What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

[chrisg]

Now that I crawled under the boat and clean the hull, I noticed a deep cut in the hull. ( Don't remember hitting anything last year with such force).<br /><br />Can I use something to fill it in, the cut is down to the fiberglass. its not a scratch, it looks like a cut ( and its across the hull, scratches should be along the hull)about 1" long by 1/8 " wide. the hull is white.<br /><br />Is there something I could just squeeze in and let dry, or am I talking fiberglass repair?

 

[phatmanmike]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

wow, thats a really big one ya got there. <br /><br />any marine stor sells a good gel coat repair kit. or if its too big for that, try marinetex. or duct tape and chewing gum

 

[MrBill]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

You're in luck with a white hull...use Marine Tex. It comes in white and is a two-part epoxy. Mix according to directions, put it on correctly and you might not even have to prep further. Paint is not required, it would only be decorative. the repair shouldn' cost more than $10.

 

[chrisg]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

Thanks, I'll look for this Marine Tex. I did see some stuff at wally-mart that is a putty and claims to work on fiberglass (Did not say what the colour of it is). Marinas in Iowa are few and far between.<br /><br />I'm wondering if it was from last spring. The boat was in a flood, and had extentsive repairs done ( At least mine did not go through the dam like several others it was just sitting on the rocks). When I got it back, it was the 3rd of July, so we just dumped it in the water and used it. You can't see the cut unless you are under the hull.<br /><br />I'm going to give the repair place a call and see what they say.

 

[Mahoney]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

Ace Hardware's marine section by my house has Marine-Tex, both the white for hull repairs and the grey for other stuff you dont care about cosmetically.<br /><br />I recommend checking there first, as West Marine will no doubt want an arm and a leg for it, however West will be more than helpful in educating you on the proper proceedures for making a good repair.

 

[beezee28]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

I use marine tex on my hull repair and it is pretty good. You would have to prepare the area for repair like any other fibre glass repair. Go to google and type in fibre glass hull repair and you have a ton of information on how to repair. I am no professional repairer but I follow the instruction and I beleive I did a good job repairing the fiber glass scratch.

 

[jtexas]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

If you can't find Marine-Tex locally, order it from iboats or West Marine, don't mess with anything else. this stuff is great: bonds with your hull, it's the same stuff your boat is made of, stays where you put it, any thickness will cure just fine so you don't have to layer it in, and you can & paint if you want after it sets, but it'll match your white hull & look great. You can just fill it in with a putty knife & feather it out, let it cure and then smooth it out with a fine grade sandpaper. I get some of those latex gloves and just use my fingers, sometimes that works better.<br /><br />What mahoney says about West Marine is true - they're like the old guy at the corner hardware store who can tell you just what you need & how to do it. But they charge a bit more for the stuff.

 

[chrisg]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

The local marina does not have any repair stuff, so I took it to the only fiberglass repair place in the area, $300 to fix the holes. He said that there were 5 cuts, and 2 are deep enough to require fiberglassing.<br /><br />He said it will take 4 hours with getting it off the trailer and setup. <br /><br />So, does this sound reasonable? also, I would not expect this sort of damage from normal use. (There are no rocks in the waters that I go in, also Pulling it up on a beech should not cause such damage.<br /><br />Has anyone else experiance such gouges in the hull from normal use?

 

[Bondo]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

I'd order the Marine-Tex from iboats,...... And Fix it Yourself.............<br /><br />It's Plenty Strong enough......Probably an Hour of Your Time...........<br /><br />I bet that would leave Over $250. left in the Gas account............

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

Sand them clean,wipe with acetone and fill with marinetex or epoxy.Less than a $20 fix including shipping if you have to order some marine tex.This is one of the fewer and fewer things you can still do yourself cheaply.Charlie

 

[jtexas]

Re: What to use for patching deep cut in hull?

You can do it - if you're not convinced about those 2 big holes, post the dimensions of 'em, or post pictures. But I'd bet that marine-tex will do the job, quickly, easily & permanently.<br /><br />I've had damage like that from my trailer (before I fixed it) & banging it against a dock post (driver error), plus a couple from previous owner. My boat is old & I don't worry too much about the cosmetics. Gravel beaches or sand? Could have been some larger rocks or something you didn't notice.<br /><br />If you've got hull damage that you don't remember doing to it, I recommend inspecting your trailer. Either that or cutting back on the adult beverages. You don't have teenagers, by any chance?