RipTide Posted December 12, 2015 Report Share Posted December 12, 2015 You would think that with what a off shore angler has to pay for a radar system the manufacturers would make the dome cover out of fibergl*** or something? more durable than plastic. Dang tree branch got mine, luckily that's all it damaged, so I called the manufacturer just to make sure the unit would transmit and receive before proceeding. This is indeed my last episode of dealing with fibergl***/resin as it ate me alive. Relieved all cracks and super glued back together. Drilled 4 additional holes I the cover and counter sinked them. Wiped down with acetone and thoroughly sanded with 220 grit sandpaper. Wipe down inside with isopropyl alcohol, sanded with 80 grit and applied 1 layer of gl***. Flip over and sand outside flush with dome housing. Glaze voids, anchor holes included and sand a second time. Anchor holes on the sides which were gl***ed in on the inside of the cover provided extra stability to anchor the entire outer gl*** shell being applied to the outside of the cover. DO NOT DO THIS!!! It will turn into a nightmare. TOO many contours involved and it won't be a pretty picture once laid out and applied. Cut 6"-8" strips of gl***, cut feather strips 2/3rds the way into each section so the gl*** can relaz once applied and rolled out. A total of 2 layers of gl*** will need to be applied. Apply the sides and then the top. Repeat for the second layer. I did attempt to lay out in one single layer and ended up having to peel and strip the dome cover clean. Not fun. Cut the top piece and cut feathers in it as so. Apply resin with the gl*** matting laying on top of the dome. Roll out and use a perforated fibergl*** roller to remove air bubbles. Such roller should be used anytime when applying resin and gl*** matting. Let kick off and sand top, sides and high spots with 80 grit sand paper and a orbital sander. Spray or roll on gel coat. Make sure to add a wax curing agent to the final top coat or a air dry additive such as Orca Clear Top Coat. This is the one time I didn't really care whether or not the finished product appeared flawless as it's a radar dome cover and will be approx. 13-1/2' up in the air. It's primary function is to protect the radar components. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SCFD rtrd. Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Dang Riptide, that's a lot of work, but it looks pretty good and serves the purpose. You still itching??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted December 13, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Itching was the least of the problem. Although I had a respirator on and a industrial fan blowing the fumes away :confused: from me, My face still got chemically burnt. Will "Never" mix another ounce of resin up again as long as I live. Those days are officially over for me. I can say, if a tree branch ever hits that cover again it won't pierce it. It may rip the entire unit off but it's not going through the cover for sure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mulligan Posted December 13, 2015 Report Share Posted December 13, 2015 Looks good. Will "Never" mix another ounce of resin up again as long as I live. Those days are officially over for me. I thought your last batch of resin before this was your last! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RipTide Posted December 14, 2015 Author Report Share Posted December 14, 2015 This was minor compared to the boat rebuild and didn't think the minimal time needed to gl*** over the cover would affect me as it did. Plus the boat was rebuilt with epoxy. Don't care who you are, Epoxy = NASTY. Actually, all resins are nasty stuff. If they made fibergl*** covers for my radar machine I would have purchased one, they don't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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