Before Posting, Please Read Our Posting Guidelines Below.
1. Use the full 4 digit year for everything you are asking your question about. Example: 1962, 1988, 2000, 2011 2. Include the correct name of your Whaler model. Example: Montauk 17, Montauk 170, Outrage 26, Outrage 260 3. Include the length when necessary. Example: 16, 17, 18, 20, 22 4. Do not post your email address anywhere on this site as it is already in your user profile.
My 1987 15' Super Sport Limited has a lot of screw holes that need to be filled. What type of fill material do I use? How do I get it down into the screw holes? Most of the screw holes are in the transom area. How do I determine if the wood inside has been effected, and what treatment do I use for that?
There is a lot of information on here about this subject. The answer will vary depending on several factors. Start with the "site search" to narrow down your vision of a finished product.
I just completed doing my boat (15ft SS) this last weekend. I used a gelcoat filler from Spectrum Color. Call and give them the number off your transom and they can match the color pretty close.
I have some filler that I think is the right color. I'm concerned about keeping the hull waterproof, i.e, I don't water to leak through the screw holes. How do I get the filler material down into those small holes?
Thanks
Felix
I recently repaired the edge of my whaler ('76 11ft.) after removing the rubrail to replace it, and had swiss cheese to deal with due to screws and original rivets used to hold it on. I also didn't just want a surface repair, but wanted a structural repair material that could get into the holes. I drilled the holes out to clean edges and filled them with West Systems Six10 Thickened epoxy adhesive. It was exactly what I was looking for. (The nice sales folk at West Marine tried to sell me 2-part epoxies that I would be attempting to trowel into a screw hole, but found the Six10 after I described that I wanted to use a material in a caulk tube to be able to make an effective solid repair.)
It comes in a caulk type tube with a mixing screw-on tip with the two parts that are separated in the tube.
It worked perfectly. The only surprise was that it didn't harden in 5-6 hours as stated on the tube, so I had to wait about a day before I could sand it. Sanded well also.
As far as looks go, in my case, I'll be covering it with the new rubrail, but I also plan on using it to fill small holes I drilled in the hull to attempt to drain water from the saturated foam. I'll then use gelcoat as the final surface layer.
Good luck,
Mike
Edited by gilgotes on 04/13/10 - 6:10 AM
1976 11ft. Sport, 40hp Evinrude
Thanks, Mike, for the helpful tip. I too am concerned about water build up in the foam. I don't know how to detect it, or how to drain out the water should it be in there. Someone at West suggested using a UV lamp. This would require removing a patch or patches of the original gelcoat, which I am very reluctant to do. The structural integrity of the hull is the most important part of the boat for me.
Did you have success in getting the water drained out of the foam?
One other thought on the issue of the screw holes. I'm told there is a type of epoxy for the transom area that "hardens" the wood inside the transom. Any suggestions on the correct amour of epoxy to insert to treat the wood, and again, how to insert it in the holes??
Regarding water in the foam, I knew there was water in the foam at the rear and under the bow locker area because there where drips on a dry day. Drilling the 3/8" holes allowed a little bit of water to drain, but it is only from the local area. If the foam has been saturated for a long time, the closed cells break down and allow water to penetrate. To quote some other WC members, the foam holds water like a ShamWow or an apple. I had to physically remove the wet foam from the rear section of my whaler. The area is about 7 cu.ft. so it should have weighed about 14 lbs. The removed foam weighed 82 lbs, so I got 68 lbs. of water from the rear seat area alone! I want to get it in the water, so I'll do the rest of the boat after the season.
Regarding "Hardening" the transom wood, I haven't had to do transom work, but, in my opinion, that can only mean that the epoxy, just like any adhering laminate, works compositely with the wood to make it stronger. The wood itself can't get "harder" than when it was completely dried at the mill (assuming BW didn't use green wood).
Mike
Edited by gilgotes on 04/14/10 - 6:21 AM
1976 11ft. Sport, 40hp Evinrude
