Hatch Fix

[hinmo]

I have a chipped live well hatch cover.

I've read a lot about patching/re-building hatch covers chips here in the forums...my head is spinning. Poly-fair, 3M epoxy with filler, fiberglass filler and resin, and many other recommendations. I have a history of screwing up Marine Tex and other glass repair jobs. The divots are relatively small but a few are on the edges. I also dont want to paint or gel coat afterwards....hoepfully theres a decent "white" match thats close enough.

A friend at the boatyard I work for has viewd the hatch and recommends poly-fair

Any material/product recommendations and method for filling those divots and edges? Not looking for perfection, but something better than the current conditon that will last a couple years.

thanks (I will try to post some pics of the hatch later)

 

[DennisG01]

Click on the "sizes" button: https://www.pcepoxy.com/products/permanent-repair/pc-11-paste-epoxy/ PC-11 is basically the same stuff as Marine-Tex, but is easier to mix properly. This (and other things like it) will provide a more durable, final product than any fairing compount. Not that a fairing compound would be bad, though. PC-11 is made right here in Allentown, PA (M-T is made in Philly, though) and the owner is a really nice guy. For your application, I think that squeeze tube will be plenty - and when you're done, put the cap on, throw it in your tool box, and it'll be ready to go again sometime in the future. Plus, it's only about $5. Even though one of the two mixing parts in it is a greenish color, it's "mixed" color is white - pretty much the same color as M-T.

As with any project like this, though, the prep is the most important part. You need to grind/sand away any dirty parts and get to solid, clean surfaces. A Dremel with a grinding/burr bit works really well. For really small areas, the bit that has a small "ball" at the end is good.

In the end... there's plenty of products that can do the job for you. But that PC-11 would be my choice. You can always get a small amount of custom-mixed paint if you want to match the color better.

 

[hinmo]

Thanks Dennis -sounds good, I will try it.