Filling old engine mounting holes?

[mytime]

I need to fill in some old engine mount holes in the transom. What is the best way to do this? Transom is about 21/2" thick, glassed in wood. Will marine tex work for this or is there a better way. Some of the holes are below the water line so I really want to do this right. Any suggestions?

[atlanticbeach]

You are on the right track. Best method is to use epoxy for the job but not Marine Tex and here is why. You want to fill the entire hole since it is wood and the best method is to get the West System or comparable epoxy mixing setup and mix up the epoxy with some microfibers and some silica for thickening. You don't want it too much but just enough to be able to fill the hole. What I do is buy a cheap syringe with a large bore hole and fill the syringe with the mixture and put UPS Heavy Duty Clear Packing tape over the outboard holes and go inside the boat and pump the epoxy into the holes and finish with a piece of tape on the inside. This will harden beyond your expectations and then you can sand and gel coat right over top of it and your are done. Marine Tex is good stuff but just not for this. You need to protect the integrity of the transom and epoxy is waterproof for life. We did this to fill rod holder holes on the Gunwale of my Parker to redrill for smaller diameter holes and it worked great and I have done the exact same repair to transoms on other boats I have owned.

[NoyacMariner]

What about using a small dowel and 5200? Not a good choice? Whats an easy way to put gelcoat over it?

[mytime]

Thanks for the info. I have never used epoxy on boats before. It is still relatively cold here (50-60 degrees). Is that too cold for the epoxy to cure? Can a heat lamp be used to help curing?

[atlanticbeach]

Never use a wooden dowel and 5200 to fill a hole.

Temperature does not matter. On the epoxy systems for sale, they all give you amounts of hardener to mix based upon the working time and complete cure time. The colder it is, the more hardener used. And yes, you can use a heat lamp to speed it up. You will know when it is cured. It will be hard as concrete.

[GhostShip]

50-60* will give you added work time and using a heat lamp is a good idea. Be carefull to monitor the distance, don't get it too hot, just warm to the touch.

[mytime]

I like the fact that the epoxy works in any temp. Sounds like the best solution. Can you add white color to the epoxy to blend it with the hull?

[GhostShip]

You'd be better off getting a gel-coat repair kit,and doing it after the epoxy cures, muchbetter control on matching the color.

[bygracealone]

I used wooden dowels soaked in resin. Make sure it's a really tight fit. Also, tap the dowel in just a hair below the skin, then use a small piece of fiberglass to finish... Worked for me...

[atlanticbeach]

Ghost ship is right, do the gelcoat after the epoxy dries. You will get a better job. You can get gelcoat and mix it in a PreVail sprayer available at Ace Hdw and mask around the hole and do a bang up job spraying an area about the size of a half dollar, then sand lightly with 600 wet dry paper and buff and you have a great waterproof transom repair.

Good luck

[SD spero]

take a look on u tube for west system epoxy tutorials. good info there.

[HardLivin]

You might want to use a counter sink on both sides of each hole. This way the expoxy plug can't pop out in either direction.