Fiberglass opinion needed canopy windscreen transition

Things are going well mostly but on my RV14A I have run into a problem with one edge only of my canopy. I think the aluminum bent slightly out and it protruding slightly so there is a very small gap. I need/want to cover it and yes it wont look perfect no matter what I do.

So would you in this case fill behind the gap and then glass over the top and just try to make it good enough, or perhaps cut a small diagonal corner off of the aluminum and then just glass it over? I guess bending it in place a little is also a possibility but I would still have a small gap behind it.

The pictures show what I am talking about better than the description.

Thanks!

If you have to make a decision today, I'd cut off the corner, then fill behind the rest of it with proseal. Then I'd contour the spot with an appropriate filler and some judicious sanding.

If I didn't have to make a decision today, I'd put it aside and think about it for a week or a year, then implement the best solution I came up with in that time.

Kyle Boatright said:

.... I'd put it aside and think about it for a week or a year, then implement the best solution I came up with in that time.

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Such good advice. All the issues I ever faced while building were solved by putting it down and walking away from it for a while. Usually the answer came to me between 3 am and 5 am in the morning (!) so that you had clear direction when you next hit the workshop.

I had the same issue. I cut the small "tab" that is sticking out and the finished with fibreglass. I don't believe that is uncommon. I am very happy how mine turned out.

Jetmart said:

I had the same issue. I cut the small "tab" that is sticking out and the finished with fibreglass. I don't believe that is uncommon. I am very happy how mine turned out.

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Thanks everyone who has commented so far.

Glenn: I think that is what I am going to do. I thought this might be somewhat common, and I had a sense it was going to happen but my inexperience with glass made me think I could hide it. This corner gets bent or deformed while moving the canopy around or fitting and I did try and straighten it out but obviously not enough.

I just want to finish this off as I have been staring at it for quite a while now and want to move on to more of the panel oriented work, and finally getting it on the gear although I am in no rush to remove it from the rotisserie.

Back when I built my 7, most of us were cutting those ears off and glassing over that area. You could still do that very carefully and fill any voids that may remain under there then glass over the whole area.

Cutting

If you cut, slip a piece of stainless between so you don't nick the plexi.