Fiberglass hull hole on 83 Bayliner Capri

[ShaneDasRip]

Well it happened. I took the boat out of the lake and pulled the drain plug, and at least 10 gallons of water came out of that little hole.

I got this boat a couple weeks ago. 1983 Bayliner Capri with an 85HP engine. Yeah, I know the reputation. But, it's my first boat. I've wanted a boat for 20 years now.

I've torn the engine apart, added a deck (Not replaced) polished it up. It's looking good now. I want to be able to enjoy this for a couple years before I go buy a brand new one.
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WVh3ZZ1iMHa6Ef3lmwyyRgzDAt4l6Qgx/view?usp=sharing

The reason water came in was because this putty the previous owner came off in the water.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1Wboh8-sgB43sjx5rsKHgfxPxZHJvVLKI/view?usp=sharing

Now it looks like this:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1WAcJ9FzejVPbE5uG_xiscBVXDhFw0knz/view?usp=sharing

I don't want to spray Flex Seal on this. I want to fix it in a way that i don't have to worry about it for a few years.

My plan is to go to home depot, get some poly resin and CSM, sand all the edges down, glass it up, sand it, fill it, sand it, then gel coat it.

What do you think?

List of materials:
https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Bondo-1-qt-All-Purpose-Fiberglass-Resin-20122/202077790
https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Bondo-8-sq-ft-Fiberglass-Mat-20129/202077814
https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Bondo-41-oz-Short-Strand-Fiberglass-Filler-272/202077784
and what ever west marine has for cheapest gelcoat.

There are also numerous little chips in the gel coat. Can I use the filler in those areas then gelcoat over them?
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1W6TC_gioBYUGwU0qaf5NZQ0W4gVKXqBR/view?usp=sharing

Questions I am asking the community:
Does that sound like an OK plan?
Am I OK using that resin? I've read it's OK as long as I gelcoat it.
When I use CSM, Do I use the biggest piece first then taper down to the smallest? or should I build up the edge with small ones, then use large ones to round out the corner again?
Do I want to finish, start, or even use glass cloth? https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Bondo-8-sq-ft-Fiberglass-Cloth-20128/202077813

 

[Scott Danforth]

first, stop.

your boat needs a full restoration

do not buy any crap resin from home depot. and do not buy cloth from there either. not only is is 150% higher cost than buying proper resin and cloth from a fiberglass supply company, the resin has wax in it and has sat around so long on the shelf it may not cure.

go to the DIY sticky at the top of the forum, read links 14, 15, 18, 2, 3, 4a, and 4b in their entirety before you do anything else.

that means watching every video and looking at every picture in links 14, 15, 18

then. look at your boat.

to properly restore your hull and gel, you are looking at $4000 in materials.

 

[ShaneDasRip]

Scott,

Wonderful post and thank you for calling out specific numbers. I glanced around in there the last few days and have learned a bunch, but missed a couple till you pointed them out.

As much as I would love to do it the proper way, I just can't. I had a few boats before that were project boats. Wife says no more project boats. They turn me into not a nice person to be around. Luckily she is allowing me to attempt to repair this one. IF i can get some life out of it till the end of this season, it's all worth it. We all know a guy who has spray painted a car a time or two. Well, that's what i'm attempting.

I have never glassed before, but I think I have the order of operations down. I'm just trying to work with the best with what I have available to me.

 

[88 Capri (2022 SOTY)]

One thing to remember is safety, you will hear alot of this from the seasoned members here in regards to taking an old boat out in the water that you are not necessarily familiar with.

 

[Chris1956]

Repairing it from the inside will guarantee a solid repair. You would simply sand the area around the hole until clean and dry and use some polyester resin and heavy roving to patch it. Make the patch the same thickness as the original hull.

Now the exterior repair is largely cosmetic. You can sand the exterior to clean her up and get to dry fiberglass, and then use some polyester putty to restore the original shape of the hull. Any deep gauges can be filled with "kitty hair" polyester putty.

Sand it to shape and either gelcoat or paint it.

If you need to repair from the outside, the repair is more difficult. You have to grind her down to clean solid fiberglass, and feather out the area to allow an good-sized area for the repair to stick to. Now you need to apply a fiberglass cloth product and resin appropriate to build up thickness and strength. Epoxy is probably a good idea, as the area is critical to the hull integrity.

Polyester Putty over the cloth, sand to shape and paint or gelcoat. If you use epoxy, make sure to sand it well before applying polyester products, to assure a good bond.

 

[Scott Danforth]

I had a few boats before that were project boats. Wife says no more project boats.

then dont buy bayliners older than 10 years old, especially dont buy bayliners from the 80's or 90's.........they all are rotten projects.

 

[JASinIL2006]

Why are you sure the water intrusion is from the scrapes on hull? I'd be more concerned about a rotten transom, especially on a Bayliner of that age. And when you say you "added a deck (Not replaced)" do you mean you decked over a rotten deck?

Personally, I'd be concerned about the safety of this boat. I hate to say it, but it does sound like it has serious issues.