Filling in fiberglass hole?

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rgardner928

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So I installed a radio in a location I regret. Now I want to move it. But before I do, is it possible to "fill" in the screw holes and other holes I drilled in the fiberglass? We are talking about 12 screw size holes and two lager ones the size of quarters?
 
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I'm a big fan of epoxy resins for various reasons, about once a year I'll fill in any hull dings or gouges using Marine-Tex white epoxy spread flat and worked into the gouge using an old plastic credit card. Epoxy provides a tenacious bond and is a permanent construction adhesive.

For round holes larger than 1/2 inch wood dowel I typically use a hole saw in a piece of plywood to make a puck then epoxy this in place. For smaller holes just thickened epoxy by itself may be sufficient or a small wooden dowel saturated in epoxy. Many epoxies intended for woven fiberglass cloth layup are pretty thin like paint once mixed with the catalyst so after mixing the catalyst as per instructions I further mix the epoxy with fine saw dust (cabosil is the official filler/thickener intended for this) to make a peanut-butter consistency putty for setting the wood components into place and work it into holes.

A combination of clamps, masking tape or HDPE plastic film (like a piece cut from a 1 Liter soda bottle or liquid laundry soap bottle) is used to hold things in place and provide a "dam" to keep everything in place during the curing process. Smooth and spread the thickened epoxy using a plastic spatula, such as an old credit card. Clean up uncured epoxy and prepare surfaces for epoxy adhesive application using acetone, prepare glossy surfaces by scuffing with 180 grit sandpaper or equivalent to improve adhesion.

Epoxies can be mixed with pigment for color if you so choose, and sanded to a gloss if need be. Often it's a good idea to cover the underlying patch using a material like gel coat or paint as epoxy can yellow with sunlight exposure. Marine -Tex not so much, in my experience.

The Marine-Tex epoxy comes in white already, intended for filling small gouges and dings but it is epoxy so can be used for the entire job.

Totalboat offers a complete line of epoxy products, one is thixo, which is prethickened self-mixing epoxy cartridges for heavy-duty caulking guns but my guess is you don't need this amount, probably 1/2 pint is enough.

Always remember to mix epoxy in the quantities as per instructions or else you may experience difficulty with curing and thus results in a big mess, some epoxies should be mixed in quantities of no less than 8oz. Read the directions.

West Marine also offers a great selection of epoxy products, you might look into their line as well.

Once the holes are filled and the epoxy cured, you can use gel-coat intended for rolling on with a roller if you like, to cover over the faired area.

IMO, 5-minute epoxies have too short of pot life and don't provide a tenacious bond due to the fast curing time, which deters it from absorbing into and locking together the components.

Good luck with your project! :)
 
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