How to repair a drilled hole in a fiberglass boat

This is due to not having enough area to bond fiberstands in the fill area of the hole. Hole going right through fiberglass into the boat.

Next take a saw and cut out the damaged area that youve circled with the marker.

How to repair a drilled hole in a fiberglass boat. If the drilled hole is half an inch in diameter inject the mixture in layers allowing one layer to cure before moving to the next. This prevents overheating of epoxy. Now that you know how to fix a drilled hole in a fiberglass boat you can bid farewell to your boat painter and do the job at home in a budget-friendly way.

Repair small hole in a fiberglass boat hull. Hole going right through fiberglass into the boat. First examine the hole and look for cracks and chips extending out from the hole.

Use a marker to circle the entire damaged area. Making sure to include the cracked spots. Next take a saw and cut out the damaged area that youve circled with the marker.

This step-by-step video tutorial produced by Sea Hawk Paints will show exactly what needs to be done when patching a hole in your fiberglass boat. Before attempting a repair by yourself get a professional opinion. Always wears Personal Protective Equipment when sanding or working with chemical compounds.

Respirator safety glasses and gloves are always recommended. Here is a list of products you will need for the repair. Add the mixture to your repair area.

The combined fiberglass sheets are placed on a plastic that will be used to apply the fiberglass to the repair area. To give your repair the best shape the fiberglass sheets are positioned in such a way that the largest sheet is directly on the repair. Drill the hole a bit larger than you need.

A good estimate is a minimum of 50 larger. For instance if you need a 12in hole drill a 34in hole. If you are going to screw a something into the hole a larger hole is even better.

Create a plug by sealing one end of the hole then pour mixed epoxy into the hole - thereby creating a plug. I took the boat to a glass shop and they told me circular holes repairs are the toughest to repair correctly. A Small hole has a propensity to pop the gel coat.

This is due to not having enough area to bond fiberstands in the fill area of the hole. To repair my small holes they cut horizontal 1 long slots at 90 degree angles around the. But lets say that the hole is affecting your fiberglass alone.

What do you do. The first step is to acquire a fiberglass repair kit. It should include the materials you need to patch the hole but you must also have the following tools to apply it to your boat.

Disc sander or electric drill with a sanding attachment. Repairing Holes in The Hull. To repair a hole in the hull you may need to get some new core material.

Try to match the new core material with the existing core material. Make sure the remaining core material is dry. Once you have the core material youll need to fit it into the hole.

Next measure and cut your fiberglass cloth. If your fiberglass repair is not too big you can get away with buying a repair kit to fix the problem yourself. There is a fiberglass repair kit on Amazon called West System 105-K Fiberglass Boat Repair Kit that is great for repairing cracks scraps gelcoat blisters loose hardware damaged keels and smaller holes under 1 in diameter.

Stupid Move - Drilled Hole in Boat. Like others said remove the silicone and get some epoxy. When applying the epoxy take a 12 drill bit and chamfer the hole from the outside.

That will help eliminate silicone residue and give the epoxy something more to bond to. Drill the hole a bit larger than you need. A good estimate is a minimum of 50 larger.

For instance if you need a 12in hole drill a 34in hole. If you are going to screw a something into the hole a larger hole is even better. Create a plug by sealing one end of the hole then pour mixed epoxy into the hole - thereby creating a plug.

Fixing up some leftover holes from a trolling motor replacementMinn-Kota and Motorguide use vastly different mounting and My customer wanted to move from o. Then cut a hole in masking tape and place it over the transom holes mix up your epoxy and putty knife it on over the tape and hole. After curing take a disc sander and sand the epoxy down until you just barely abrade the tape a little and then remove the tape.

I accidentally drilled through the hull of my fiberglass boat. It is a tiny hole maybe 18. It was to hold a screw that is holding down a piece of floor trim on the inside of the boat.

The odd thing is that I did it 4 years ago and it was not until this year after my marina stripped 10 years of bottom paint off my boat that the problem surfaced. On my last Mako inboard a couple of the screws that held the Hardtop Tubing to the floor ripped out in some rough water. I cleaned the holes out good and put 5200 into them letting it dry till the next afternoon.

I then re-drilled the holes and put the screws back in. The 5200 was still holding strong when I sold the boat 1 12 years later. You will need to mix enough fiberglass resin for one application.

For this step you will need the resin the MEKP catalyst the mixing container and the stir-stick. When you are mixing the resin and the catalyst remember to scrape the sides of the container to make sure youve used all of the catalyst. Sanding equipment including either a disc sander or an electric dill with a similar attachment Buffing attachment for drill.

Boat Caulks and Sealants. Once youve taken the time to prepare all your equipment youre ready to evaluate the first steps and fix a hole in a fiberglass boat.