Fixing the bottom hull

[Kny21]

I'm in the middle of working on my buildup and wanted to know what everybody recommends to use to repair/clean up all the hull imperfections before I go any further towards painting.

The bottom has the usual wear and tear from beaching, but has one or two bad spots where the SMC(?) is worn and beat up. What should I use to fill and fix this?

Here's a pic of one of the worst spots:


Want about filling chips and gouges in the gel coat of the top deck?

Thanks,
Ken

 

[Matt_E]

Fill it in with thickened epoxy. Perhaps some milled fibers.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

You can also use epoxy and fairing compound or if it is strusturally damaged use epoxy and collodial silica and the follow up with the epoxy and fairing compound mixture.

 

[Duster8]

after you fill gouges (*sp?), can u just spray bomb it? Maybe use the appliance paint or something?

 

[Kny21]

What exactly is fairing compound? I have all the other stuff, silica & epoxy, just don't see the other stuff on uscomposites.com.

Will the fairing compound work on the gel coat also?

D8,
Yeah, I'd imagine if you're just trying to patch up damage you can get away with appliance paint if it matches or your not anal.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

west system lists it as #410 filler,it makes a fairing compound pretty much like bondo but epoxy based with a tenatious grip on anything it touches.

 

[meatball]

^

That's good stuff, MAS also makes a slightly cheaper milled fiber filler that tough as hell, and will bond well enough for your needs.

I just picked up an epoxy based fairing compound made by system three to use for final body finishing, as polyester based ones wont stick (ie bondo etc.), its called quikfair fairing putty, and is a fast curing two-part epoxy putty that should be easy to work with, I'm gonna try it next week.

If you have epoxy and fillers laying around though, just use that, for things like that, I doubt its too important in EXACTLY what you use, but for the bigger gouges (chunks missing on the chines that are high wear) I'd use milled fibers or West 410 filler (toughest West filler) for strength reasons, other then that, wood flour, whatever its all good.

 

[Alex]

watch using west systems 410 with with dark colors. Not recommended under dark paint or other surfaces subject to high temperatures. Cures to a tan color.

 

[djyox]

so wouldn't you mean, not ment for use with light colors???

Or is there something I don't know about paint? (which would be a lot)

 

[Alex]

light colors it would be ok

 

[WFO Speedracer]

As long as you run epoxy primer over it it should be fine and any filler with microbaloons in it is basically the same thing as #410 West systems filler .99% of the repairs I do are on couches and most of those are white,I have done many darker colors that wer'nt gelcoated on Yamaha boats mostly blues and purples.I have never had a problem with the #410 filler though.Also we are talking the bottom of the hull here,how hot is that going to get?

 

[Alex]

i never used 410 just cause i didnt want any problems with dark colors just to much work to have do it over again i use 207

 

[WFO Speedracer]

I think you mean #407 which does not sand out as easily,#207 is a special coating hardner for wooden boats. I have been doing repairs for over 10 years on boats and on Pwc's and I have not had to redo a repair yet.You have to understand when they say don't use it under dark colors they are referring to boats which Is what the product was designed for . Boats have a much larger surface area which for the most part stays dry and surface temps can get extremly hot ,pwc surface temps tend to be cooler due to the much smaller surface area and are usually cooled by water splashing on them.Like I said in ten years I haven't had a problem with #410 filler.

 

[Alex]

yes i meant 407 thats good to know that you havent had any problems with i'll give it a try sometime

 

[Dirtybird]

ok, check out my mangled hull. Just get some 410? Or should I get some bonding tape or 4 mil fiberglass? :dunno: I think the clowns before me that owned the ski pulled it behind a truck on a paved road :sneaky: :bigeyes: :wink:

 

[WFO Speedracer]

Yeah I would go with a combo of about 50% #410 and 50% #406 it makes it harder to sand but also much tougher,any of the west system or other fillers can be intermixed that way #407 might be a good filler for that also.You can fill any deep gouges with the #406 and do the final finishing with the #410,its good to keep the #410 as thin as possible,you pretty much use it the same as bondo.

 

[Dirtybird]

ok, so I just purchase the 410 and 406, thats it? I dont need any mix?

 

[DaUpJetSkier]

k I am justin between coats painting the bottom of my square white, I used 407 I believe and it left tons of air bubbles, heat didnt really help, its a lil late now but for future reference how do you get it to lay out like bondo?

 

[meatball]

ok, so I just purchase the 410 and 406, thats it? I dont need any mix?

As long as you have the epoxy, you just mix that stuff in until the consistency you want (I mix in until peanut butter like). 400 series fillers are only the powder that you mix into the epoxy, its not a putty if thats what you were thinking.

 

[WFO Speedracer]

yep mix it in with your epoxy to peanut butter like consistency and spread it on with a bondo spreader,the only thing I don't like about it is it takes a long time to dry,but it has a serious death grip on anything it touches so if you want it off get it off before it cures or you will have to sand it off...........