Whoo Hoo! I have a hole in my boat...

[nola mike]

Noticed excessive water in the bilge last year, but was never sure if it was from people bringing it into the boat or if there was a leak somewhere. This year went looking for it. No engine leak, so started looking for a leak at the transom/Y-pipe/plug (bellows were dry). Hadn't been able to find one, but was thinking the worst. Short story, found a leak on the bottom of the V in the ski locker. Years ago I noticed that area was thin (from PO beaching I guess) and slapped on a couple of layers of glass over it. I think when the boat swamped a couple of seasons ago it punched a small hole in the area that I didn't notice. So I'm actually pretty excited that this is a fixable hole instead of needing to scrap the boat. Now on to the fix...

I have some 1708 biax and some CSM from leftover projects. I have some poly resin, but it's pretty old. Boat is on a lift, and I don't want to use power tools while in the water. Plan is to fix from the inside for now, and then put a couple of more layers outside during the off season. I'm thinking just PB and smooth the area around the hole (it's actually more of a staggered gash, maybe 1-2"), then just use some biax for the repair. I want to order fresh resin, so in the meantime I want to plug the hole. Any issues with using some marine tex or JB weld or similar? I'd just sand everything flat and use poly resin over it afterward. Or I guess I can spring for some epoxy resin. I've had this hole for at least a year, and it doesn't leak a ton, but taking the boat out knowing there's a leaking hole just seems wrong

 

[Scott Danforth]

can you reach the keel on the lift?
use a cordless oscillating tool with a sanding head.

mix up some PB for the filling

I would put a patch on both the bottom and insides

 

[Chris1956]

I recommend a structural patch on the inside and a cosmetic patch on the outside.

Rough up the inside fiberglass and lay sufficient cloth over the hole to match the original thickness of the hull. No need for any putty or peanut butter, except for top layer appearance. Use the heaviest cloth that will bend to the contour.

You can just putty the hole from the outside and sand smooth.

 

[nola mike]

Sounds good. I have a cordless drill and pads but think that would take forever on the outside. Inside I can use a belt sander for most of it. Was thinking at least a 2x1' on the inside. Outside I'll do a couple of layers just as a keel guard if nothing else, those would be a bit longer.

 

[stresspoint]

hit it with a heat gun before proceeding , , make sure no water is leaching out of the area you are repairing , if it has been wet a long time chances are it will not get a solid bond .

i would jusgt get some fiber fill and fill the outside jus to stop the leak , later in the off season you can get to it for a proper repair using the correct material and process.

 

[nola mike]

I have like 15 different types of adhesive/epoxies, and they were all bad except for some jb quick weld. I roughed up the interior and filled the crack. Was going to thicken it and patch, but it worked well thin, flowed into the crack and filled it. And then my lift broke and I spent the rest of the day dealing with that. The repair is screaming "good enough for now" at me

 

[Chris1956]

Gee, put a few layers of cloth on it, as the prep is already done. Poly resin is fine. When the hull flexes, I will bet she will leak again.