Fiberglass repair

[BALLS DEEP]

I have an 89 Penn Yan Contender with a fiberglass hull. I have a hole on the bottom of the bow that needs to be fixed. Is there any special kit you can buy to repair this? A marine repair kit or will a bondo type car kit suffice? Thanks.

[CaptSpike]

If it isn't too big you could repair it with Marine Tek. I wouldn't use auto bondo.

Other option is to back it up and reglass it. Start with small patches that sit in the hole and gradually build it up. When you have it built up enough sand it flush, use some filler to fair it out and either paint or gelcoat over that.

 

Spike

[BALLS DEEP]

Thanks Spike! But what to you mean by back it up?

[Sk8man]

Given the location....bottom of the bow if it were me I'd take it to a good marine repair shop. If that ever came loose you could be in a world of ....you know what out there. The bow can take a lot of pounding.

[Chas0218]

He means fill the hole with something and glass it in.  I would glass it from both sides if possible and go with extra layers on the inside making sure you overlap different areas. You might be better off taking it to a repair shop like Sk8man recommended.

 

If anything they can give you a price and if you don't like it do it yourself.

[Diversion]

What kind of hole are you talking about?? I think that needs to be addressed first as mentioned above the bow of a boat takes one heck of a beating

[BALLS DEEP]

Right on the front of the bow before it starts to curve upward. It is actually parallel with the ground when out of the water. I could be wrong but I think it would be more of a concern if it was farther forward as it starts to come up.

[lakebound88]

Bow as in hull or deck? Where trailer winch meets boat?

[BALLS DEEP]

Hull Nick. Its a little ways under where the winch hookup is, i would say three to four feet below.

[BALLS DEEP]

Marine tex white seems to be a great product based on the reviews.

[Diversion]

If it's right on the keel part, the marine tex should work just fine. That's all glass right in there, so no core to worry about.