Repairing cracks

I just got a '65 17'fiberglass Starcraft (as a bit of a project boat). This is probably no surprise, but the hull has dings and chips, along with one small hairline split that I'm worried will leak. To patch these imperfections, how would Bondo work? How about Bondo with a coat of epoxy over it? Do I really have to spend the massive amount of money on resin? By the way, the crack isn't in a high-stress area, I think it may have been bumped by something! The chips are mainly along the front of the hull...products of logs?<br /><br />I'm more of a car-patcher than a boat patcher, so feel free to call me a moron for even debating Bondo! This is my first boat, and it needs some help or it might just sink on me!<br /><br />Thanks all.

Re: Repairing cracks

Do not use Bondo. It will absorb water and either fall out or dissolve. For the smaller spots, use Marine Tex.<br /><br />You can use a product called Gluv It (applied inside) to seal ANY areas you fear may leak. Outside repairs can be patched with mat and resin or Marine Tex as prevuisly stated.

Re: Repairing cracks

Does this stuff have to be purchased at a marina, or is it one of the 10,000,000 things found at a local Wal-Mart? Isn't resin extremely expensive, and hard to work with?<br /><br />Thanks a ton

Re: Repairing cracks

PCM, Marine Tex or even marine polyester putty is fine for the dings. For the crack you will need to assure it does not split more, and I think any kind of putty is not strong enough. I would put heavy fiberglass roving on the inside of the hull to cover the crack. You will need to sand the inside hull area to be patched and wipe it down with acetone. At that point you can use either epoxy or polyester resin to wet the hull and roving. The mesh of the roving needs to be filled with resin. After it cures, you can use the putty to fill the crack from the outside, if it needs it. The putty will be for appearance only!