Number 1 bonehead floor repair mistake

[Liquid_force]

I probably don't need to explain what happened.
What's the best way to repair?

 

[boatman37]

seen that posted on here a few times so you aren't the only one. the experts will be here to let you know the best way to fix it

 

[ondarvr]

Not an issue, you'll be doing plenty of glass work soon enough, just cover it while doing other stuff. Then just do a small cosmetic repair on the outside.

 

[Liquid_force]

Yeah, given the scope of the project it's just a stubbed toe, but I sure wanted to kick myself.

 

[52FordF2]

just grind and patch from the inside while your doing inside work. When your ready to patch on inside place a piece of tape over the outside cut. Later do the outside repair. Are you using Poly? Then you can Gel coat over. It may not match but only the fishes will see it.

Good luck following along

 

[fhhuber]

Yea... Definitely not the first to cut too deep.

About a month or so ago someone just about cut off the whole gunwale area from one side of the hull.

"Feather" out in a very wide V to make the top of the cut about 6 to 8 inches wide (3 to 4 inches each side of the cut) and paper thin fiberglass at the cut.
Tape on the outside (mainly to keep the resin from running down the outside) and lay in successively wider strips of cloth from appx 2 inches to as wide as you ground out the V.

When that cures, pull tape, grind a bit so the gelcoat patch won't be a ridge and apply the correct (best you can) color.
Get a good match on the gelcoat and nobody will ever be able to find it.

 

[Liquid_force]

Are you using Poly? Then you can Gel coat over.

haven't bought supplies yet.
The is to go with epoxy -- mainly because of the superior waterproofing for the deck plywood.

I found an article on west system's website about gel coat over epoxy. It seems that with a trailered boat like ours the adhesion shouldn't be a problem given the appropriately roughened surface for the gel coat to adhere to. Plus, most of the bond will be to existing gel coat, so that should help.

 

[52FordF2]

If you epoxy then you can't gel coat. You will need to paint.

 

[Woodonglass]

Your boat is made from polyester resin. Using polyester resin, mat, and cloth/fabric will yield MORE than acceptable results. Not All Gelcoat is the same. Some MIGHT adhere well to epoxy coatings others Not so Much!!! Gelcoat is a Polyester resin based product, and therefore is made to adhere well to Polyester resin coated surfaces. I'd HIGHLY recommend that you use Polyester Resin for your boat repairs. The difference in it's water resistance and that of epoxy is very minimal. Epoxy IS stronger and WILL stick to just about anything, but..IMHO it's hard to work with due to the long Tack time and Cure time. You can get things done so much quicker using Poly. I KNOW what the epoxy guys say, and I would too if I were making a living selling it. This forum has plenty of success stories proving that Poly Resin will get the job done and done well!!!

When you're ready to do the repair, we can/will point you to other threads that have done it and you'll see just how easy it really is.

 

[Liquid_force]

I appreciate your input. I've lurked around here for a few years, but only got serious about this floor project recently.

For whatever reason - It seemed clear to me that exterior ply coated with epoxy was the only way to go for the deck. I'm happy to hear your thoughts on polyester as our budget can use all the help it can get.

I'll put up a new project thread with more info and some pix and see if I can get things heading in the right direction.

 

[Twainer]

No Title

I used this repair kit from West Marine to fill the crack. Then put 3 layers of glass over that & plan on putting 3 layers on the outside of the hull as well. Should be just about as strong as it was new.

 

[Woodonglass]

If you haven't read the 2nd link in my signature line, you might find it informative for what you are about to undertake.