Fiberglass boat repair

[RyanMac14]

So i posted about this last year and in the mix of getting married and having a baby it has fallen by the wayside. When i first asked for some advice, a few of you fine folks offered to help. As a refresher, i have a small 9 foot fiberglass jon boat that i throw in and out of the back of my truck alone. As a result of the dragging, the hull is a bit sheer and slightly open at a point. If anyone is willing to help me patch it or can point me in a direction to have it done i would appreciate it. As always thanks guys. Look forward to seeing you at the MnG

[Jigman13]

YouTube diy vids

[jimmythegreek]

post up some pics of the damage so we can see what the real issue is, inside and out. where in NJ are you

[RyanMac14]

Hey jimmy i remember you had offered to help. I dont have pictures on me. There is space between the bottom of the hull and the floor of the jon boat.. the hole itself is like a pencil but the scraping itself is like a foot tops..o dont care about looks just want it serviceable..will get pics when i can as i dont store it at my house. Im in matawan but will obviously go wherever

[RyanMac14]

Here are some pics. Like i said theres no damage seen from inside. I know it could be a DIY for me but with the knowledge on here and not wanting to find out i did a bad job at the worst time i would appreciate any help. Thanks guys

[NorthJerzyG]

Not sure if it helps since my boat is aluminum but..... Had a similar situation with a hole in the bottom, center of the boat. We'll not talk about about how it got there, lol..... Anyway, we fabricated a "gasket" with 2 aluminum patches, top and bottom, and used a popular brand of spray rubber for in between the patches. Riveted the 2 patches, top and bottom, around a thick layer of spray rubber. Hasn't leaked since...... Again, not sure if this would work for fiberglass but felt it worth the suggestion.....

[RyanMac14]

Hahah yeah ive considered using a certain flex rubber spray but not sure it would work well with a fiberglass boat especially since i most likely will continue to drag it a bit but this time use something to slide it on a bit more. Id rather do a more definite and solid repair

[RyanMac14]

Soooo I have been trying to get this done for about 2 years now and am determined to have this be the year it gets done. I understand that there are youtube videos that could walk me through it, but when it comes to putting this out in the water, I would rather have a little more reassurance that it's being done right. Is anyone willing to help or give any advice on who can to get some minor repair done as shown above. I'm willing to reimburse.

[logs22]

That damage looks very similar to dings I have patched on a fiberglass surfboard. They sell fiberglass patch kits for surfboards which are very easy to use and cure in sunlight. I have used these kits many times on surfboards and have had good results you should look into.

[AndyS]

Fiberglass repair kit from any boating store. Busted up my fiberglass canoe pretty bad on the North Branch dragging it over rocks full of tires. Simply lay the fiberglass matting down and cover it with the two part epoxy, it's all in the kit.

[Ken Lyons]

G-Flex from West Marine is some pretty impressive stuff. Check it out on their website. This is not a difficult thing to do at all.

[Capt. Lou]

Marine Tex great for small repairs , easy to use used it on my boats for years

[RyanMac14]

Thanks guys I'm gonna give it a go. Supposed to get decent temps next weekend so ill try then. Any suggestions on patch kits? Would it be any benefit to use any of these flex seal options in addition to the patch to prevent further damage because im going to have to keep dragging it. Would there be a better option to aid in preventing this damage

[Dclark2]

Lockwood boat yard - had work done their in the past real professional job.

[RyanMac14]

Wow they are literally 5 mins away from me. Had no idea they did repairs. Thanks man I will get a quote from them

[Ken Lyons]

You want something that’s hard enough to slide over the rough stuff easily. On a Fiberglas boat this strongly suggests epoxy. The problem with epoxy is that it never really stops curing, getting harder and harder and more and more brittle. Using it in combination with a Fiberglas mat helps prevent the cracking that can result and makes for a a very strong repair. The G-Flex epoxy from West Marine I mentioned maintains a slight flexibility that helps even further. It’s not a big job but only doing it once is better. Friends and I have used this on plastic kayaks with the exact same problem in your pictures. It works.

[RyanMac14]

So you would suggest doing the fiber glass patch and then a layer of the flex or what?

[AndyS]

That repair is small enough to DIY. All the instructions are in the package.
You tube videos are helpful also.

[Ken Lyons]

WhatbAndy said.