The Boating Forum - Fiberglass repair

Any ideas on how to fix these 3 small wholes? There was a catch for the tuna door but apparently the prior owner didn't bolt it through and it pulled out.

thanks

Justin

subscribed...need some small repair knowledge myself

Sand back about 1" on all sides of the holes, fill the area with fairing compound sand smooth and apply a layer of gel coat. If you want a perfect color match you will have to add dye to the gel coat otherwise use white and let time do the work for you.

I would first use a counter sink or a big drill spinning in reverse, to countersink the holes....just deep enough to get past the gelcoat by a little....get all the spider crack as well...then I would get some matching wooden dowels or drill the holes to match a dowel, but go a little oversize.....wet out the dowel with resin, wet out the hole with resin, and then plug each hole....then fill the countersink with 3M premium marine filler....sand it fair and use a gelcoat patch kit to finish it off.

The last post sound like a good idea to me.

If its on the outside of the boat then go with what Maxie said. If the area is molded fiberglass with no wood behind then my way will work.

I would first use a counter sink or a big drill spinning in reverse, to countersink the holes....just deep enough to get past the gelcoat by a little....get all the spider crack as well...then I would get some matching wooden dowels or drill the holes to match a dowel, but go a little oversize.....wet out the dowel with resin, wet out the hole with resin, and then plug each hole....then fill the countersink with 3M premium marine filler....sand it fair and use a gelcoat patch kit to finish it off.

I've used a Dremel tool to counter sink the holes too. Mask well below the holes on the outside to catch any runs and leave the dowel just a hair short of the surface to leave room for the gelcoat.

After you do the above, you could redrill the holes and reattach the door hardware.

I would use a dremel tool with the sandpaper bit. Run it down the cracks and around the holes and use marine tex to fill it back in , Hardens like steel and sands like wood. Follow the instructions and you can use marine gelcoat coloring agents to add to the white marine tex to try and match the existing gelcoat color. When it hardens wet sand it starting with 230 grit then 320 then 400. You will surprise yourself at what you can do. The hardest part about that repair is color matching to the existing gelcoat.

If its on the outside of the boat then go with what Maxie said. If the area is molded fiberglass with no wood behind then my way will work.

yeah i agree..i assumed it was the transom, hence the dowels...i like filling the entire depth of the hole...otherwise, no dowel required

It's on the transom so I would suspect there is some wood in there. I will need to pull the transom light and I should be able to see if there is some wood in there.

What type of resin would I use on the dowels?

How does gelcoat repair work? Is there a special method needed to apply it? Steps a, b, c would be helpful. Color match would be good if it's even semi-close. I just want to get the holes filled and it will look better than what is there now.

I am going to have 3 more holes to fill when I remove the other side of the catch on the tuna door.

It's on the transom so I would suspect there is some wood in there. I will need to pull the transom light and I should be able to see if there is some wood in there.

What type of resin would I use on the dowels?

How does gelcoat repair work? Is there a special method needed to apply it? Steps a, b, c would be helpful. Color match would be good if it's even semi-close. I just want to get the holes filled and it will look better than what is there now.

I am going to have 3 more holes to fill when I remove the other side of the catch on the tuna door.

for that...regular polyester resin....the 3M filler and Evercoat type gelcoat mix in a similar manner....just follow the instructions on the can.....the gelcoat will be the biggest pain cause you have to mix little dabs of various colors to try and match your hull......and even if the gel finish comes out a little rough at first, you can just sand and polish it smooth.