FiberGlass Maybe leak???

[eddie.jesse]

Ok so I was going around the boat to do minor gel coat repair after practicing, yeah me, and cam upon a spot on the bottom of the speedster that looks like someone ran over a rock. The unfortunate part is that is had a drip of water sitting there too!!! I starting chipping some more gel coat off and found some soft area in the Fiberglass. I don't know if this is water that got in from bottom and didn't go all the way through or if it is slowly dripping back out of the boat from washing etc. Boat has been out of water since monday so I would have thought it would leak out by now but maybe it is acting like a sponge and slowly leaking back out. we had the boat in the water for 4 hours monday and there was no noticeable extra water in the ski locker in the middle so the boat is still sea worthy. Also the spot is right under the gas tank lol. Perfect. I am going to slowly keep dremmeling away until hopefully I find all dry fiberglass or someone on here tells me to stop. So far by jabbing a babyscrew driver in I would say it's goona only be 1/4 in deep and 2 or 3 in diameter. If I can get to all hard glass I am going to fill it with structural filler.



Ok. I have drilled out almost any thing I can find soft, kind of like a cavity. I should be good with the structural filler right. I think it didn't go all the way though. Just soaked the bottom and held like a sponge???

 

[Dr Honda]

If this is in the bottom of the hull... you will need to dry it very well... and probably do a large fiberglass patch, and a re-gel. If you just put filler on it... it may crack, and cause other problems.

 

[crisso]

Get a heat gun or hair dryer and keep drying it.There is a good chance there is moisture still in there.Don't get it too hot,just good and warm for about half an hour.Then soak it a few times with acetone.Don't grind out almost all the soft bits,grind out ALL the soft spots,and then a little bit more.
As Dr Honda posted,it may need a patch of glass fibre to keep the strength is the hull.Use the best resins you can.Epoxy will stick a cat and dog together and is the most durable.Any filler you use should have microfibres in it.Epoxy resin and then add the m/fibres to it.Hope this helps but before you start,can you post a pic.?

 

[eddie.jesse]

Here it is minus sanding. I used Marine Tex. Get harder than a rock. I am just going to do the finish sand. I water tested her and it looks good.

 

[crisso]

Mate.That looks fine.If you are not going to regelcoat it just put some good wax polish over the top of it.If the ski sits in the water,double it.

 

[crisso]

Ha Ha.That's after you sand and block it off smooth