Fiberglass repair help needed

BillS

BillS

Well-known member
I was looking over my Don Warren Classic BBSB and noticed a small quarter size chunk missing from the hull. (iam clueless on fiberglass) I think its just the gel coat as I see fiberglass behind it. anyway, no place carries gel coat repair around here, I do have 3M 5200 and West System Epoxy, and I may have microfibers. What is the best way to repair this. Its a duck boat so looks aren't important but strenghth and avoiding future problems is. Do I need to worry if water got behind there? I have used the boat a few times this summer and don't know when this developed. Here is a pic Thanks

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Sounds like you aren't totally clueless, should be an easy fix if you have epoxy. In the very best case senario that would be a chip from an impact or a bubble under the gelcoat that finally broke out (happens a lot). Best case being that it isn't a result of some sort of structural issue and there are no materials in the hull to absorb water. All you would need to paint it with epoxy and then fill it with epoxy thickened with something (household white flour even or sawdust) and then paint to protect the epoxy from UV (i.e., shot of krylon).

More of a structural issue may be suggested is if it is in the neighborhood of a structural member. Is there a seat, bulkhead, rib, combing opposite or adjacent? This could be a one time problem from when you dropped it or an accumulation from years fo stresses concentrating there. You may need to build up with a little glass if that was the issue. I don't know if that is a problem with those boats, someone should know.

Finally, I don't know those boats, but is the hull cored? That hole looks a little deep (could be a bubble), if the hull is cored with balsa and that balsa got wet that may be a bigger problem.
 
Thanks tod, maybe someone with more knowledge of these hulls can shed some more light. But to my knowledge there are no bulkheads, just two fiberglass halves put together, no core. If it is a bubble can I syringe epoxy into the gap till it fills up?

I believe but not sure, that a rock may have flew up and chipped it. I have driven in on a few gravel roads this summer and I don't recall seeing it back in June, thats my best quess anyway.
 
Some of Don's fiberglass work was a little rough, lol

I'd sand it to good FG , fill it with an epoxy filler like Marine Tex, though a Polyester putty will work too, sand smooth, or not, and your good to go.
 
Yes you can just fill it up with a syringe. You can use a syringe and a piece of tape to hold the stuff in 'till it cures and then peel the tape off after it cures.

Adding a little stuff to the epoxy so it is thicker would help you out some if you want to trowel it on. The marine tex that George suggests is a thickened product that would do the same thing as a fine sawdust or flour added to epoxy to make a paste. If you have bulk epoxy you can make a puddy/paste yourself.
 
If it is only a quarter sized ding, and not structural I'd fill it with bondo, sand smooth and paint. First I would get rid of the loose stuff I see around the perimeter of the damaged area with a rotary tool of some type.

Mark W
 
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