How To Repair Hole In Bottom Of Fiberglass Boat

Cypher can sink a boat faster than a hole, and fifty-fifty the smallest hole could sink a ship. This is hopefully not something every gunkhole owner will need to worry well-nigh, but information technology is a expert thought to know how to gear up a hole on a boat merely in instance the unthinkable ever happens to you. If your boat springs a leak, you should take it out of the water right away and go it repaired before going back out.

This past summer I was having coffee with a friend I hadn't seen since I was young, and I told him how I bought my starting time gunkhole recently. He started to tell me a story that has been stuck in my caput e'er since he told it to me. He told me how a few summers ago his family rented a cottage with friends of his, and the cottage came with access to a boat down at the dock. One of the teenage boys in the group had taken the boat out and must have hit a rock or something, because the next day when they all went back down to the dock, there was almost viii inches of water in the boat. When the possessor showed up he took the boat out of the water and pointed out stretches and a crack in the bottom left side of the hull. Needless to say, that man will probably never include his gunkhole for strangers to use again.

How Much Does Fiberglass Repair Cost?

The cost to repair fiberglass and gelcoat will vary depending on how much damage is done. Typically this cost could range from $75 to $125, per hr in most places. Over again depending on how severe the damage is, this could take anywhere from a few hours, to several hours. For example, chips and gouges tin take a few hours, while an actual hole could accept 5 to ten hours.

You tin can cull to repair the impairment yourself, and in almost cases, it's a adequately easy, straightforward procedure. If y'all have all of the tools needed, you could probably ready the repair for about $30 – $60 depending on how severe the damage is.

Fiberglass Boat Repair Kit

If your fiberglass repair is non too large, yous tin can become away with ownership a repair kit to fix the problem yourself. There is a fiberglass repair kit on Amazon called Westward System 105-K Fiberglass Boat Repair Kit that is peachy for repairing cracks, scraps, gelcoat blisters, loose hardware, damaged keels and smaller holes under 1″ in diameter. The package comes with everything you lot volition need to perform the repair, as well as detailed instructions on how to employ the production.

Currently, Amazon is selling this repair kit for $34.26 every bit of the time I am writing this. Click hither to check the current cost.

What is Gelcoat For Boats?

The gelcoat on a gunkhole is the outer surface layer on a fiberglass boat hull, which is designed to protect the bottom layers of fiberglass, and give your gunkhole that color and shine finish. The gelcoat is made up of special polyester resin and fiberglass, or epoxy resin which is typically used with carbon cobweb for actress forcefulness and water-resistance.

Just like any other end, gelcoat is prone to scratches, chips, and deterioration. Y'all might notice that over time your gelcoat might start to prove 'spider spider web' looking cracks which would indicate a weakness in the underlying fiberglass. Another problem you might notice with the gelcoat is blistering, which by and large ways that there is a water intrusion under the gelcoat itself.

Most of the fourth dimension the repairs to gelcoat scratches, cracks, and chips are a pretty straightforward repair that tin can generally be fixed using a gelcoat paste. It's an easy job that can exist performed by almost anyone, and really only requires a repair kit. The trickiest part is the sanding and polishing that'south required to blend the area with the hull.

How Exercise Yous Go Scratches Out of Gelcoat?

If your scratches are on the surface of the gelcoat, and so those can be buffed out using a polishing compound, but if the scratches are deep they'll demand to be filled in. Normally if the surrounding gelcoat is in good condition, you can use a gelcoat paste to fill in the scratches. Because the surface of the cured gelcoat paste will be uneven, you will need to sand and polish the repair area.

What you will need:

Offset, you lot are going to demand a gelcoat paste that can be picked up in a repair kit for less than $35. The kit should come up with the gelcoat paste and hardener, selection of pigments, mixing sticks, and sealing film. You volition also need to purchase a single canvas of 150-, 220-, 400-, and 600-dust moisture-or-dry sandpaper, and a flexible plastic spreader if you don't already accept one.

Matching the color:

Matching the color is going to be the toughest part of the repair. Many experts tin can tell you that it'due south very difficult to perfectly match the color on a gunkhole that's been in the lord's day for a few years. White is typically a little easier to try matching, it'due south more different when you commencement to go into colored hulls.

You can become a color-sample card from your local paint supply store that best matches your hull. Once you lot know which color-sample all-time matches, you can then ask the store clerk for the color formula used to create this specific color blend. With that information, you can then attempt to recreate the same color combination using the tints that came in your repair kit.

Gear up the scratch:

Before you start to apply the gelcoat paste to the scratch, accept a screwdriver and run it downwardly the scratch to open it upward a piddling wider into a 5 shape. The reason for this is because the gelcoat paste is very sparse and if it's applied over the scratch then information technology'll just cease up forming a bridge over the scratch leaving a void under the newly applied gelcoat paste.

Apply Hardener:

To utilize the hardener, make sure to read and follow the manufacturer'southward instructions. Typically as a full general rule, four drops of hardener will catalyze one ounce of resin at one percentage. It's better to add besides little than likewise much hardener. The mix shouldn't outset to harden in less than xxx minutes. Hardening should take nigh two hours.

Use the gelcoat paste:

Using a flexible plastic spreader, begin to work the gelcoat paste into the scratch. While applying the gelcoat paste, proceed in mind that polyester resin volition shrink slightly as it cures, so you'll want to have the paste stick out a little from within the scratch. Recollect you volition be sanding this once it'southward cured then it'll be okay to put a little extra on. Don't put too much extra, because that'll create extra work for you when sanding.

