Filling fiberglass holes

Pernalski

Member
Aug 12, 2018
42
Great South Bay, Long Island
Boat Info
2003 Sundeck 220
Engines
Mercruiser 5.0 MPI w/ Alpha 1 Gen 2
Kind of a two part question here...
1) Looking to remove the carpet snaps on the floor of our 220 Sundeck and fill those holes. It’s quite a few holes (obviously) and I have no prior experience working with fiberglass.
2) A few of our mooring cover snaps are loose around the boat—I need to re-set these in the same hole.

Maybe the solution will be the same for both applications?

Thanks in advance.
M&E
 
West System Six-10 epoxy in the caulking-gun style tube is my vote for the job.

Do you need to match the color with the filler?
 
Thank you both for the replies.

The floor looks white to me. Also it’s non-skid, will that make a difference?
Should I prep the holes?
 
You can use Marine Tek or regular epoxy. The also have a product called Spectrum Gel Coat paste that is color matched to your boat. I used it on my Sea Ray and just used it today on our Crownline to fix some hairline cracking in the swim platform. Ground it with a dremel then filled the grooves. For structural holes like the snaps you will be replacing I'm not sure I'd use the Spectrum stuff as I'm not sure of it's holding power but for holes you will no longer be using it should be fine.
 
The Six-10 epoxy would work really good to re-set those snaps. When it cures, it is sort of a creamy opaque color. Since your snap will be covering, the color match probably won’t matter. Drill out your original hole, clean it with acetone, insert the epoxy putty with a little extra on top. Let it cure. Sand to smooth. Drill and set your snap back in. I would highly recommend practicing on a piece of old fiberglass or plywood first. When messing with fiberglass resin or epoxy, you have a time schedule and things can get messy and out of hand really quick if you don’t anticipate your needs.

I just applied some Six-10 epoxy today. This is the color after it is cured. See photo. You can also see a layer of fiberglass in there. That did not affect the color.

The gel coat will not be strong like epoxy, but will look much better. As Boatman said, it would be fine to fill in the holes.
 

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For the stripped snap holes, you can buy the next size bigger screw stud. Normally OEM are #8. Get a #10 screw stud and done. Worked for me.

Bennett
That is a very good idea. I like simple. Of course, you are still drilling back into gelcoat. If you feel you need a stronger base, the epoxy is the way to go.
 

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