Patch hole fiberglass boat hull

The steps to fixing a simple ding or small hole are as follows. The patch held fine until the boat was pulled later that day. How to fix a hole on a fiberglass boat complete diy guide. Watching a professional do the job can help you get on the right. Heres what youll need to know about how to repair a fiberglass boat hull from the outside. In fiberglass boat repair the repair area may have hardness very similar to the original laminate and you can accidentally change the shape of the surrounding area. Many boat owners look for the quick fix solutiona simple. In this case, use a syringe to fill from the bottom of the blind hole.

I will grind out a concave circle on each side of the hole say 67 inches. Otherwise, it would be impossible to enjoy a ride on your boat as the hole makes it too risky or even deadly. The most horrifying hole in a fiberglass hull is quickly healed with a bit of glass fabric, a supply of resin, and equal parts skill and care. Start by taping a piece of formica or plexiglas to the inner surface of the boat, making sure to cover the hole thoroughly. How to patch a hole in a fiberglass boat bottom paint store.

Fiberglass hull hole repair help while patching the hole will solve part of the problem, theres a bigger issue. Fixing or repairing small dings and holes in a boat hull. Leaving your boat in the water has the clear benefit of saving you both time and hassle, but does make it more difficult to repair certain kinds of leaks. Repairing machined holes in fiberglass with west system epoxy. Totalboat ambassadors kent and audrey lewis from small boat restoration in florida did a great blog post about how to patch a hole in fiberglass. First, grind around the edge of the hole to make it smooth.

Its only natural that these patches will eventually fail. It lets you make repairs without hauling out first because it can be applied underwater to patch, fill, and seal leaks in aluminum, fiberglass, wood, and steel hulls. Fiberglass boat repair theres a hole in my boat part. I used it to fill screw holes that were through the hull. This stepbystep video tutorial produced by sea hawk paints will show exactly what needs to be done when patching a hole in your fiberglass boat. Prepare yourself with an emergency toolkit that includes totalboat underwater repair epoxy.

When repairing fiberglass boats, the challenge is to determine an. If you need to repair a hole or leak in your fiberglass boat hull, you have two choices for how to proceed. Even a hole the size of a domestic fridge can be invisibly repaired, and the hull will be just as strong as it was before or even stronger. How to fix screw holes in fiberglass sign in to follow this. Its important to have the right materials before you get started, which includes. Ever wanted to fix a crack or hole in a fibreglass boat. Fortunately, you can purchase access covers to fill the holes if there is no stringer. Mix it, apply it, and cure it underwatereven underway. One significant problem is that he cut a square hole in the hull why. Fiberglass repairs fixing old holes in the hull youtube. Think about the vibrations a boat hull is subjected to. Nor do these repairs involve rocket science just some manual dexterity and the. First, examine the hole and look for cracks and chips extending out from the hole. In this short video i take a minute to fix up an old bad repair.

Repairing a hole in a fiber glass jet ski body ifixit. This is part 1 of a 3 video series outlining how to repair structural damage to your fiberglass boat. I am doing a refitrehabrepower and need to fill two or three holes in the hull. This is a pretty common issue that youll run into with older boats so. The problem with that is that those plugs will eventually work themselves loose. Before filling, i chamfered the edges of the hole from the outside so there was more surface area for the epoxy to grip. Attach three layers of fiberglass strips with resin to the inside of the hull. The west system fiberglass boat repair kit has everything you need to repair gelcoat blisters, loose hardware, delaminated deckspanels, damaged keels, cracks, scrapes, and holes up to 1 diameter. Cut the largest fiberglass patch to extend several inches beyond the actual break in the hull and at least two inches beyond the next smaller fiberglass layer.

We cleaned the inside of the hull around each hole and covered them with duct tape to keep fiberglass dust from getting inside the boat. If that hole has been there for any length of time the foam in that area may be water logged and when foam gets wet it never dries out. Ideally, we would have marked similar circles on the inside of the hull as well, so as to create hourglassshaped laminate patches for each hole, but we were living on the boat and this was not feasible. Erik norrie, ceo of sea hawk, shows the best way to patch holes in a boat hull using sea hawks signature products. Lowkeelt demonstrates how to patch a hole in a fiberglass boat hull. Example 5 a 1 diameter hole drilled near the hull bottom through a structural laminated fiberglass bulkhead with a 34 plywood core. This was my first time doing fiberglass and this kit worked great. The hole is below the water line on the boat, so i dont want to leave it and continue to use the boat the way it is.

