Filling screw holes

[scott craven]

What would you use for backing to fill drilled holes in fibreglass ?
I was thinking i would use some 2" fibreglass tape( sheetrock product)
and then fill holes with marine sealant.

 

[Mighty Sylvan]

I guess it depends on the diameter of the holes your filling. If you are going to use a two part filler add more hardener so it sets up a little faster and you can just hold a piece of plastic board against the holes. Can you reach each side of the hole?

 

[scott craven]

Yes, just thought it might be easier if there was a permanent backing to fill against ?

 

[Little Hawk]

Crave, can you post what you end up doing and how it turns out? The Hawk has quite a few holes and spider-cracks I'm going to be dealing with and I'd be interested to hear what works without going to West Marine and 'bending-over' for THE WEST SYSTEM!

Salesman: "Okay Buddy, this is what you need to fill your little hole... you need one of these, some of that, two of these and..."

It's a frickin' hole Dude!

Don't get me wrong, I like W.M. - it's a boaters paradise - I just feel like I have to have several hundred dollars in my wallet every time I walk in there or I may as well not bother.

What about Bondo with the fiberglass fibers mixed in? You can even add colourant to it, no?

 

[Lipripper]

I epoxy dowel in there and after it sets some gelcoat over top

 

[johnkirk]

hey guys...just my two cents. preped our 24 foot boat for paint 10 yrs ago with alan kelly out in sidney doing the spraying, and most recently 2011 a 17.5 k/c which turned out nice. both were sprayed with ditzler. however for fairing compound used polyfair worked great as a filler. when we did the larger boat it was available at most body shops, however the only place i could track some down in 2011 was blackline. they were very reasonable in selling smaller quart sizes for reasonable then add your hardener. better than bending over in the aisle at west marine.

 

[Dave S]

Quick putty 2 part epoxy stick. Canadian tire

 

[Statler]

To fill holes you should undercut the hole so that it is cone shaped on both sides if possible. Then use epoxy and add cabosil (fibreglass powder/filler) mix thourghly into a paste and then force this mixture into the holes. Smooth as much as possible. To apply pressure or to give it a more smooth look wrap some saran wrap around a piece of wood and use some clamps to hold it in place. This will give you a half decent finish. To remove any uncured epoxy just use white vinegar to clean it up. Works as well as the an epoxy cleaner. Once complete sand if desired and cover with an appropriate gel coat. Also if you don't want to buy a complete kit don't forget Industrila Plastics. They may be able to sell you smaller quanities. Doesn't hurt to ask. If you cut corners in boat repair it will always bite you in the butt!

 

[dance a jig]

If the holes are in places where color doesnt matter, say where the former transducer was mounted, use MarineTex. This is a 2 part product available at most boating stores. Also, if mounting new holes in transom for transducer, perhaps consider using 3M 5200 and gluing on a small piece of Starboard in the right place, and once cured, mount your transducer onto it thereby eliminating holes in transom and potential problems them can create. good luck. DAJ

 

[scott craven]

well i won't recomend this for everyone but all i needed was to fix a few holes
from an old motor well boot.
Duct tape and sica-flex did the job !

 

[trendsetter]

Do the holes go right through the hull? If they do you really should use an epoxy fiberglass patch. The duct tape patch will fail eventually.

The second best option is 3M 5200. It is an extremely strong adhesive sealant that is rated for repairs above and below the waterline. Silicone has no place on a boat.

 

[chris73]

I saw some people recommending gelcoat over epoxy. Doesn't work. Gelcoat does not stick to epoxy. Nothing but epoxy sticks to epoxy. Be careful recommending something you shouldn't recommend!

 

[Rockfish]

Go down to Industrial Plastics & Paints at the coroner of Cloverdale and Oak in Victoria and get some filler,Gel coat, catalyst and some good advice. Done correctly with a good color match and you will not be able to tell there was ever a hole.

 

[Statler]

Actually if you do some research you will see that gelcoat can been applied over epoxy. http://www.westsystem.com/ss/polyester-over-epoxy/

 

[mbowers]

If the holes are in places where color doesnt matter, say where the former transducer was mounted, use MarineTex. This is a 2 part product available at most boating stores. Also, if mounting new holes in transom for transducer, perhaps consider using 3M 5200 and gluing on a small piece of Starboard in the right place, and once cured, mount your transducer onto it thereby eliminating holes in transom and potential problems them can create. good luck. DAJ

I second the Marine Tex, but the 5200 and starboard combo will probably not bond together. It seems nothing really sticks to starboard unless it's a chemical weld..

From http://www.thehulltruth.com/boating-forum/222801-starboard-3m-5200-a.html

"I have spent considerable time with some of the most knowledgeable engineers at 3M, and the general consensus among all of us is that there is no good way to bond HDPE's EXCEPT the weld method (or mechanical fastener) mentioned above. The welding requires specialized tools and not many people do it. If you use screws be sure to size pilot holes correctly, as HDPE is notorious for creeping and the material often splits a year or more later.

There are products that claim to bond HDPE's, but unless you get a recommendation from someone very credible who gives you a recommendation based on their personal experience with the adhesive, I wouldn't even bother trying any of those products. "

 

[wolf]

Duct tape and sica-flex did the job !

You are a redneck arent you Scott LOL LOL LOL do you get all this from the RED GREEN SHOW????!!!! LOL LOL LOL

 

[scott craven]

Works for Red !