Mako bow repair

[Kris33]

I just complete a repair of a hole in the bow of an 84' Mako 20ft. The hole was about 4 inches around and was just below the bump rail in the bow. I used a combo of bondo to fill the void and then 3 layers of fiberglass and exopy resin. I was looking forward to coating the area with gelcoat to blend into the surrrounding area and then I read through some of the posts on the forum. "...can't cover exopy with poly..". What product can I use to cover this area? Can I sand and prime with something and then gelcoat?

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Mako bow repair

Kris, Polyester resin (gelcoat) will stick to epoxy if you clean it well. (epoxy has a residue from the curing process) I would wipe it down with acetone and then sand it with fine wet/dry paper. Wipe it down again and then apply the gelcoat. Cover the gelcoat with saran wrap to help it cure. Was the bondo you used polyester or epoxy-based? Did you use enough cloth to restore the original thickness in solid cloth? If not or unsure, add some heavy roving to the inside of the repair. Use two 10 inch round layers of it, and saturate it well.

 

[Kris33]

Re: Mako bow repair

Chris thanks for the reply. I just checked the bondo and it is a polyester. I used 3 layesr of cloth and then a few coats of pure resin to smooth the area out. I don't have access to the other side. It feels very solid. Thanks again.