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 Catalina/Capri 25/250 Sailor's Forums
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 Fiberglass repair		  New Topic  Topic Locked
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Bruce Baker
Captain

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USA
402 Posts
Initially Posted - 06/26/2006 :  10:16:39  Show Profile
As a result of my t-boning incident, I've got a chunk missing out of the side of my boat. It's right under the genoa track, and it's about four inches long by two inches deep. The hull is undamaged, so my reading is that the damage is mainly cosmetic. The recommendation I have received is to fill the hole with "Bondo". It's some kind of polyester fill with long fiberglass threads. Evidently, you can shape it and then paint it. I thought that instead of paint, I might buy some of the custom gelcoat from Catalina Direct and use that for color match.

Comments?
Bruce Baker
Falls Church, VA
"Yee Ha" 3573
'83SR/SK
Edited by - on

Leon Sisson
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
1893 Posts
Response Posted - 06/26/2006 :  10:39:59  Show Profile  Visit Leon Sisson's Homepage
Bruce,

I've done some structural fiberglass work, and some minor cosmetic fiberglass repair. In my mind, Bondo is associated with quick and dirty cosmetic patches which subsequently fail. That might just be me. If you're dealing with a hole punched through fiberglass, I'd suggest repairing it with fiberglass. If you're only looking at scraped off gellcoat, then fix it with gelcoat. Putty like fillers fit in between those two extremes. For such thin shaping and fairing situations, I mix up filler putty from WEST epoxy and additives. They have stuff to discourage running, aid sanding, add strength, color tints, etc. I think with a little study and practice, you could whip up small custom batches of filler which would better suit your needs than Bondo. There's some disagreement about how well gelcoat goes on over epoxy. I've done it several times with good results. The WEST epoxy folks have some excellent technical papers on that, and other boat-specific uses of their products. Have fun smearing and sanding!

-- Leon Sisson

(edited to fix a stunningly obvious spelling error, as opposed to the slightly less obvious kind which are undoubtedly still in there.)
Edited by - Leon Sisson on 06/26/2006 10:42:53
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danandlu
Navigator

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USA
175 Posts
Response Posted - 06/26/2006 :  11:02:50  Show Profile  Visit danandlu's Homepage
On my other boat some PO had used Bondo or some type of filler for a poor repair job (I'm not positive it was Bondo). When I made my first attempt at a repair with polyester resin and glass mat I found the Bondo was incapatable and I had to redo it all. I had to sand every bit of the old Bondo away before the fiberglass repair would hold.
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stampeder
Master Marine Consultant

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1608 Posts
Response Posted - 06/26/2006 :  15:05:56  Show Profile
Bondo is okay if you don't have a conscience and are planning on selling the boat after you fix the damage.
You have fiberglass damage, so use fiberglass products to repair. You'll be happier with the results and if you sell, you will be able to say to the new PO, that you did the repair properly.

The only time I'd use Bondo would be as a quick fix in a non structural situation to get me through the sailing season, and then I'd remove it and do it right.
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Champipple
Master Marine Consultant

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USA
6855 Posts
Response Posted - 06/26/2006 :  17:35:49  Show Profile  Visit Champipple's Homepage
there is a marine bondo type substance...let me see if i can track down the name - it currently escapes me.
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ClamBeach
Master Marine Consultant

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3072 Posts
Response Posted - 06/26/2006 :  22:26:11  Show Profile
"there is a marine bondo type substance...let me see if i can track down the name"

Marine-Tex?
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Notice: The advice given on this site is based upon individual or quoted experience, yours may differ.
The Officers, Staff and members of this site only provide information based upon the concept that anyone utilizing this information does so at their own risk and holds harmless all contributors to this site.