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Marine epoxy putty
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ContinuousWave Whaler Moderated Discussion Areas
ContinuousWave: Whaler Repairs/Mods
Marine epoxy putty
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| Author | Topic: Marine epoxy putty |
| c1walts |
posted 07-30-2012 09:24 AM ET (US)  
I was recently at my local hardware store and was curious to see if they carried any marine epoxy. I need to repair mooring cover snap holes (fill and re-drill) as well as some other minor fastener issues (gas tank mat and strap tie down). While there I was found and was looking at marine epoxy putty. For most of my repairs I am not concerned with appearance and color matching because the repairs will be covered. Has anyone had any success or has tried epoxy putty to fill and re-drill holes? The box specifically stated once cured, it can be drilled. I also know that many users have had great experiences with Marine Tex epoxy systems, and that is the repair method of choice on this site. I'm just curious if anyone has tried the putty or knows anything about it. Thanks! |
| Bensjoy |
posted 07-30-2012 09:56 AM ET (US)
I would check WEST SYSTEM's method for repairing screw holes but epoxy putty should also work. |
| Binkster |
posted 07-30-2012 11:11 AM ET (US)
Gorilla glue works well in horizontal holes becuase it expands. Damp holes will kick it off without adding any moisture. It can also be drilled. rich |
| ToneDef |
posted 07-30-2012 11:46 AM ET (US)
Marine-Tek. Slow to cure, but dries hard as hell. Supposedly can be drilled, tapped, machined, etc. I used it to build up areas around my bow eye where stress had caused fractures in the gel coat and I haven't had an issue since. |
| Ridge Runner |
posted 07-30-2012 04:19 PM ET (US)
I also use Marine Tex epoxy. I will fill a syringe with epoxy, fill the hole from the bottom up - allowing some over flow. Then sand it down. |
| jimh |
posted 07-31-2012 08:34 AM ET (US)
I have not tried the marine epoxy putty you found at your local hardware store, and cannot offer any experience about it. I use WEST System epoxy for making repairs. The resin can be thickened with many kinds of fillers. When making a repair I prefer to begin with resin that has not been thickened to wet-out the repair area. After I wet-out the repair area with resin, there is typically enough working time in the epoxy curing to permit the remaining resin to be mixed with a filler and thickened. I then use the thickened resin as a filler for the repair. |
| martyn1075 |
posted 07-31-2012 02:32 PM ET (US)
I just used a marine epoxy for small repair on the bottom due to a bad launch. The key is the mixture and allowing it to harden completely. My first attempt the epoxy would not harden it simply just washed away. The second attempt I got it right but it still takes longer then the 5 minutes that was advertised on the package. I would say at least 10 minutes or longer. After that is was easy to sand and fine finish. It has not been a problem since the repair. Martyn |
| weekendwarrior |
posted 07-31-2012 05:22 PM ET (US)
Marine Tex is darn good stuff, it does cure hard enough to drill and tap. |
| c1walts |
posted 08-02-2012 11:14 AM ET (US)
Thank you everyone for the feedback regarding Marine Tex/WEST system; however, I was more interested in results/knowledge of epoxy putty. The putty was something new to me and I was curious about it. Regardless, I will likely use either Marine Tex or WEST system for my repairs. |
| martyn1075 |
posted 08-02-2012 11:31 AM ET (US)
The kit is quite easy to work with comes with two bottles a cup and stick. Basically just mix what the directions indicate into a cup stir it together. At that point its a bit pasty but will start to quickly harden. Start to apply using the stick onto the area I don't think in needs to be that pretty because you can sand it down. I put on more then needed but as long as you cover the entire area is fine Also forgot to mention you can tape off the the area that is in need of repair that is not included in the kit at least not the kit I purchased. Martyn |
| frauke75 |
posted 08-02-2012 02:13 PM ET (US)
If it’s a convenient solution you are looking for Try West System's Six-10. Don't have to mix anything, worry about proportions and not making too much or too little. Just squirt it in and cap it off and store it. The West System guy told me: So it is like what everyone who suggests epoxy and fillers use... but ready to go and in a caulk gun! Only down side I see is that it uses a slow hardener. I used it and thought it worked good for me... but it is also the only product I have ever tried so take it for what it is worth. |
