holy hole in hull batman

[KRS]

Well, the bad new just goes on and on. Found a small chip/hole in the bottom of the V, 2/3 the way back on the bottom of the boat, right in the middle of a bunch of deep gouges. The bilge water/oil/grime was leaking out of this chip. Can I simple green it, clean it up, dry it, and press some marine epoxy into the chip and be just fine? Or do I need to grind away gelcoat and 'glass and lay a bunch of new stuff?<br /><br />This is a 1987 16' fish/family boat, not a collectors item and although it is beautiful to me, not the impetus of much lake envy.

 

[Solittle]

Re: holy hole in hull batman

Your deescription is confusing. First you say a small chip/hole - - then deep gouges & leaking??? Could you post some pictures?<br /><br />For any small hole I would recommend Marine Tex and be done with it. But I don't know if that is enough in your case.

 

[KRS]

Re: holy hole in hull batman

There is a chip/hole where the leak is... the gouges are around the area... probably a submerged object strike. It appears that only a small area is "completely through". The scratches aren't a concern so long as they aren't contributing to the leak.<br /><br />I will get pictures, boat currently at mechanic getting coupler replaced, will be 2 weeks or so.<br /><br />Thank you.

 

[KRS]

Re: holy hole in hull batman

To quanitify: 4 hours at the lake will yield approx .75-1.00" of water in the bilge, not a boat-sinking leak but I prefer dry dry dry

 

[Catchem]

Re: holy hole in hull batman

Well if you want dry dry dry,then grind grind grind and fiberglass it back up the right way.If the gouges are as deep as you say and its been like this for a while you may have more damage than first thought.Take a real good look at what you have before you just "patch it up".

 

[magster65]

Re: holy hole in hull batman

Yep, definately have a good look but this doesn't sound structural. Grind out the inside and leave a rough finish. Resin/cloth/resin... 3 layers say. Buy a gelcoat repair kit for the scratches. Follow the directions on the package. It's a good thing to know how to do and the location of your problem isn't clearly visible. A great place to learn. You can do it.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: holy hole in hull batman

a....63 - There is only one way to fix it. Grind out the crack. You must have clean, dry fiberglass to effect your repair. Also, you will likely grind all the way though the fiberglass to get it all. The grind should look like someone scooped out the fiberglass, the "scooped" sides give more surface area for the repair fiberglass cloth to adhere. Cut many oval patches of fiberglass cloth each slightly larger than the previous. Paint the edge of the hole with epoxy. The smallest one goes in first, saturate it, then the next largest, saturate... until the hole is filled all the way. Saturate the whole repair with epoxy, and let it harden up. After it has set a while, you can use a little heat to assist the hardening process. You may want to surface it with marine putty (marine bondo or marineTex), to cover any rough areas in the cloth. On the inside, I would sand down the area around the repair, wipe with acetone and put two layers of roving, saturated with epoxy or polyester resin. This always made me feel more secure, since the roving alone will keep it waterproof.