Re: Hole in bottom panel

Posted by Laszlo on Jul 9, 2004

Hi Terry,

Sanding is unavoidable, bolts & plates are not necessary.

If I was doing it (and it wasn't glassed yet), I'd:

1. Get rid of the flap and smmoth out the hole. 2. Round any corners. 3. Cut a wooden patch that's 1 inch larger in all dimensions and round its corners. 4. Paint the hole's edges and top (the area in the boat) with unthickened epoxy. 5. Paint the patch (all sides and edges) with unthickened epoxy. 6. Paint the hole's edges one more time for luck. 7. Butter the patch with epoxy thickened to mayonaise consistency (woodflour or cabosil). 8. Cover the hole with the patch from the inside and let it cure until no longer tacky. 9. Turn boat over and fill in the hole with woodflour (not cabosil) and epoxy mixed to peanut butter consistency. Fill it as smoothly as possible, maybe even using a sheet of polyethylene film on the top. 10. Let it cure at least 24 hours. 11. Dig out the sander and #80 paper and shape the filled area to match the hull. Repeat with progressively finer paper down to #220.

If it was already glassed, I'd do the same, except when I was cleaning out the hole I'd taper the edges (narrow inside, thick outside) and take off some of the glass at the outermost ring. Then after the patch was faired in with the rest of the hull, I'd cover it with an oval piece of glass cloth that overlapped the existing glass for 2 inches or so. Then back to sand, fill, sand, etc. until the edges blended in smoothly.

Good luck however you do it.

Laszlo

In Response to: Hole in bottom panel by veto on Jul 9, 2004

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