Cowling Repair

[jay01mac]

I just hope I'm in the right section. I recently (Monday) purchased a new 30hp Mercury outboard. Purchased it in Adelaide and had it nicely packaged to bring home, 535km. I had an engine stand ready and placed the new motor on it. Apparently the Dyna screws holding the timber support couldn't hold the weight and it crashed to the ground. After several minutes of expletives, I carried it to the shed to asses the damage. A small chip from the prop, some superficial paint scratches and this bloody great hole in the cowling.
What would be a suitable material to repair it??

1: I thought I could utilise the broken pieces and use an epoxy glue to put them back together, or
2: Just fill the hole with JB Kwik, sand and then repaint, or
3: Pay $200 for a professional plastics company to repair.

Any suggestions, remembering I'm in outback Australia.
regards
jonmac

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: Cowling Repair

I am not positive what is available in your area but there are plastic epoxy products that will repair that and glue those pieces back in. Here in the USA I have repaired many plastic products and found the DEVCON products worked much better then the Loctite products.

Check with your local body shops and see what they use on plastics on the automobile panels. There is even a plastic welder available that can "plastic weld"

Yes I feel your frustration.

 

[Home Cookin']

Re: Cowling Repair

epoxy the pieces back in place and include some backing on the inside--cut out a square from a plastic food container or from an emu tinny

replacement cowls are expensive even at a boat junk yard, which I suspect will be hard to find out there in the bush.

Streuth, no one will say anything; they will be mystified by an outboard in the middle of the Nullaboor! And if you run it in what you all drink out there, flush it afterwards b/c that bore water is worse than a cup from the Bight!

 

[MH Hawker]

Re: Cowling Repair

When I bought my last motor the PO had cut 2 inch holes in the cowling to improve air flow to keep it from over heating, it needed a water pump and thermostat. I used fiberglass to fix it.

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Cowling Repair

You can use something like JB Weld or JB Quick to glue the pieces back in place. And to make it even more secure I'd back it up with a piece of fiberglass cloth or mat that extends an inch or so beyond the damage in all directions. Before you start make sure to clean everything with paint thinner or alcohol to remove any trace of grease and oil, and scuff up the parts with coarse sandpaper (where the JB or epoxy will be) to get better adhesion. If you want to go to the trouble of repainting this will give you a good starting point for that as well.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Re: Cowling Repair

I would use JB weld and aluminum mesh on the back side for support (the crap they provide in the cheep automotive repair section at your local parts store)

 

[greenbush future]

Re: Cowling Repair

That should be an easy fix, the location isn't a high stress area, so as long as you have all the parts that broke away, using the adhesives mentioned should fix that blemish right up. I personally think the backer plate or backer glass option would be overkill, but it would ensure it never falls off again. Let us know how it turns out and what method you use.

 

[crabby captain john]

Re: Cowling Repair

Not as bad as it could be. Wait a few days and it will not seem as bad as when it happened. Take a breath and an easy fix.

 

[Stumpalump]

Re: Cowling Repair

A home center or auto parts store should have epoxy made for plastic. I shattered an aftermarket off road light and that stuff fixed up the housing really nice. The mount was busted all the way off. It expands and flexes more like plastic than the regular stuff.

 

[jay01mac]

Re: Cowling Repair

Thank guys, Some great solutions on offer. I have elected to use JBWeld as the epoxy glue for the job. I have glued a large piece of fibreglass insect screen on the inside of the cover to act as the back-support to hold the pieces in place.
Allowed 24 hours for JB to set then modified the pieces to fit the damaged area, allowing a little more room for the epoxy to settle around the pieces.
Only have to wait overnight for it to dry completely and the sand the area. I'm sure there will be a few low areas that will need to be filled again. New decals have been ordered.

 

[jay01mac]

Re: Cowling Repair

Well its fixed. It looks a lot better now it's painted and with a new decal. I'm waiting on a new 30 hp decal to finish the job. . . . jonmac

 

[smokeonthewater]

Re: Cowling Repair

Congrats mate... good job

 

[Fleetwin]

Re: Cowling Repair

What damage?




Nice job!

 

[gm280]

Re: Cowling Repair

WOW! I can only imagine how you felt. But seriously, only you know there was ever a repair now. Nice job... Time for water...

 

[metriccrescentwrench]

Re: Cowling Repair

Well its fixed. It looks a lot better now it's painted and with a new decal

Looks great!!!