Swim Platform Fiberglass repair

Lot of work there but doable. Going to need the boat out of the water to cut and grind from behind. Gel coat color matching is the toughest part. Fiberglass work is not fun and requires a different level of patience. I have done it but prefer to sub it out. I see a bout a $1500 repair 3 days plus haul out in my neck of the woods

 

Is this an integrated swim platform or an attached one that bolts through the transom?

 

As mentioned, grind out from behind until that piece is completely free. Grind the entire back of the broken piece and 2" around the opening. Use 3M tape from the front and position the piece back in place. Use matting and cut 2-3 pieces and glass in place. When dry, use a dremel and cut a V into the face grove and use resin with micro balloon or formula 27 putty to fill the grove. Sand and feather in place and then spray Gelcoat with surfacing agent and let dry. Wet sand and buff. Your done. same day.

If you don't have the tools, you could get by with only a dremel if you had to. But you will need the extended accessories with flex extension. Also the sanding/grinding pad. A 4" grinder would need some finesse to get there right.

Use Spectrum color to get the color matched gelcoat. It won't be perfect but real close.

 

You were lucky that's all that happened. While boat shopping I looked at a late 2007 or 2008 340DA with new, brand new, 8.1s. Something about the boat felt off to me. I asked the broker "why the new engines". Similar to you, the spring let go, the swim platform lodged under the dock and the engine compartment filled up with water. I passed on it.

 

You don't want to use epoxy on this type of repair. You want to use plain old polyester laminating resin like evercoat makes. https://www.westmarine.com/evercoat-polyester-laminating-resin-P004_120_002_003.html

and the matting: https://www.westmarine.com/evercoat-fiberglass-mat-38inch-x-34inch-141598.html?&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=google&utm_campaign=PMax: GSC>Smart_Shopping>Boat Maintenance&gclid=CjwKCAiAk--dBhABEiwAchIwkUUmBIw-BYU6WXYXkHFkWng3nTtahBdPa6WLUzdAJHaGHmfK1FSjQhoC75EQAvD_BwE

microballoon:
https://www.totalboat.com/product/g...7uCpxlVFIJRl4quxyzNrt7nPoQac9M8hoCsyUQAvD_BwE

Yes a respirator is a very good idea, I just assumed you would be wearing one.

Also when you mix the resin and micro balloon together you want it to be a thick paste so it does not run, like putty.

If your going to do this in cold weather below 50 degrees, make sure the surface temp of the platform is above 50. Closer to 80 would be best. A few heat lamps and you could do this in pretty much any temp, it's such a small repair.

You can source the above cheaper if you look around.

For the gelcoat:
https://spectrumcolor.com/

You will need a spray gun to spray the gelcoat a cheap one if fine as you will be sanding after it is applied.

https://www.amazon.com/PNTGREEN-Met...gun&qid=1673305090&sprefix=lvhp,aps,96&sr=8-5

If you don't have an air compressor get an small pancake one from amazon, you need one with a regulator and tank. You can't use a tankless compressor. Any 3gal will work fine. Also use acetone to thin and spray the gelcoat, it can also be used to clean up with. Trust me, people will tell you don't use acetone to thin, for this application it will work perfectly and help with the adhesion. I have done this many times on small repairs. I don't want to get into how to spray, your best bet with that is youtube and practice. Also the gelcoat will need to be thinned a lot.

Another approach from spraying is to roll on and place saran wrap over the finished roll and then you need to sand a but more but that is also possible.

The specrtum site has both methods so read up and good luck!

 

For reference, I purchased one for mine last year. Got all of the options included - platform, stainless rub rail, p-handles and pop up cleats. Total cost, including product and shipping was $5200. Install was pretty straightforward, my wife and I did it in a long weekend (Fri haul out, Monday re-splash), plus I added support struts under to support the extra weight of a bigger dinghy.

 

As others have said, you can probably cut the piece out and epoxy back on, filling the cracks in between to match as best you can. Sounds like you're outside. If so, I would wait to do the expox/gel coat part in the spring when it's warmer. You can prep everything now. Good luck.

 

Read up on epoxy, I don’t believe you can Gelcoat over it. As skybold said above, use plain old polyester laminating resin.

 

The back needs to have a couple of layers of matting, hard to see from the pic(s) if that is the case or not.

The front, gel coated area needs to have a groove ground into it and fared out about an inch on either side. That area should be micro-balloon polyester resin thickened to the point of almost peanut butter. Then block sanded with 80/120/240 grit, the entire area 2 inches out around that area. Then taped off an inch past that and spray the gelcoat. 2-3 coats and if smooth enough wet sand to blend and match surface height. If not smooth, then 320 until level and smooth then 400/600/800 wet sand and buff.

The reason for all of that is so it won't crack down the line. What you have now will look great at first, but potentially crack before summer is done.

 

have to grind all of crack out to get it to sit flush and be able to get cloth and resin in cracks. If you can patch from behind it best and most strength there if so. You can cut a access hole in bottom side also to fix correct. But if not then pack with cloth and resin sand flush prime and spray gelkote. spectrum has your color

 

Looks like your already about done, but check out Andi's work --> https://www.boatworkstoday.com/

Some of our guys have called him as well.