tiny hull repair/registration numbers/deck drain Q's

[shrug]

i finally got my overhauled '95 speedster on the water that i bought back in march. effin exhilarating, i cant get enough of tight fast turns.

1.) theres a small spot a little larger than a quarter where the gel coat chipped off on the bottom of the starboard side of the hull. its not even close to being through the fiberglass and there are no cracks, just looks like missing paint but feels deeper than a missing chip on a car would.

i dont want that becoming a weak point should i ever get grounded or something. should i just do a bondo repair and touch up the paint? any suggestions?

2.) does anyone have any good ideas on doing nice looking registration numbers? id like to paint them on (i guess using stencils), but dont have much experience with gel coats so not sure what prep work and type of paint to use.

3.) my deck drain, the one directly behind the drivers right foot has been clogged since i bought the boat. any suggestions on clearing it out? was thinking about using a fish tape for running wire to snake it out

thanks guys, yall are the best.

 

[JeremyD615]

1.) Use a gelcoat repair kit if it’s not actually into the fiberglass. Something like the Evercoat 108000 kit. They run about $40, but it’s the right way to cover that up.

2.) I wouldn’t try to paint it. There are quite a few places that do custom vinyl for registration decals. Find a design you like on eBay or Amazon and just have them made... They don’t really get too beat up on these boats, as they sit close enough to the rub rail that they’re protected.

3.) The scupper by your feet are a little finicky. You need the boat to be moving in order for them to pull water through them. You can try blowing air through the line, but water will still puddle there unless the boat is actually running, at least it does on mine....

 

[shrug]

1.) roger exactly what i needed

2.) when my registration came, i went out and peeled off the port side stickers before i realized that the registration number didnt change when i swapped the title. i liked the font (very 90s) and purple color so i was thinking about having a shop nearby cut one but theyre gonna charge me an arm and a leg. i used to do sign/vinyl work so it sucks paying a lot of money -- shops charge a lot in my area -- for something i used to get an infinite amount of for free.

3.) that makes total sense now, its really just for anti-swamping while underway. doesnt matter too much now, after i finish detailing it itll stay covered anyway. not sure that ill ever want to spend the money on a cover but also cant stand the look of a tarp.

while were at it, do you have any idea what kind of draw the rectifier can handle? im sure an amp or so of LEDs wont hurt, but just wondering how people power audio systems other than a separate deep cycle you charge on land. any idea where the best spot to tap into +12V may be?

 

[JeremyD615]

I believe the charging system is only good for 160W total on these motors. We have two of them operating, but that’s still only 320W to operate the boat and any accessories... I’d really put a second deep cycle battery in it if you want a stereo and amp...

I considered doing an amp with an isolation switch so that I could separate the second battery out of the system, but in the end I just decided to bring a decent Bluetooth speaker along... It saves a whole lot of extra maintenance.

 

[Arriva2001]

#2--do you have a photograph of what your registration numbers looked like or something similar to what you are trying to go for? I have found that if you can create them yourself using something like Adobe Illustrator and work with an online vinyl place, you can get a pretty good deal. I used vinyl disorder for both my SeaDoo and boat and thought they were reasonable...but I did all of the design/layout myself. If you just write out the registration numbers using a font you like and convert it an .ai or .png file, it's not a lot of work. Otherwise there are a lot of sellers online who use a handful of fonts and colors you could use pretty much out of the box.