Marine Tex or Fiberglass Repair?

While loading my H16 on Sunday I banged the inside of the starboard hull on the trailer creating a small gash. I taped a quarter to the hull for perspective when I took the pictures below.

From what you can see do you think that I can fix this with Marine Tex or do I need to use fiberglass?

Any suggestions and tips will be greatlly appreciated as I have not done this before!

Thanks!

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Michael
'86 H16 #91487

You need to dig the loose bits out first. A Dremel tool is good for that.

Marine Tex is fine, although it won't match exactly. White Marine Tex isn't as white as the gel coat. Marine Tex is very hard after it cures, so try to get it level on the first go. It's also epoxy, so gel coat won't stick to it very well if you want to spray gel on top of it.

If you want it to be invisible, use Evercoat Formula 27, then spray a bit of gel coat over it.

If you can get a copy of the May / June issue of the HOTLINE there is an article on repairing gelcoat chips & dings which you might find helpful. Good luck with the fix.

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1992 Hobie Cat 18 #16943
Hobie Fleet 198, Rapid City, SD

Thanks to everyone for the help.

One last question, is it strongly recommended that I fix this ding before I go sailing again or is this something that could wait until winter?

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Michael
'86 H16 #91487

Duct tape...don't leave home w/out some.

Put a big fat Hobie Sticker on it

Packing tape is better than duct tape, duct tape is better than Marinetex, MT is better than nothing.

The hierarchy of your boat's needs.

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Sail Revolution
Join us on our new FB Page!

You guys make me laugh!

Thanks for the suggestions.

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Michael
'86 H16 #91487

Has anyone ever used http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/store ... 00_225-4-2
Or would marine tex be better I do not live close to a West Marine and thats the only place I have found that sells Marine Tex so thats why I am asking?

I had a ding like that i just filled it with regular automotive bondo. Color doesn't match, but its solid.

It really depends on the type and extent of the damage you're trying to repair.

Formula 27 is a polyester based putty/filler. It isn't intended for structural repairs. It is OK for filling in chips in gelcoat or filling in imperfections in a repair before top coating with gelcoat.

Marine tex is similar to Formula 27 but it is epoxy based. It is stronger than Formula 27 but still really not intended for structural hull repairs.

Formula 27 and Marine Tex are OK if you have a small ding, but if you have a structural repair that involves broken fiberglass fibers (i.e., the hull is cracked and the crack goes deeper than just the gelcoat), then you really need to repair using polyester resin and fiberglass cloth (or in some cases epoxy resin and fiberglass cloth).

sm

I have done this twice on my 14 , repairing it both times with epoxy resin and two layers of glass cloth.

Turns out the roller guides on my trailer weren't adjusted for the hull width of the 14. If you havent done so already, I recommend adjusting the guides to prevent the possibility of the hulls contacting any sharp metal trailer parts.

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1985 Hobie 14T
2014 Hobie T2

It looks like the outer glass layer has been compromised, so I'd recommend that you make sure it's dried out then go ahead and fix it. Otherwise, water will soak into the foam layer which will likely lead to a (bigger) delam problem later. It's not a difficult, time-consuming repair, especially if you're not too worried about cosmetics.

P.S. You can probably get that Formula 27 cheaper at your local auto parts, home depot, or hardware store.

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Jerome Vaughan
Hobie 16

If it were me, i'd go the extra step and repair with Formula 27 and Gelcoat. It most likely won't be the last ding you ever have, and might as well get some beginner experience in working with the stuff in case you need to do a structural repair later.

Here is a step-by-step post I did a couple of years ago, the only difference to your picture is that I had a full puncture through the outer layer into the foam, although small, I deemed in necessary to structurally repair with cloth.

viewtopic.php?f=20&t=43039

All you need to do is omit the cloth steps and start with the Formula 27.

You might find that after you clean out the broken pieces of gelcoat, the hole goes deeper than you think, and if it does, do not use your boat until repaired.

I wouldn't just cover it with a filler. That will probably pop out in due course and will definitely crack round the edges.

Start with a simple fiberglass repair kit. West Marine sell an epoxy based West Systems kit that includes everything and The Hope Depot sells a Bondo polyester based kit. As noted above, epoxy is stronger but cannot be gel coated. The boat is made of polyester and should be strong enough.

Step 1) Start off with sanding the gel coat around the damaged area away, about an inch into each direction, to make sure that the fiberglass underneath isn't damaged. If you see damage, just keep going until you are about an inch clear of the damaged area.
Step 2) Cut the damaged fiberglass away while trying to keep the foam layer intact with a Dremel. The fiberglass layer isn't more than a few mm thick. Clean the area with acetone.
Step 3) If the foam is soft, inject resin through the foam to bond the foam with the inner layer of fiberglass.
Step 4) cut out pieces of fiberglass in the size and shape of the damaged area. Depending on the thickness of the glass fabric, you may need quite a few layers.
Step 5) mix the catalyst with the resin and stir thoroughly. Make sure you wear disposable gloves!
Step 6) use a small brush to 'glue' the pieces of fiberglass cloth to the foam. Keep adding layers until it's flush with the area around the damage.
Step 7) add 3 more overlapping layers on top, the largest layer should cover the sanded area around the damage.
Step mix a fairing component with the resin until you get a peanut butter-like consistency and apply this to the damaged area until the fiberglass texture is no longer visible. Let it cure for 48 hours.
Step 9) lightly sand any imperfections away
Step 10) paint or gelcoat the fiberglass.

Check out http://boatworkstoday.com/. Andy has a couple of great step by step videos for doing similar repairs.