Which glass tape and epoxy?

Hey all! Just bought an old mirror and myself and a few friends are giving it a spruce as the old paint was cracked and flaking. Whilst scraping we uncovered a few bits of tape below the waterline partially lifting. Not hanging off, but enough that you can lift it with a scraper, will add pictures asap.

So the choice we have now firstly is can we just glue it back with epoxy where it has lifted slightly? If so, what is a suitable epoxy to do it with? Does it need to be a special marine one, or will any old epoxy resin do? I know that with paints the word "marine" doesn't necessarily mean it's any good, and in fact after scouring the forums we've decided to paint it with weathershield to save money. We're short on cash so we're looking for the cheapest solution that will last, but I appreciate that often you get what you pay for with these things and a cheaper option in the short term can cost more long term.

If the tape needs replacing, then do you need to tape the whole thing, or do you just take off the loose sections? Can you use plasterer's fireglass scrim tape for this or does it need to some specific tape?

Thanks!
Emily

I have used West Epoxy. Plasterer's fiberglass is not dense enough. And I would take off all loose fiberglass and replace it with fiberglass that is just as dense as that which you removed. I am assuming it was done properly the first time.
Pete

I have used West Epoxy. Plasterer's fiberglass is not dense enough. And I would take off all loose fiberglass and replace it with fiberglass that is just as dense as that which you removed. I am assuming it was done properly the first time.
Pete

Thanks so much for the quick reply(s)!

Is 200g/m^2 dense enough? https://www.ecfibreglasssupplies.co.uk/product/fibreglass-tape-200g-x-50mm

If i was to replace all the tape inside and out (hopefully I won't have to) how much tape and epoxy would that use? I'm looking at West now and it seems pretty pricey, so I would want to buy the smallest pack possible. I basically want to do (and spend) the minimum I can to get it out on the water, in case we get it out and it has a leak somewhere and we have to strip it all back again anyway.

The tape you show in the link looks like the tape I used. I appreciate that you want to keep the costs down. However, if you go too inexpensively and the result is not good or long lasting it could cost more in the long run.
Perhaps others on this forum could suggest vendors that are more economical.
Pete

curlew's picture

If the boat is very old, the existing "epoxy" might not be epoxy, but polyester. The two are not compatible.
Polyester comes off with a hot air gun. It is easy to replace with epoxy/tape but expensive. You have to be bold with a sanding disc to clean everything up and of course you will need to do some painting.
So if it is not leaking I suggest leaving it alone.
David

As curlew says,epoxy is the best and expensive,however,epoxy will adhere to polyester well but for some unfathomable chemical reason,maybe there is and I don't know it,polyester will not adhere to epoxy well.
I used epoxy on the bottom of "McB",because I had it,but as it's unlikely you'll be leaving your mirror in the water for weeks on end,polyester is as good as any