What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

[Freedom1]

I bought a Bass Boat this weekend and it has a couple of hunks of fiberglass missing along the bottom. Is there something that is easy to use to fill these hunks in? They are about the size of a 50 Cent piece.<br /><br />This is my first fiberglass boat so I am new to this. Any information will be greatly appreciated.<br /><br />Jamie

 

[tmcalavy]

Re: What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

Marine-Tex putty. Get it at your boat store or online. Great stuff.

 

[mellowyellow]

Re: What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

yep, even comes in colors u can match <br />good luck,<br />M.Y.

 

[Capn Mike]

Re: What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

Do a search for Marine-Tex, and you'll see it's the wonder filler for anything. One of my boats is a fb driftboat, which regularly plies the Klickitat, Deschutes, White Salmon and other white water rivers. Once a year, I repair the bottom with Marine-Tex. The fiberglass might scratch, but the Marine-Tex never!

 

[Freedom1]

Re: What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

Hey, Thanks for the replies. I really appreciate the info and I will be picking some up, ASAP.<br /><br />Thanks again,<br /><br />Jamie

 

[SCO]

Re: What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

I've got a couple of these to fix too, where the bow has grounded(by previous owner) and likely to meet the shore again when beaching. What do you think Crab, is this a case for glass cloth?

 

[Capn Mike]

Re: What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

There's a couple of products for that purpose; one is called Keel Guard, and is advertised to be a strong vinyl covering for just that use. I know Cabela's sells both brands.

 

[rogerwa]

Re: What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

When I bought my Sea Ray, I thought i had looked it over real good. When I got home I noticed the beaching scars. I put Marine tex over the whole area to stregnthen and seal, I then applied a Keelguard over the whole are. It looks great and is better than new..

 

[jprasisto]

Re: What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

when my dad owned a wooden boat we were forever filling holes with GitRot and Marinetex. While it works like a charm it did get expensive. We started using Bondo or White Knight(?) and found it worked just as well but was significantly less $$. Believe me, it added up when filling dry rot!

 

[crab bait]

Re: What is the best thing to use to patch a nick in Fiberglass?

i had the exact same problem on my first fiberglass jonboat .. it grinded itself so many times on the concrete boat ramps ..that i had to re/add build-up glass cloth on it .. an shortly after ,, it grinded/opened up again,, next season..<br /><br />so i repatched it again.. an this time i got a piece of aluminum strip from a good marine store..<br /><br />it was about 3 to 4 foot long ,, or maybe longer an i cut it to that..<br />about a 1/2 in wide an thin .. about 1/8 thick.. <br /><br />i epoxied ( marine tex ) it on.. don't need it 'up'the 'curve' of bow any.. just were the hull hits the ground ( rubber meets the road ,,so to say )..<br /><br />i built the putty up on the sides of the metal ..covered it with 'saran wrap' an placed a few heavy things on it ,,till set up... <br /><br />looked good ,, but who cares.. it's on the bottom.. who can see it..