Help with whale tail repairs

[AFC AJAX]

I have some broken fiberglass pieces on the top of my whale tail. Nothing missing, just a couple of good-sized cracks. Any suggestions on trying to repair this?

[Zef]

Sand the damaged surfaces...Fill the crack with resin...sand them to a smooth finish...paint prep the repair and the whale tail...and match paint it.

[911Mac]

If you don't reinforce the structure underneath, won't the cracks return? My whale tail has the same cracks and I haven't had a chance to fix them yet, but I'd sort of figured that I'd need to add something on the back side to make the whole thing stronger. I was thinking of using West Systems boat epoxy and one of their microfiber fillers for added strength. Could also use narrow strips of fiberglass cloth on the backside in spots that are cracked all the way through to beef it up. Not all paints stick to it so you may have to prime it with something appropriate before you give it the final coat of paint.

[AFC AJAX]

Thanks guys. I'll give it a try.

[sfoster13]

I have the same question as 911mac.

[AFC AJAX]

I think I'll try a little cloth on the underside. These things don't carry any weight, so they shouldn't need much support. I'll let you know how the repairs hold up.

[unclebilly]

You need to put a bit of surface cloth or mat on the top - otherwise the crack will come back. Vee it back at least a 1/4" of an inch before you put the mat in.