Small crack on Hobie 18 hull

Hey guys, long time lurker here but finally had a problem I can't really find an answer too.

We keep our boat in the barn over winter and after pulling it out I noticed something got backed into it or it hit something on the way out, and one of the hulls now has a hole in it. It's not cracked through, but its a decent depression. It's too far from the deck hole to push it out from the back too.

What would be be best repair method for this? Fill it with epoxy and gelcoat over it? I've repaired a laser with fiberglass resin but I fell like that wouldn't work too well here.

Finally we had a trip planned this weekend and I had hoped to bring the boat out. Would sailing it in this condition make the problem much worse?


The hole


Relative location (just above the trailer wheel)

Fill with automotive bondo or other epoxy filler and go sailing.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Is that a permanent fix or something temporary that would have to be redone?

I think you could make it permanent. It is not a highly stressed area and there is an inner layer of glass that does not look like it would have been damaged. Push into and around the hole to compress or remove some of the inner foam layer so the epoxy gets a good mechanical bond.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

Would the epoxy resin cause problems later down the road when I go to reapply the gel coat? I though a polyester resin must be used to get a gel coat to stick.

I have used automotive bondo and sprayed gel over it.

If you want to go poly... mix with some chopped fiber and stuff in the hole. That would be a good fix to, but a little more involved. Bondo is easy and strong and a rock.

_________________
Matt Miller
Former - Director of Parts and Accessory Sales
Warranty and Technical Support
Hobie Cat USA
(Retired 11/7/2022)

I had the exact same injury on my 17 sport. I used the single repair packets made by West Systems. Used the white filler provided in the kit and put it on thick over the dent. Used a toothpick to work it into the area and used a piece of painters tape to flatten it out over the hole. After it dried I just pulled the tape off. It was almost flush with the surface. Minimum sanding. Hard to even see the spot now. Two (2) years of lots of sailing later and it is solid as a rock. Perm fix for sure.