A major fiberglass repair, such as patching a hole, can be a daunting task. Watching a professional do the job can help you get on the right track and be confident in doing the repair yourself. This step-by-step video tutorial produced by Sea Hawk Paints will show exactly what needs to be done when patching a hole in your fiberglass boat.
Note: Before attempting a repair by yourself, get a professional opinion. Always wears Personal Protective Equipment when sanding or working with chemical compounds! Respirator, safety glasses and gloves are always recommended.
Here is a list of products you will need for the repair:
Hawk Epoxy Resin Kit – It contains the epoxy resin, catalyst and filler for the job.
What is the best way to achieve maximum adhesion when replacing your boat’s hardware? This How To article will give you the basic knowledge you need to get your repair done correctly.
Note: Before attempting a repair by yourself, get a professional opinion. Always wears Personal Protective Equipment when sanding or working with chemical compounds!
Here are some simple steps to follow when bonding hardware to your boat:
Sand both the surface and the hardware to get maximum adhesion.
Fairing is process of smoothing out and restoring the damaged surface of the hull. A fairing compound such as Epoxy resin can be used to fill in divots or gouges and then be sanded to a smooth finish. This restores the surface to its original shape and also prepares it for painting.
Note: Before attempting a repair by yourself, get a professional opinion. Always wears Personal Protective Equipment when sanding or working with chemical compounds!
Here are some guidelines to fairing out imperfections in your hull:
Use long strokes to spread out filler compound over the damaged hull. Apply until the mixture is slightly raised above the hull surface. Make sure the compound extends beyond the repair area.
Let cure 6 hours.
Add skim coat of F5 Filler / Epoxy compound to achieve a very smooth surface. Let cure.
Sand the repair to the desired shape with 80 grit sandpaper.
Finish by applying another 2 or 3 layers of Hawk Epoxy Resin.
The surface is ready to be painted!
Hawk Epoxy Video Tutorial
For more information see these other How To Articles:
Sea Hawk’s Epoxy Pump Kit makes it easier than ever to measure the Resin to Catalyst ratio very accurately, and get the same result every single time! But how are the pumps intended to be used?
The Pump Kits come in two sizes, one kit accommodating the Size 1 and 2 Resin and Catalysts, and one kit accommodating the Size 3 Resin and Catalysts. Be sure to get the right size kit for the amount of resin and catalyst you plan on using. The Kit contains a total of 3 pumps; one for R1 Resin, one for C2 & C3 Catalyst, and one for C1 & C5 Catalyst.
The Hawk Pump Kit User Manual and instructional video explain how to use the pumps for accurate measuring, how to prime the pumps, pump cleaning and storage, and how to use the pumps with various Hawk Epoxy System Sizes.
Sea Hawk Tuff Stuff Epoxy Primeris an effective water barrier and universal primer. When applied to metal hulled boats it can serve as corrosion protection below the waterline. Therefore many boaters want to have that sort of protection on their Jon boat, and apply Aluma Hawk Boat Painton top.
When over-coating Tuff Stuff Epoxy Primer it is important to meet the required over coating times in order to achieve the best adhesion because temperature and humidity have a direct impact on dry times. QUICK and EASY RULE: When the coating is dry to the touch, yet still has some tack, it is ready to be over coated. Your thumb will leave a print without lifting any epoxy. This is called hot-coating. However, if the coating is completely cured (or after 24 hours) it needs to be thoroughly sanded with 80 grit sand paper to remove the shine, or you must apply another coat of Tuff Stuff within 6 days. Then you have an additional 24 hour maximum window to overcoat with paint.
These two products are great on their own, but they can do so much more when working in conjunction with each other.
When you are trying to repair a small hole in fiberglass, the best type of product to use is a premium epoxy. This will insure a proper repair and will not allow for shrinking of the material and create a water tight seal.
We recommend the Hawk Epoxy Kit. It contains the epoxy resin, catalyst and filler for the job. Watch the video below to see the steps needed to perform a small hole repair.
Below shows the comparison of the West System products to the Hawk Epoxy products. Hawk Epoxy is comparable to the West System with how it works and its uses. West System is known for A/B/C/D selection system size (Size A resin with Size A hardener) the Hawk Epoxy uses 1/2/3/4 (Size 1 resin with Size 1 catalyst). The pumps are sold separate with West System and Hawk Epoxy, this works where 1 pump of resin is mixed with 1 pump of catalyst, or more depending on instructions. This is just to make it easier and less chance for error for the customer and it doesn’t mean a 1 to 1 ratio because the pumps are calibrated differently and each pump size can distribute different amounts.