Generally, production fiberglass boat hulls are built in a female mold. West system fiberglass boat repair kit wholesale marine. However, the repairability of fiberglass is one of its best characteristics. The actual hole is a 6 inch crack with fibers hanging out. Ive watched and researched quite a few fiberglass repair videos, etc, particularly the boat works today videos. To do that, cut the screen to fit the hole and force the epoxy or resin into the screen with a squeegee so that all the holes are filled. If you cant find a repair kit buy 1 quart of polyester resin and hardener, and 2 square feet each of 10ounce roving and 7 12ounce fiberglass cloth. Watching a professional do the job can help you get on the right track and be confident in doing the repair yourself. Heres a quick and simple way to patch small holes in a boat hull that does not require any sanding. Especially if the hole has not caused any delamination between the hull and the foam. How to repair gelcoat, fiberglass boat repair boating. A major fiberglass repair, such as patching a hole, can be a daunting task.

Attach kitchen wax paper to the boat as a nonstick material for the poly resin to set against. Plan on using a variety of sanding tools if you are dealing with a repair that bridges both a flat area and a detailed area. I purchased the boat with the scrape on the bottom. Dont let it intrude into the fiberglass hole of the hull and use thickened epoxy to secure it. You will definitely be needing the fiberglass glow bit repair kit available on amazon. Following these 11 simple steps will help you get your boat or ski back on the water for more fun out on the lake. To patch the hole, buy a quartsize polyester resin fiberglass repair kit at a marine store. Make an angle that goes towards the hull so that the resin wont get caught and create air pockets. The hole was caused by the trailer tire rubbing the hull. If you need to plug a hole in your grp boat, fear not repairs are easy to. Im afried if i fix it with fiberglass it will be the same way in a short amount of time. There are several materials you can use to repair a fiberglass boat, but for the inexperienced boat owner, it is best to buy a repair kit. A successful repair will depend on the degree of access to the hull.

One of the beauties of glassfibre boats is that they are so easy to fix. The water pressure sucked the patch up against the hull and immediately sealed the leak. Then, put down a flexible cutting board by duct taping the two layers. How to fix a crack or hole in a fibreglass boat the new. You can successfully complete basic fiberglass boat repair by following these steps. First sand continue reading fixing or repairing small dings and holes in a boat hull. None of the filled holes has loosened up or leaked. If needed, put a screw into the drill hole left by the hole saw to hold the plug, then after the epoxy has cured, remove the screw and fill that hole with epoxy. Cut the fiberglass patches, making certain each layer is staggered in size from any other layer on either side of the repair. How to repair a fiberglass boat hull from the outside. The wet foam then leads to rotten stringers, floor and transom.

I was working on my rod locker this weekend and popped a small hole through the side of the boat. Repairing dings and holes in the hull of your boston whaler, 15, 17 or larger boat is not as difficult as you would think. Fiberglass boat repair theres a hole in my boat part 1 youtube. Patch holes in aluminum boats with west system gflex epoxy. I feel confident i can do this structural repair safely. Having a large hole on your fiberglass boat can make your beautiful boat go ugly in no time. How to fix screw holes in fiberglass bass boats, canoes. Grade the sizes so the widest piece is on the inside of hull. Came with everything i needed to fix a hole in my jet ski. Working with fiberglass is different than working with a material as straightforward as, say, wood. If the area is large or in a place that undergoes a lot of stress or absorbs impacts, you should use a fiberglass screen to strengthen the patch. Repairing a fiberglass boat or jet ski body can be a simple task to do yourself in order to avoid costly repair prices. How to patch a fiberglass hull patching a hole in a fiberglass hull is fairly easy. Add to that the expansion and contraction that it will undergo as temperature changes.

I actively searched for the best way to patch small holes in fiberglass on the web. Puddy resinhardener kit for backfill of the gelcoat on the exterior of the hull. These pesky holes happen from time to time when boats are hit or damaged and a large hole is left in your otherwise smooth fiberglass hull. Fiberglass hull repair bass boats, canoes, kayaks and. This is also or first attempt at doing a complete video segment using our samsung galaxy s7.