Greetings! And is marine epoxy an acceptable chip filler?

andrewl

New Member
Hello, I recently bought my first boat, a used laser. I've learned a lot by reading forum posts and discussion here; thank you.

I've seen several gelcoat repair guides and videos. But those required more purchases, and at this point I've spent a lot of money and would like to use what's on hand if possible.

And what I have on hand is some Loctite marine epoxy that comes in a double syringe. I used it to repair a fiberglass/plastic looking Hayward pool cartridge filter where the repair is always submerged and frequently under pressure, so could it be used here? Surprisingly, I couldn't find anybody having done a repair like this using the product.

This boat is just for recreation, so the fact that this will dry grey isn't a concern. I just want to know that the repair will be no less strong than a proper gelcoat repair.

I'm attaching a picture of the spot I'd like to go at. I plan on dremel-ing it out and sanding the surrounding area, squirting in the epoxy, feathering it out as best as possible with a gift card as a squeegee. Then sanding when dry. Any advice is appreciated.

blemish.jpg

loctite-marine-epoxy.jpg
 
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It looks like you want to repair the bow. The damage seems non-structural and minor. Hence, you can proceed as you are proposing.
PS: I have used Marine-Tex (another kind of epoxy/filler) for a similar repair. My 'fix' won't win any beauty contests, but it hasn't hurt my (lack of) speed on the water.
 
Purchase some white filler to add to the epoxy to thicken it up to the consistency of stiff peanut butter. White flour works also. If you don't it will run and you will have to apply many, many coats wasting allot of product. I've done this and mounded it a little then cover with masking tape to keep itin place then sand flat.
 
Lots of things you can use as filler. However, when it comes time to sanding it down, be very careful. You'll want to use a sanding block and only sand the filler material, not the original gelcoat. Stop sanding just as soon as it starts to feather in. With a little patience, you can get very good results.
 
for that Marine Tex (or generic version) is a good bet, it's cheap, you can mix up a small amount if you get the ratio close and the ambient temperature is high enough (too low and it won't cure) you can save the rest for future repairs, I've had the extra last for years until I ran out from making repairs

Bottom line it works really well and it will blend into that shade of white pretty well
 

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