Please Note: This chart simply shows the likely equivalent product by brand. It is not recommended to mix the products brands.
Many people choose to paint a pool deck to customize the decor and revive a dated look and renew a concrete deck aged by weather and wear. Unpainted concrete can become slippery and may need to be sealed.
The most popular pool deck coating we offer is Deck Kote.Deck Kote a one-part acrylic water-based pool deck coating designed as an effective weapon against UV rays and weathering in a coating that is easy to apply and clean up. Longest lasting protection against fade on painted or unpainted concrete surfaces. Dries quickly, durable, and resists fading, chemicals, and abrasion. For non-skid surfaces, add sand or pumice stone or Polymetric Non-Skid as desired. Cleans up with soap and water. Designed for maximum protection against algae, UV rays and chlorine.
The Supreme Acrylic Urethaneis a super-duty commercial quality two-component acrylic polyurethane pool paint that performs well. Will not pick up to hot tires when applied to pool decks and covers up to 300 square feet per gallon while available in 100 colors.
Seal It (Deep Penetrating Sealer) treats concrete, plaster, gunnite, marcite, tile and masonry three ways; it permanently seals out water, densifies and hardens it all at once.
For a non skid pool deck area, Pro-Textexture additive can be added to the Supreme Acrylic Urethane.Use it to improve slip resistance or simply to add decorative texture to any finish. Stays suspended better than aggregates, resulting in a more even finish and improves safety.
Paints are available with non skid aggregate pre mixed in the paint for ease. An example of this is the Supermarine non-skid paintcalled Floor Grip, or Floor Grip II for wood. The supermarine paint is an easy paint to apply, especially for the “do it yourselfer”. For best results you will want to remove any of the existing paint on the surface with sand paper followed by a good pressure washing. This removes any grit or oil that may interfere with the adhesion of coats of non-skid paint you will be applying.
* Be sure to check if a primer, sealer or other products are suggested for your surface preparation in our ‘how to use’ information located on each product page.
R1 Epoxy Resin – a smooth, low-viscosity liquid epoxy resin. With a variety of Hawk Epoxy Catalysts, it can be cured under a wide range of temperatures and environmental conditions to form a high strength plastic with superior moisture barrier characteristics. Hawk Epoxy is available in four system sizes color coded on each label. Note: Mix ratios vary by catalyst. For optimal product utilization, be sure to choose the same Size for both the resin and catalyst. I.e Size 1 Resin with Size 1 Catalyst.
C1 ULTRA SLOW CURE CATALYST:Designed for use with HAWK EPOXY R1 Resin for construction and repairs with superior adhesion, strength, bonding, filling, and moisture barrier qualities at higher temperatures and for an ultra slow cure. Do not use under Sea Hawk marine wood varnish.
C2 SLOW CURE CATALYST: Designed for use with HAWK EPOXY R1 Resin for construction and repairs with superior adhesion, strength, bonding, filling, and moisture barrier qualities at higher temperatures and for a slow cure. Do not use under Sea Hawk marine wood varnish.
C3 FAST CURE CATALYST: Designed for use with HAWK EPOXY R1 Resin for construction and repairs with superior adhesion, strength, bonding, filling, and moisture barrier qualities at cooler temperatures and for a fast cure. Do not use under Sea Hawk marine wood varnish.
C5 CLEAR FINISH CATALYST: Designed for use with HAWK EPOXY R1 Resin for very clear fiberglass cloth and coating applications with exceptional moisture barrier characteristics. Perfect for natural wood and carbon fiber clear coats with no blush. Longer working times in very warm temperatures. May be used under Sea Hawk marine wood varnish.
TIP* For easy accurate measuring be sure to use the Hawk Epoxy Pumps that are calibrated to dispense the correct amount of resin and catalyst. This is much easier and leave little room for mistakes.
Next choose the best Hawk Epoxy Filler depending on the application:
F1 High Load Adhesive Fiber Filler– Thickens to a light grey color creating an easy to use adhesive designed for bonding hardware and other applications with dissimilar materials. This mixture will maximize bond strength for anticipated high loads.
F2 Structural Adhesive Filler– Thickens to an off white color, creating a general purpose thickening additive for bonding, gap filling and filleting. Mix to a workable consistency allowing sag-free and easy flow properties for vertical and overhead applications.
