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I wanted to move the rod organizer in the port locker up 2 inches.
I did and when I put the original screws back in one of them went
completely thru the hull. I didn't think 2" would matter. Anyway since this
is such a small hole I can't get any fiberglass mesh into it and then put on gel coat.
What's the best way to repair a screw hole like this.
Thanks in advance for the help.
LK
It happens to all of us. Just be grateful that it is only a small hole.
For strength, I would use either epoxy resin or fiberglass resin and some cloth, repairing it from the inside of the hull. Lay on a couple layers of cloth, 2-3" in diameter. Then I would cosmetically touch it up on the outside, probably by using some marine tex.
You might also get lucky by putting a piece of tape over the hole from the outside. That way when you repair it from the inside, the void will probably fill in with glass and any outside repair may not be needed. You might be able to put something on the tape (layer of oil?), so the glass doesn't stick to it, when you go to remove it.
Mike,
Thanks for the info.
LK
I would think something that small you could clean out the hole a little and jam in some marinetex leave it a little depressed, then get a gel fix kit from one of the marine stores and fill the depressed area with matching gel..
That's what I was thinking of doing since it is so small. Also the hole is thru the
carpet in the rod locker. I'm not sure how I would get any glass mesh in that
small of a hole. Thanks for the info.
LK
If you go with the glass method, you will need to remove the carpet enough to get behind it. You can use Marine Tex if you want, If it were my boat, I would just feel more comfortable with a glass repair, overlapping the hole by a couple of inches.
Good luck on whatever method you choose.
another thing you can do,get a shorter screw or grind the one you have off so it does not stick out all the way....pull the screw fill the hole with marinetex and run the screw back in it..then marine tex the bottom you will not have near the hole to fill with marine tex...the marine tex will last much longer because it is not as thick...
ps make sure the screw is good stainless...................
Guys,
Thanks for the suggestions. I really appreciate the help.
This is a great web site.
LK
I did the exact same thing a while back.... "who would have thought the bottom of the rod locker was the actual bottom of the hull" ...woopsies!
Anyway, I hate working with fiberglass, so I took it to my local fiberglass repair shop. He ended fixing it from the inside, by removing the carpet, griding away at the hole to widen it with a shallow slop. Next, he then layered the glass back in, and did a nice job on the outside cosmetics.
The big difference is... he glassed-in my little mounting bracket that I wanted to screw down in the first place. So, he repaired the hole, and mounted the bracket. Not bad for $250 in repairs that look good as new.
Good luck.
that procraftmike is a smart man