Repair hatch with no wood??

[mac83]

Guys, I’ve got an 98 Adventure 208 and both of my hatches are in bad shape. They have the normal chipping and cracking. Gel coat/non skid is chipping off on the top because of water intrusion. The thing I can figure out is how to fix it since there is no wood core? I took them to a reputable fiberglass repair shop and they advised to try to find a junk boat that someone is parting out and get those. I know there has got to be a way to fix these. Has anyone had any good results with doing so.

 

[mac83]

Here are a couple of the pictures of the hatch that is the worst.

 

[Hookup1]

Yes - GW uses some higher density foam material in some of the hatches and the bow pulpit. That finish side(non-skid) chipping may be able to be repaired using a textured silicon mat and gel coat. First make sure the core isn't compromised. If so grind out repair. Need feedback from other GW owners who have repaired the core. I am tempted to grind it all out and re-core with coosa board or plywood.

Finding them used (probably no better shape) or NOS isn't likely.

 

[SkunkBoat]

I think they used foam in "cooler" lids. If you dig it out you could use pink foam board from HD (if you can actually find some...) and epoxy. Can't use polyester on pink foam it melts.

 

[Hookup1]

The foam in my 265 for hatches and bow pulpit is hard like stone. No digging it out. It chips off in big pieces.

 

[SkunkBoat]

So its just a hard filler poured into the hatch? Then no need to dig it. Have to fix from the outside.

 

[Hookup1]

It looks like GW sprays the gel coat into the mold and then pours this filler in. Not sure how the edges are formed. I did not see any glass layup but maybe it’s there. But this is where all the edge chipping starts.

Yes - cosmetic work from outside IF the underside is not cracked. Look at those pictures. Looks like it’s cracked.

Whatever that fill material is it is difficult to get polyester gel coat to stick to. Be careful if you power wash your boat. It will find the voids and pop the gel coat.

 

[mac83]

Yes, it is cracked on the bottom from where the gas shock mechanism screws to it. I’m just surprised that it has flex to it with no wood structure inside of it.

 

[blindmullet]

Coosa/kay-Cell is pretty pricey stuff. I would go with a honeycomb. 1/2" sheets are about $55 at FGCI. Nothing wrong with end grain balsa or squares of ply. You just want to make sure your hinge areas are made with milled fibers and fumed silica. If you like to spend money just get scored divinycell.

 

[enfish]

It looks like GW sprays the gel coat into the mold and then pours this filler in. Not sure how the edges are formed. I did not see any glass layup but maybe it’s there. But this is where all the edge chipping starts.

Yes - cosmetic work from outside IF the underside is not cracked. Look at those pictures. Looks like it’s cracked.

Whatever that fill material is it is difficult to get polyester gel coat to stick to. Be careful if you power wash your boat. It will find the voids and pop the gel coat.

There is some glass in the edges, but it looks like chopper gun glass fibers, not woven. I just went through a gelcoat repair on the hatch a couple months ago.

 

[mac83]

So my plan is to grind down the edges that are damages and use 3M Marine Premium Filler to build up the area. I’ll have to finish with color match gel coat. I need help on how to do the top where non skid is though. I know there are numerous tutorials on how to create non skid. My issue is how much of the existing non skid should I remove? Do I grind it down until it stops popping off? I’m just not sure how to attack this?

 

[mac83]

Guys, I really need some help on the process to repair this if anyone has experience doing so.

 

[MrD]

Hi Mike:
Same problem here. It seems you know what to do with the edges. See my pics. I sanded/grinded down to good material. Be sure use a respirator, safety googles, and long sleeves. Fiberglass dust is nasty, itchy, and you don't want to breathe it in. Then I used Epoxy mixed with cabosil (silica) and cut pieces of fiberglass cloth to reinforce. I also used straight edge wood clamped to the edges, the wood was covered with clear packing tape, so that I can release it easily once the epoxy cured.

Now for your topside, non-skid, I think recreating the pattern may be too time consuming for a DIY. There are youtube tutorials on how to make a mold of the pattern.

If your topside of the hatch is weak, then I would epoxy or fiberglass a layer of cloth over the entire topside. First you will need to sand the old pattern down a bit for the epoxy or resin to bite into. My hatch is strong so I will skip this step. My non-skid pattern is non existent, it is a 1988 boat and the pattern has plain worn down.

I will roll or paint a layer of epoxy over the topside and sprinkle either some sand or store bought non-skid. Once the epoxy cures, I will put a layer of primer and paint over the non-skid.

Two ways to do this, either recreate the pattern you have there or recreate a new non-skid.

Hope this helps. I am going through this now too so please let me know if you have any ideas to share with me also.

~Nick

 

[mac83]

Thanks so much for the reply.