Deck hole

Lazzzerrr

Member
Ok so I have decided that I'm going to get rid of my mainsheet cleats... What is the best way to fill the holes? What do I need? And how much time will it take?
 
What about some epoxy??? Which is better?

At the lowest end of the spectrum you can fill the holes with silicone or some other boat caulk. It's quick and cheap but even though it will probably last a long time it isn't permanent. If you use 5200 it's just as quick and easy and cheap but is about as close to permanent as you can get.

If you use epoxy or polyester resin you'll need to do a little prep work first. If the screw holes ever had silicone or other caulk in them you'll need to clean that out so the repair bonds to the deck. Drilling the hole slightly larger and then wiping out with acetone should do the trick. You may want to bevel the top of the hole slightly to give your repair more surface area to grip. Then fill the holes with thickened epoxy or polyester resin.

If you use epoxy you can dab a bit of paint on the surface of the repair if you care about the repair being a different color than the deck and want to get it close. If you want to go the gelcoat route you'll need to do more prep and follow the application instructions. Even then, unless you have a pretty new boat and can get factory gelcoat (or you have a good artists eye for matching colors) it won't be perfect.

Balance your repair with your skill level and tolerance for the project. If you have an old boat, squirt whatever goop you have handy in the holes and go sailing. If you have a pretty new boat take a little more care to make it look good and keep the resale value up.
 
Good points about sealant/adhesive vs resin. However, resin (either expoxy or polyesther) won't stand up to UV exposure, though 5200 does. If you do go the resin route you will need to put something on top of it to shield it from the sun. Gelcoat's generally more sturdy than paint and sticks better to resin, but involves specialized equipment and really nasty chemicals. When I repaired my mast step I got a local company to gelcoat the area for $90.

I 5200ed similar small holes on my laser 9 or 10 months ago and the ones that are sort of in the middle of a broad area, that don't get a lot of mechanical stress nor rubbing, have held up well since then. Just be sure to wear gloves and possibly long sleeves that you don't much care about; the stuff can be really messy to work with. Probably not so bad just for a few screw holes, though.
 
marine tex works pretty well for deck repairs since its white and cures hard like the original deck, you could also use epoxy resin but it won't match the deck.
 
When I filled mine I just got rid of any loose gelcoat and then mixed some resin up using some micro balloons to make it in to a paste. What also helps to to warm the area gently then as it cools the wood pad will suck the resin in making it part of the structure rather than just a plug.

Then you can simply sand it back and gelcoat it if you want it to look pretty.
 
Cover the holes with duct tape


for a few hours

and


then

when

you


come to your senses...



Fill the holes with the screws you use to hold your new cleats.
 

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