F-3 Light Density Adhesive Micro Fiber Filler – Thickens to an off white color. Great for bonding many substrates, especially wood. The mixture also creates a multipurpose adhesive for many other substrates in addition to providing excellent substrate wetting and penetrating characteristics. Increases impact and abrasion resistance.
F4 Bridging Adhesive Filler – Thickens to a brown color, creating an easy to use adhesive with excellent gap filling and filleting qualities. This mixture blends with many different types of wood to allow for a natural looking fillet or gap fill.
F5 Light Density Fairing Filler– Thickens to a reddish brown color, achieving an easy to sand and carve fairing compound while still remaining strong and light weight.
F6 MicroSphere Fairing Filler – Thickens to a white color, creating a lightweight fairing compound for small to large areas. This product holds a feathered edge very well and is suitable for nearly every substrate. This closed celled structure can also be used for increased acoustic and thermal insulation.
How to Fix a Leaking Seam or Rivet on Aluminum Boat
As aluminum boats age they show various signs of wear and tear. One of these signs may be a leaking seam or rivet. Over time, rivets can stretched and loosen, causing a gap in the hull integrity and this results in a leak. The solution to this problem is fairly simple and may be fixed at home using just a few tools and know-how. So, how should this problem be addressed?
Locate the Leaking Rivet or Seam
The first step is to find the exact seam or rivet that needs repair. To do this, put the boat in water and observe carefully. You could also put water inside the boat and see where it allows the water to escape from.
Assess the Damage
The second step is assessing the extent of damage to the rivet or seam. If the seam is too wide to be filled or caulked, it will need additional rivets in combination with a sealant product. If the damage is easily visible a sealant or caulk will be sufficient.
Choose a Sealant or Epoxy Product
There are hundreds of products out there that claim to fix leaks and seal cracks. How do you know which to choose? The Bottom Paint Store has done most of the hard work for you and can confidently recommend 3 products that really work.
Hawk Epoxy is an excellent product to repair aluminum hulls. We recommend getting one of the Hawk Epoxy Kitsthat will contain everything you need for filling in the aluminum. Hawk Epoxy is a versatile product that can be used for many other application too. Everyone should own this kit!
The second is BoatLife’s LifeCalk Sealant. This sealant may take a long time to cure (1 to 3 days), but it results in a waterproof, rubber seal that will adhere to almost anything. It can also be applied underwater for emergency repairs!
The third option is G/Flex 650 Epoxymade by West System. This liquid epoxy is more flexible and versatile than regular epoxies and will adhere to almost any surface. The bond that it creates can absorb shock, vibration, expansions and contractions. It will fully cure in 24 hours. Also, West System has created a detailed and comprehensive set of instructions for a wide variety of applications. They can be found atthis linkand below:
If your hull is bare aluminum you can cover the entire surface with a high build epoxy primer to help seal and protect it such as Tuff Stuff. For application details see our link for application of a marine epoxy.
Now that your leaky rivets and seams have been repaired, you are ready to paint! Check out this How To Articlefor more information on how to paint your aluminum vessel.
Every household should own a Hawk Epoxy Kitlike this. You can use it to repair anything around your home or own your boat. This kit comes with the resin, catalyst and your choice of filler. Just mix them together and you have an excellent bonding, filling, or adhesive paste.
Polyester resins are unsaturated resins that are combined with hardeners, such as MEKP.
Polyester resin is used more for fiberglass lay-up or if you’re going to finish a repair with gelcoat, as the polyester resin will bond to the gelcoat better than epoxy.
Vinyl ester resins are formulated with a base of polyester resin strengthened with epoxy molecules (a hybrid form of polyester and epoxy) and also use peroxides, such as MEKP, for hardening. These are cheaper than epoxy resins and more expensive than polyester.
Vinyl esters are more tolerant of stretching, less likely to show stress cracking and more resistant to water penetration. Vinyl ester is the choice when improved resistance to moisture is the goal (like repairing a blistered hull).
Long term water exposure (hull or water tank) or if impact resistance is important vinyl ester is usually chosen.
Epoxy resins are cured with the addition of a hardener. Unlike the polyester and vinyl ester resins, cured with a small amount of catalyst, epoxy resins usually require a lot more, often 1:1 or 2:1. A epoxy resin is the most expensive of these.
Epoxy resin has the best bonding strength as it will bond dissimilar or already cured materials for strong, reliable repair work. This is the most expensive resin but offers the most in its ability to flex, prevent delamination and ease of repair work.
