TOPIC: I'm an idiot - How to fix screw hole through hull

I'm an idiot - I managed to put several screws through the bottom of my hull when installing a piece of flooring. (2" Course thread all purpose screws) The holes will be small when I remove but I am wondering what is the best way to fill them? Fiberglass repair kit? Epoxy?

(You don't need to confirm that I'm an idiot) Thanks for any suggestions!!

Ooops.... You need a new boat now. There's no way to fix that

Everyone does it at one time or another, wether they'll admit to it or not...

Its not a tough fix- I'd assume that you backed the screw out?? I'd fill it with epoxy, probably slightly thickened. I 'inject' it from above, until it flows all the way through the hole, then tape the bottom up until it cures so the epoxy stays in there... Should do the trick.

A post from a few years back, shared only for entertainment value, not IQ value, or lack thereof:


Larry Durant (G_Force) wrote:

Today, spent several hours again, attempting to clean up the mess. Boring and tedious work, tends to make my mind wander.

I kept thinking about ole Red's speech to the parole board in the Shawshank Redemption.

"Am I rehabilitated?
Thats just a fancy word you guys use to justify your existence.
But if I could, I would go back in time
find that young man
I wanna talk to him
I wanna talk some sense to him
tell him

black, or gold, drywall screws are an unacceptable fastener in a marine environment.
you don't use them to screw thru the hull to fasten down your seats
then cut them off on the underside and put a dab of sealer over them.
you don't use them to hold down upholstery. You don't use them at all.

you don't put carpet in there, over a crappy floor, and use two gallons of adhesive.

If you want to play with silicone, go to college, get a degree in plastic surgery.

you don't cut thru a structural element to add a non-essential accessory.
if you want to store stuff, get a boat box, not a glove box."


Twenty years ago, I might have pulled the same crap
after attempting to rectify mistakes of the past
I can assert, with some certainty,
I'm rehabilitated.

lar

also, if it makes you feel any better, peruse the rest of the original thread, where others "have done it"

forums.fiberglassics.com/g3/showmessage.asp?fm=Forum&messageID=6313

Think I'd err on the side of the Lord. Buy a Fiberglass repair kit. Rough up the surface on the inside of the hull. Don't remove too much material, you don't want to weaken the hull. You need a sanded (Must have a "Tooth" for the Epoxy/Resin to adhere to.), clean, 4"x4" surface for your fiberglass patch. I'd use 3 overlapping patches, assuming the hole is less than 1/4" the patches should be about 1" Dia, 2" Dia & 3" Dia. Mix a few ounces of 2 part Epoxy. If you use 2 part Resin make sure to follow the instructions for bonding to Epoxy.
Follow the instructions on the repair kit, 1st the 1" Dia patch, then the 2" then the 3". Allow to cure overnight. Then fill the hole on the outside of the hull with 2 part epoxy putty. Let that cure completely, then feather out the outside of the hull. you don't need bumps to disrupt the smooth surface.