Fiberglass glass repair advise.

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30marlin

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After hauling my Marlin this year, I found I have two gashes that are the length and with of a pencil on the bottom of the hull. It took off the gelcoat down the fibers in the mat.
It may have cut a few strands loose but did not cut into the mat.

What would be the best way to fill this in? Do you have to use Gelcoat since it will be barrier coat and painted back over? I want to make the best possible repair and keep water out of the fiberglass mat.

Thanks.
 
The strongest and most waterproof repair would be to use a good marine epoxy, especially since you're barrier coating it anyway.....if you want to fix it with gelcoat, use a vinyl ester based gelcoat as it will give you a better secondary bond than regular polyester gelcoat.
 
Epoxy would be my choice but prep is most important. Usually you need to sand down the surrounding area to taper the patch area . The patch should be at least five times as wide as the cut is deep, so if the gash is 1/8 inch, the surrounding 1 1/8 inch (half on each side) of the gouge needs to be sanded down. If the fibers are intack and not protruding, you may be able to get away without a the tappered area using epoxy and filler like cabosil (spelling?). The thing that is critical to avoid is any glass fibers sticking out from the patch. Any un-epoxied fibers will act like sponges.
If you don't care that much about looks, Marinetex is an option also. The stuff dries very hard and had excellent adhesion properties. Again, sand the gouge with something around 150 grit paper, make sure there are no protruding fibers, mix the Marinetex, apply and try to make the patch uniform ( since it is difficult to sand after it dries).
If the hull was barrier coated, you can coat the patch and then bottom paint. If the hull is not barrier coated, you don't need to barrier coat the patch.
 
Thanks guys. I very much appreciate the input
Now all I need is for this blizzard to clear and the temperatures to warm up.
 
If you're in cold weather, you're waiting till Spring.....you need to be over 50 or 60F for resin to bond right. Need t find a buddy with a heated garage or barn!
 
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