Cover the repair surface area:

Gelcoat does not fully cure unless it'south covered upwardly with a plastic sheet. Your repair kit might take come with a plastic film that yous'll accept to employ to encompass the repair expanse. If you didn't receive a plastic pic with the repair kit, you tin can use some Saran Wrap or a plastic sandwich bag. Starting time start by taping one side downwards to the surface simply beside the repair, so polish out the plastic onto the gelcoat and tape down the remaining sides. Allow the plastic sit for at least 24 hours.

Sanding and polishing:

Once you lot've waited over 24 hours, yous can remove the tape and plastic. Using a sanding block and a sheet of 150-grit sandpaper, brainstorm to sand out the new section of gelcoat. For this, you lot'll want to take your time and make certain y'all are only sanding the new patch of gelcoat and not the old surrounding gelcoat surfaces. Using a sanding block will assist yous keep the sanding confined to the repair area.

Once the new gelcoat has been sanded down and it's now affluent, switch to 220-grit moisture-or-dry sandpaper. Continue to wet sand the repair, keeping your sanding cake flat the whole time. For this, y'all are going to have to proceed a dull drizzle of water running on the sanding area, while you sand the repair in a round motion. Every and then often, stop sanding and take your finger and run it over the repair area feeling for the ridge. Stop sanding when you can no longer feel a surrounding ridge.

Without using the sanding block anymore, switch over to a 400-dust wet-or-dry out newspaper. Begin to sand the repair some more using water, until the repair expanse has a compatible appearance. Switch to a 600-grit wet-or-dry paper and go along sanding with water trickling over the repair for merely a piffling longer.

Dry out the water off using a soft textile. Use a rubbing compound to assistance give the gelcoat a squeamish high gloss look. Employ the compound over a soft fabric, and begin to buff it over the surface of the repair area with a round motility, first by using heavy pressure, then gradually reducing the force per unit area until the surface becomes glassy looking. If yous are still able to run into swirl marks in the gelcoat, continue to buff them out using a very fine finishing compound.

Finishing touch:

Once you accept finished buffing out the last of the swirl marks in the gelcoat, y'all can now give the expanse a waxing. If you were able to friction match up the colour properly, and then one time y'all are finished, the repair area should be hard to detect.

Repair small hole in a fiberglass boat hull

Pigsty going right through fiberglass into the boat:

Commencement, examine the pigsty and look for cracks and chips extending out from the hole. Apply a marker to circle the unabridged damaged expanse. Making sure to include the cracked spots.
Next, take a saw and cut out the damaged area that you've circled with the marker.
Now that the holes cut out, yous need to make up one's mind the thickness of the hull substrate and multiply that by 10. This volition give you lot a circumference effectually the hole that you'll need to bevel down. Take a measuring tape and mark to outline that altitude around the hole.
Using a power sander with a fifty grit sanding disc, you lot tin can now bevel the whole border out to your mark.
Once you lot've finished bevelling the area, you now need to find something to go in behind the hole to cake it. Some people use Ducktape for this or a piece of woods with plastic wrap over information technology.

You can now follow the steps below starting on #4 to patch up the pigsty.

Cracked couple layers of fiberglass, not quite through into the boat:

Scrap away whatever loose fiberglass from around the hole.
Next, have a pocket-sized grinder and smoothen the edges of the hole, as well as the exposed fiberglass.
After you've ground the surface area, you should now be down to the solid laminate.
Using a painters record, place the tape effectually the hole to avoid getting admission resin on other parts of the hull.
Have a clear piece of plastic and place it over the pigsty. At present using a marker, trace effectually the edges of the pigsty. Adjacent, come in a footling from the edge and trace the outline out again. Finally once over again, within that outline, coming in a niggling more, trace effectually the hole 1 more time. Yous should take iii outlines of the hole, that will look like the rings on a tree stump.
Next, cut out the larger outline first, and than trace that onto the new sail of fiberglass. Once you lot've cut the fiberglass out, cut the next size outline out of the plastic and trace that on the fiberglass. Practice this until you lot take all 3 outlines of the fiberglass cut out.
Stack the pieces in the void that you lot basis out on the hull (putting the smallest size down first and working upwards) and cheque if the height will be good, or if y'all need to add one more layer. Most of the fourth dimension you can get away with 3 layers, but calculation an boosted layer wouldn't injure. It would just mean extra sanding if it was too loftier.
Next, mix up the vinyl ester resin and hardener in a small-scale plastic container. Mix it up actually good.
Take a paintbrush and carefully moisture each slice, forepart, and dorsum.
Take the pieces, one at a time and place them in the void. Get-go with the smallest size first and working up. Using your paintbrush, carefully spread them out getting rid of whatsoever air pockets or wrinkles caused by placing them downward.
After the last piece is added, remove the surrounding tape, so have some pare ply and place information technology over the repair. Using your paintbrush, advisedly dab information technology around the peel ply and spread it out. And so permit information technology sit for about an hour.
Later on an hour, you can then take a sander and slowly sand the surface area smooth.
Once you've finished sanding the repair, clean the area with some acetone.
This is where things get a little tricky. Mix upwards a batch of gel coat, trying to match the existing hull color.
Once yous think y'all take the same colour, it's time to apply the pigment to the repair spot. Using a spray nozzle is easiest.
Once the gel coat is hardened, take some acetone and wipe the area clean.
Finally, perform some wet sanding to the area to aid transition the repair to the rest of the hull and give it that natural look.