated by oil and other substances can be cleaned with ordinary household cleaner, not with highly corrosive solvent, nor with detergent powder or metal wire, so as to avoid leaving scratches and affecting the appearance. If the stain is difficult to remove, it can be cleaned with gasoline, kerosene, diesel, toluene, xylene, styrene, acetone, etc., but after washing, it must be washed immediately with clean water to prevent intrusion into the structure. When cleaning, it can also be supplemented by a tool scraper, but bamboo or plastic chips with a hardness lower than that of FRP should be used to avoid scratching the surface. When scrubbing, soft materials such as sweat cloth, gauze, soft towel and soft foam plastic can be used

7. Remove salt frost in time. The salt crystals (salt frost) attached to the surface of the boats sailing in the sea area should be removed in time, because the salt crystals have the focusing effect of convex lens in the sun, which will accelerate the aging of the surface FRP under the action of high temperature

8. Wax and polish regularly. In order to make the surface of the hull bright and protect the gel coat layer, the surface of the boat should be waxed and polished regularly. The material can be automobile wax or special glazing wax for FRP, which can be applied two to three times, with an interval of 2 hours, so that a tough wax film can be formed on the surface of FRP. It is best to polish with a portable polishing machine to make the surface as bright as new

9. Apply paint to maintain beauty and durability. The new boat with gel coat has a beautiful appearance, but after two or three years of use, the color gradually fades and loses luster, and dark color is even worse than light color. In order to keep the appearance of the boat beautiful, when the color of the surface gel coat is old and there are many scratches, the method of applying paint can be adopted. Among all kinds of paints, polyurethane and epoxy resin paint are preferred. Before painting, the surface of the boat should be cleaned first, and the wax should be removed with a wax remover such as mold cleaning water, and ground with sandpaper water in recent years. Deep scratches should be embedded with epoxy putty, and the paint should be applied after doing the preliminary work according to the paint requirements (preferably painting). The painted boat is as beautiful as the new boat

the business unit of GRP boats should understand the maintenance knowledge of boats, and it is best to learn simple repair technology, which is very beneficial to prolong the service life of GRP boats and improve business efficiency. (end)