Hull repair help... (Moved topic)

[8lbCalico]

Posted this in the wrong forum lol, lets try this again!

I have some pretty good damage I would like to repair, although $400 to $600 may be cheap for these repairs to me right now that money isn?t an option. Basically I have damage to the outer shell (gel coat?) which does not look to penetrate through the fiberglass material. It has obviously been repaired before by looking at the images. There are two main areas connected by a gouge or crack, the larger area is about 4 - 6? long by 2 - 3? tall, the other is shorter but a bit longer.

Just wondering how many of you have had to repair your own hulls and some of the tips you might have in regards to kits, process, and preparation. Links are always helpful?

Thanks in advance,
-8lb

Both holes connected by crack...

Larger hole...


Smaller hole?

 

[Windykid]

Re: Hull repair help... (Moved topic)

I think you might be able to use some Marine Tex to fill in and have a permanebt repair. Also it is not that expensive. I think even walmart carry's it.

 

[BreakOutAnotherThousand_]

Re: Hull repair help... (Moved topic)

Not really a problem. West Marine sells everything you need. There is a Fiberglass based Filler (kind of like bondo for cars) to rebuild the chines and fill holes. The they also sell gel coat repair kits. A little labor you are out for under a hundred. Good luck

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Hull repair help... (Moved topic)

All three pictures show that the gel coat is damaged exposing the fiberglass cloth (actually mat). You need to sand all three areas to make sure they are clean, dry and ready to be repaired. Wipe them with acetone. Mix up some Marine-Tex, and use a plastic spatula to push it into the wound and shape it. Sand it gently just before it hardens. You can tint it up with standard resin colorant to better match.

 

[Windykid]

Re: Hull repair help... (Moved topic)

http://www.marinetex.com/

Chris is rite on the money, heres the link above.

 

[8lbCalico]

Re: Hull repair help... (Moved topic)

Thanks for the tips, I really appreciate it!

Do you think I should cut away any more of the gelcoat to square up the holes, or simply patch them after sanding? What grit sand paper should I use, wet or dry? Also should I remove the reminents of the last patch the previous owner applied? Marine Tex is good as a gelcoat or do I need to apply a gelcoat after the marine tex?

Sorry for the noob questions, this is the first boat I have owned and never repaired fiberglass.

-8lb

 

[180Diablo]

Re: Hull repair help... (Moved topic)

I had what looked like a nail gouge on the port side of my boat, it had visible fibreglass mat showing as well. So what I did was the "uber" cheapo method and used the Evercoat patch repair. I got it as a christmas gift. Granted my gouge is nothing compared to what you are faced with. So it would probably be in your best interest to take the advice of the other users here.

http://www.evercoat.com/productDetail.aspx?pID=102
(that's what I used)

Mine, I just sanded the area, brushed it with a towel, applied the patch, smoothed it around and left it for the week. Went up following weekend and it had hardened and shrunk, which is normal. This coming weekend I will fill it some more to level and then get a pinstripe to cover it.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Hull repair help... (Moved topic)

8LB - You can square up the gouges or not. Do whatever makes the repair easier. Marine-Tex is all you need to make the repair, the gel coat is for appearance only. If you want to apply the gel coat over the marine-Tex, make sure the Marine-Tex is fully cured, sand it well and wipe with acetone, before applying the gel coat.

 

[8lbCalico]

Re: Hull repair help... (Moved topic)

Thanks a ton for all the help guys, allready got the Marine Tex, Acetone, and sand paper. I really appreciate your help on this! I will post pics of the repair so others can see and learn from the end results.