proper way to fill screw holes

**NNT** · 09-07-2005, 03:56 PM

in the sides and outside of the hull.i have the gelcoat i need,but whats the best stuff to use to fill the holes where previous things were mounted?also how do i blend the new gel coat into the old one so the repair isn't noticeable?

**BeastModeOnly** · 07-04-2009, 07:05 PM

free bump!

**BUSHWACKER** · 07-05-2009, 02:27 PM

Beast, don't feel bad, alot of us have failed to look at the date b4 posting also. That post by NNT is from 9/05

**BeastModeOnly** · 07-05-2009, 02:29 PM

Ha ha well I was wondering the same thing.Anybody got some suggestions?

**y2kstang** · 07-09-2009, 09:02 PM

I am not a fiberglass pro by any stretch but I have done some glass work in the past and still do my own minor repairs now. No core replacements or other other extreme skill required tasks but did a lot of repair from hurricane damage. Anyway, on with the way I would do it. first drill out the hole slightly just to smooth away any possible rot or old threads, if then get some 2 part marine epoxy to fill the holes. Be sure you wipe away the excess that comes out if working on a vertical surface (much easier on horizontal plane as you can use a piece of masking tape on the other side of the hole and just fill it in to level. once you get a good seal with the epoxy you can use a dremel or other very small grinder to grind down the epoxy just slightly and a small amount of the old gel coat which will allow the gel coat to blend a little better (keep it smaller than a quarter, dime to nickle size is about right). Then once your happy with the repair and know it is sealed well you can blend the color of the gell coat to match as close as you can brush it on, sand smooth brush it on, sand smooth, etc. etc. until you get it perfectly smooth. If the hole goes all the way through the hull I like to laminate in a small piece of mat to add strentgh and seal the hole properly on the inside as well.

Hope it helps.