posted 10-31-2004 01:16 AM ET (US)        

Jimm
posted 11-06-2002 08:03 PM ET (US)        
I've installed the front fuel tank tie downs which went into below deck plywood backing. The rear ones will miss any backing according to my M170 diagram. Is the decking strong enough to support a 26 gallon tank tie down or should I go though the West System method. This is the one in which a small (1/4") hole is drilled and then an allen key is put in a drill to eliminate some fibergalss just below the decking. That hole is then filled with epoxy which will be drilled for screw holding. Any suggestions?....Jim

OutrageMan
posted 11-06-2002 08:25 PM ET (US)            
Go with the west method.

Brian

dfmcintyre
posted 11-07-2002 08:25 AM ET (US)            
Jim -

I'd go with the West method also. What your doing with the allen wrench (or just a bent nail in a drill) is to route out a cavity in the _foam_ (not the fiberglass....) that will be filled with epoxy. I'd try and make about a 1.5" dia x 1" deep void to fill. Try and use a slower acting epoxy, as a fast reacting epoxy can end up bubbling with it sets up.

Let it sit overnight.

If you can find or have a set of metal taps, they work great for tapping a thread into the now set epoxy. If you make the epoxy plug deep enough, the screw will not penetrate beyond the plug, and you will maintain watertight integrity.

Best- don

John O
posted 11-07-2002 09:58 AM ET (US)            
Could this process be used on the hull where I drilled a few small holes around a damp spot to dry out. Will be doing in the spring.

Jimm
posted 11-07-2002 10:49 AM ET (US)            
John, may I suggest to you the West System book - "Fiberglass Boat Repair & Maintainance". It is available at West Marine for $2.99; it's about 80 pages and full of good info on filling holes, setting hardware and patching. You might also search CW using the search phrases: screw holes, gelcote and epoxy repair....Jim

newt
posted 11-07-2002 11:00 AM ET (US)            
I have had good luck with drilling out a hole and filling with straight epoxy, then drilling a pilot hole followed by screws with sealant.

However, others on this forum recommend gluing in a wood or whaleboard plug with epoxy - and then tapping and bolting, or screwing into the plug instead of screwing into epoxy.

Different strokes....all good.

OutrageMan
posted 11-07-2002 12:46 PM ET (US)            
John,

I did the same thing with a buddies 25 Outrage this past spring.

I drilled 3/4" holes to let the water out, then filled the holes with putty epoxy. After it cured, I sanded it and the surrounding areas with 120 grit. Then I placed a patch of 10 oz bidirectional fiberglass cloth that extended 2" around the hole, and wetted it out with west. After that cured, I sanded smooth with 120 and did the same thing again with 6 oz cloth. After that cured I sanded smooth again with 120 and mixed a batch of epoxy with fairing additive, spread that on and made sure I went around the patch by about 1.5". When that cured, I sanded it fair with 220 grit, primed, and bottom painted. Can even tell I was there.

Brian

John O
posted 11-07-2002 04:54 PM ET (US)            
Thanks- O-Man,
The drill holes are smaller than 3/4 , but I imagine after I prep them they will be approx 3/4. I have 6 holes to do. All near the keel slightly offset and in about 5 inches from the transom. I plan on tilting the boat this spring to do the repair as well as a spot on the front keel where the roller cracked the gel coat down to the glass.

John

triblet
posted 11-09-2002 10:32 AM ET (US)            
John O: You'll find it much easier if you can
flip the boat rather than just tilting it.
That way the epoxy won't run out of the
holes. But it can be done without flipping
-- I've done this sort of repair on the
transom with the boat on the trailer. Insert
the epoxy, duct tape as a gasket, then press
on the duct tape with a block of wood (it
will get too hot to use a finger). Have
some entertainment and dress warmly enough
as you'll need to stay about an hour.

Have acetone handy to clean up the drips.

In any event, you should thicken the epoxy
with one of West's thickeners. You can get
empty caulk tubes from West Marine or TAP
Plastics, and use them to shoot the epoxy
in the hole.

Chuck

dfmcintyre
posted 11-10-2002 10:33 AM ET (US)            
Another way to pour the epoxy in, and no have to stand while it sets, is as follows. It's going to take some creative thinking here:

After drilling, wipe down the surface and take a piece of duck tape and make a shallow "pocket or dam", (for lack of a better term) that will allow you to pour slowly (the West system syringe works great for this, btw) down into the pocket and from the pocket it will flow into the void.

That make sense?

Once it hardens, your left with an odd shaped piece of resin that can be quick sanded down.

Don

dfmcintyre
posted 11-10-2002 10:38 AM ET (US)            
Jim -

One other think I forgot to mention in my first post:

What you are doing with routing out a void under the fiberglass (where there is no wood) and forming a resin plug is about midpoint in the "how well will it hold" catagory.

The best method is _still_ drilling and inserting a resin plug into wood. Next is the method described here. The worst, from a holding point, is just drilling into the fiberglass and bedding a screw.

Don

triblet
posted 11-10-2002 05:45 PM ET (US)            
1. In this case, there's no wood to insert
the resin plug into.

2. Even if you did, the glue between the
resin plug and wood is in sheer, which isn't
terribly strong. But the hockey puck
solution has the glue joint in compression
behind the fibreglas, which is somthing glue
is GREAT at.

3. Lot's of folks here have done the hockey
puck. I can't remember a single case of
"it wasn't strong enough.

Chuck

lhg
posted 11-11-2002 05:32 PM ET (US)         
It's possible that BW has changed their recommendations for attachments into non-backed up glass. Hate to be a "party-pooper" here.

But if they haven't, they used to say that only light duty, non-load bearing attachments should be done in those locations, simply using a self tapping screw. They used to specifically say not to use a "molly" type of fastener, which is what this West epoxy puck is, because it can pop (delaminate) the glass-to-foam bond if withdrawl forces are enough. Large, flat surface areas, with little curvature, are most at risk here, such as floors and sides of hulls.