Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

[tmh]

OK, long story, but I'll just give you the ending....we ran into the dock head on. It made a 6" long, maybe 1/2" deep gash on the front of the boat, right along the center line (keel?). So I need to fix it! It is NOT through the hull completely - must bedarn thick in that area. It's a 20 yr. old boat that I only paid $3k for, so I'm only concerned about how it looks to a point.

If I use epoxy resin with a filler to thicken it to peanut butter I assume I can shape it OK. My hull is off-white in that area. Can I add color to the epoxy mix to make the patch less obvious? I know it won't look like gelcoat, but that may be OK if doable.

Or, do I need to patch it, then gelcoat over it? I don't want to spend the summer screwing around with this so I'm not sure I'd do more than just patch it anyhow. But if gelcoat isn't too big a deal for a small area, then maybe I can do it. I doubt I could match close enough to make it not obvious anyhow, right?

Thanks.

P.S. Another good reason to get a used boat for yor first boat! If I had done this with a beautiful new expensive boat I'd still be crying!

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

I would patch it with the epoxy resin mixed with colloidal silica and then topcoat that with epoxy mixed with microballons so that you can sand it.

After that, you can topcoat with gel coat. I bought a cheap detail gun at Harbor Freight to spray the gel coat and it worked pretty well. I had to thin down the gel coat a bit to get it to spray.

 

[glennrow]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

sounds like bruceb has the idea. and don't dock by feel anymore...best of luck to you

 

[sdunt]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

Ah, yes the does Epoxy require UV protection?

From the West System website: http://www.westsystem.com/webpages/home/news.htm#pigments

Cured, pigmented epoxy surfaces are not a final finish surface. When used on exterior surfaces they require an additional opaque or UV filter coating for ultraviolet protection.

Also be careful of gelcoat or polyester resins not setting up correctly when applied over epoxy.

West systems say it works: http://www.westsystem.com/ewmag/22/polyester.html

Our test clearly demonstrates that polyester gelcoat will bond to a properly prepared WEST SYSTEM? epoxy as well as to a cured polyester laminate. This test confirms that polyester gelcoats can be applied over cured WEST SYSTEM epoxy on repairs below the waterline.

But check the "properly prepared" part...

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

The epoxy won't require UV protection because it is under the gel coat. UV protection is for epoxy that you don't want to see "blush"...not needed for this application.

I went by the West Systems guidelines with polyester gel coat over epoxy. My repair is only a couple months old but seems to have cured properly.

 

[sdunt]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

The epoxy won't require UV protection because it is under the gel coat. UV protection is for epoxy that you don't want to see "blush"...not needed for this application.

We are both correct. Epoxy so long as it is covered by paint or Gelcoat is ok in the sun, aka exposed to UV. Epoxy left uncoated in the sun will yellow and degrade over time.

We have all seen where someone used epoxy on an outside repair and over time it has yellowed and degraded.

One of the reasons boats have used Gelcoat for years is that it is UV stable and compatible with Polyester resins, which are also UV stable by the way..

When you say blush, I think of the Amine blush that floats to the surface of fast setting epoxies that needs to be mechanically removed before more epoxy is applied, or some other coating is applied..

 

[tmh]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

So maybe I'll use poly resin then. Cheaper anyhow, although I do have a bit of West System EEpoxy left from my floor job. No big deal, if poly is less likely to have an adhesion problem, then that's what I'll use. I think that's what they used when the hull was made anyhow, right?

Thanks.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

Use poly and gel coat, it should be an easy fix that will last as long as the boat. Curing isn't the issue with gel coat over epoxy, it's the bond, don't risk it when there are no issues with gel coat over polyester. If you don't want to buy ployester resin then do the whole repair with gel coat, using it like resin with the glass.

 

[Indymike]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

The important part is the structural repair. Use epoxy with glass fibers and the silica to patch the gouge. Check the inside if possible for damage to the hull. May need a bit of grinding and some new glass inside. Some rattle can paint will solve the UV protection problem and it won't look all that bad either.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

You do need to check it from the inside if at all possible, that's where you'll see the damage. If you have left over epoxy use it on the inside, but either product will work inside or out.

 

[bruceb58]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

If you don't want to buy ployester resin then do the whole repair with gel coat, using it like resin with the glass.

Using gel coat like that is not advisable. Not enough strength and too brittle.

 

[ondarvr]

Re: Rammed the dock!!! Repair advice needed.

Using gel coat that way actually works very well when filling a small area and is definitely better than filled resin or gel coat (putty). You also get the benefit of having the correct color under the final coat of gel coat, so if you sand off more than you expected to and it gets thin, you don't end up with a dark shadow.

This is not for major repairs, just for filling the gouge he discribed.