If doing a repair and not overlaying with gelcoat then the epoxy will perform best as it tends to act as a stronger “glue” for the patch to the surrounding surface.
A Premium Commercial Grade Clear Epoxy Resin – Klear Kote Epoxy Resin is used extensively in coating surfaces and in table tops where a clear, hard and durable coating is required. Commonly seen on bar tops and restaurant tables. Easy to use 1:1 mixing ratio of resin and hardener. Items coated with it will become permanently preserved and protected for your enjoyment throughout a lifetime. The epoxy resin will not exhibit blushing or sweat out under high humidity conditions.
Putting a water-based bottom paint (WBP) over a solvent based primer can be done with some modified application procedures. You do NOT want to make the window, or hot coat the water based paint over the solvent based primer such as Tuff Stuff high build marine epoxy primer. If you do, it will mud crack. So instead of putting on the WBP over the Solvent Primer in the same day, you need to wait for the primer to totally cure. Then you have to sand it with 80 grit sandpaper before apply WBP. This is a lot of extra work and very difficult to sand = extremely hard surface. So the best thing to do when using a high build solvent based epoxy is to coat it with a solvent based paint. That way you skip the extra time and labor with sanding.
Marine Epoxy systems on the bottom of bare fiberglass is the best way to protect your boat against blisters. It also provides added adhesion of the bottom paint to the hull. Here are the steps that you need to take for proper application of a marine epoxy primer (barrier coat system) to the bottom of a boat.
Preparation
Clean When painting a bare fiberglass / gel coat hull for the first time, it is extremely important that all contaminants such as grease, oil, wax, salt, or other foreign material are completed removed prior to sanding or application of a Sea Hawk System. Scrub the surface with a detergent soap and stiff bristle brush.
A. Clean and de-wax fiberglass hull with S-80 Wax N’ Grease Killersolvent based dewax. Saturate cheeseclothrag and wipe thoroughly to remove any cleaner and contaminants. Be sure to remove any residue before it dries and change rags frequently to insure contaminants are completely removed.
OR
B. Apply S-90 De-Wax Etch & Cleanerwith a maroon 3M Scotch-Brite® padscrubbing thoroughly. Do not allow cleaner to dry on the surface and remove by flushing with water.Rinse entire surface with water and check for any beadingon the surface which will indicate that wax is still present. If necessary repeat step 2 again until the surface is contaminant-free. Choose your system below.
Apply Marine Epoxy Primer Seal the surface with 2-3 coats of Tuff Stuff Epoxy Primer. Apply the first coat of marine epoxy primer and allow the surface to dry to become tacky. Temperature and humidity affect the dry time, but you will know when to apply your next coat of marine epoxy primer once the paint film becomes “tacky”. You should be able to firmly press your thumb into the paint film and leave a thumbprint without any high build marine epoxy primer coming off the surface. You should use this method in between coats of marine epoxy primer and your first coat of bottom paint.
Tip: When applying marine epoxy primer over multiple days, it is always best to go overnight between coats of marine epoxy primer instead going overnight between the final coat of marine epoxy primer and the first coat of bottom paint. When over coating Tuff Stuff Epoxy Primer it is important to meet the required over coating times in order to achieve the best adhesion because temperature and humidity control dry times. It is hard to give exact times of cure. An easier rule in epoxies is when the coating is dry to the touch, yet still has some tack, it is ready to be over coated. However, if the coating is completely cured (after 24 hours) it needs to be thoroughly sanded with 80 grit sand paper to remove shine. If the marine epoxy primer is not sanded after full cure, bottom paint will not adhere.
Apply Bottom Paint to Marine Epoxy Primer Apply minimum of two coats of bottom paint. Allow 3 to 6 hours between coats and a minimum overnight dry. See the specific Technical Data Sheet for bottom paint being used. Some bottom paint may require more than 2 coats.
What is the best way to achieve maximum adhesion when replacing your boat’s hardware? This How To article will give you the basic knowledge you need to get your repair done correctly.
The Pump Kits come in two sizes, one kit accommodating the Size 1 and 2 Resin and Catalysts, and one kit accommodating the Size 3 Resin and Catalysts. Be sure to get the right size kit for the amount of resin and catalyst you plan on using. The Kit contains a total of 3 pumps; one for R1 Resin, one for C2 & C3 Catalyst, and one for C1 & C5 Catalyst.
How to Fix a Leaking Seam or Rivet on Aluminum Boat
