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Author	Topic:   Repairing Hole Around Bow Eye
jackpathome	posted 12-09-2002 07:46 PM ET (US)         I recently acquired an old 13-Sport that I plan to restore. What is the best way to repair the hole around the bow eye?
H Slater	posted 12-17-2002 12:16 AM ET (US)             Marine-tex will do the job for you. I repaired the same damage on my 13'classic. you will want to remove the through bolt completely and fill the hole from the outside of the hull where the damage resides, fill the area and build up enough marine-tex so that once dry you will be able to grind/sand to original shape. next redrill your hole from the inside out and reinstall through bolt with boatlife chaulk for a good watertight seal.
j abrams	posted 12-17-2002 03:37 AM ET (US)             had to make the same repair on my 71 outrage. marine tex did not work for me. i cut a small stainless plate and drilled the proper hole size for the eye. bent the stainless to comform to the vee in the bow. the eye had two small pins to keep it from turning in the glass. i dimpled the stainless to accept these pins. sealed the edges with a good gualk and fill the interior of the hole with marine tex. tightend the whole mess up and it not only works great but looks sharp. eye has not worked loose for five years.
DaveNJ	posted 12-18-2002 07:11 AM ET (US)             Jack - I have the same problem as you that I must repair when the weather gets warmer in spring 2003. I planned on doing this: I have a rod, same size diameter as the eye and I waxed it up. I put in the hole. My boat is upside down now, and most of the damage is there anyway. I was going to grind and feather around the damage. I then planned on getting fiberglass threads (cut up cloth and pull 1" threads out from woven fiberglass cloth as in the "repair the whaler way" article) then add to fiberglass to get a good, heavy, thickened material. This will then be applied to the area. When cured I will then attempt to shape and grind the area to shape. Pull out waxed rod. Lots of sanding, then apply thinned Spectrum gelcoat with a PreVal sprayer. Dave
jimh	posted 12-18-2002 10:04 PM ET (US)             I would speculate that the damage was probably caused by the retaining nuts on the bow eye working loose, allowing the tension on the trailer cable to work on the bow eye. Eventually the hole gets enlarged. I have been checking the tightness of the retaining nuts on my bow eye periodically. Repair of the area can be done with epoxy or polyester resin as preferred. J Abrams' idea for a metal plate bent to conform to the bow is a good one, too, particularly if the hull laminates have been damaged in that area.
j abrams	posted 12-19-2002 12:28 AM ET (US)             keep in mind a 21 outrage is a lot more boat than the 13. 31 years had taken its toll on the bow eye. the glass around the eye was damaged. i did repair this before making modification. the problem was the eye was moving side to side due to the enlarged hole. the plate prevented any more movement. i don't know if replacement eyes have the small tits to prevent the roll of the eye but i'm sure that was the key to whole problem. also beefed up the interior washer. jim

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