| ToneDef |
posted 08-03-2012 08:47 AM ET (US)
IMO it doesn't really matter which West System hardner you use (slow or fast) because they both take hours and hours to cure! |
| blacksmithdog |
posted 08-03-2012 09:45 AM ET (US)
frauke75: This winter I'm planning on removing the motor on my 15' GLS, filling in the mounting holes, and re-drilling them higher. The person who mounted the motor used the dreaded "blind mounting method". I was thinking of using the Six-10 to fill the old holes. I was planning on putting tape on one side of the holes, and squirting the Six-10 in from the other side. Is it thick enough that it won't run out of the hole? Any other suggestions? Thanks |
| crabby |
posted 08-03-2012 09:58 AM ET (US)
@ bsdog: Rather than fill the holes completely with epoxy you can clean them up, wet them out with neat epoxy, then use wooden dowels to fill the holes. Cut the dowels a little shorter than the depth of the holes to leave some room for epoxy mixed with filler to seal and fair the holes on either side of the transom. If you can score the dowels (or find fluted dowels of a suitable diameter) it will allow for some extra surface area for the epoxy. But as long as you wet out the holes and saturate the dowels prior to insertion you should be good to go. |
| Tom Hemphill |
posted 08-03-2012 10:33 AM ET (US)
If you fill a hole in the transom with a dowel, its grain will be perpendicular to the plywood core of the transom. I prefer to use wood plugs, so that the dimensional stability and compressibility of the repaired area will be similar to the surrounding construction. |
| Chesapeake |
posted 08-03-2012 03:16 PM ET (US)
I can see a couple of benefits to dowels: 1) the would "take up" space that would otherwise need to be filled with epoxy; and 2) less risk of air pockets in epoxy plug. Other than that, any benefits to a dowel? If not, I'd prefer the epoxy plug route in the manner JimH described. Since using West Systems liberally with fillers and coloring agents to rebuild a 69 Nauset 15 years ago, I've come to use it for many, many things. I always have a pump set ready to go in my shop. Given the filler options they have, it is incredibly versatile. |
| Tom W Clark |
posted 08-03-2012 03:52 PM ET (US)
Do NOT use a dowel. Use plugs instead. I just filled a couple small (5/16") bolt holes in the transom of a Montauk last Sunday. It was easy. I cut some plugs out of Fir to stick into the holes then mixed up a wee bit of 5 minute epoxy. I like System Three epoxy and use it almost exclusively. I buttered up the holes and the plugs and slid them into the transom. Masking tape around the holes kept the epoxy off the gel coat. I used enough plugs to almost completely fill the transom thickness. Once the epoxy kicked, I peeled the excess off the tape and a bit that did get on the gel coat. I left it to get fully hard, about 20 minutes. I then used a Forstner drill bit just a little bigger than the hole diameter. This will produce a perfectly clean hole edge and a flat bottom. I drilled to a depth of about 3/16" and filled with color matched gel coat patch paste. Done. For the lower bolt holes on a large motor, which is usually 17/32" or 9/16" you would use the same technique but be sure drill to the depth of the original fiberglass there, about 1/4"-3/8" and coat the end of the wood plugs with resin before applying gel coat patch paste. You can laos just fill the hole with polyurethane or polysulfide caulk and be done with it. It won't look as nice though. Wood plugs or caulk will compress. Dowels or solid resin will not so when you tighten the new lower bolts which are near these old holes, the transom, which is cored with plain old plywood, will compress too. You want something in there that is equally compressible or else this happens: |
| frauke75 |
posted 08-03-2012 07:33 PM ET (US)
Blacksmithdog, my advice is to listen to Tom Clark for your repair. I like the Six-10 but the holes I repaired were not were wood is located nor near where the motor mounts. I was only “re” repairing old transducer holes below the water line and followed it with Tom's Forstner bit / gel coat patch paste finishing method. Tom, a question for you; when I was looking for advice for my repairs I could never find clarity about the plugs (all the advice always mentions using them) but I made the assumption that it only applies (to use them) when there was already wood behind the repair. Was I correct or am I re-re-repairing my work? |
| Tom W Clark |
posted 08-03-2012 08:19 PM ET (US)
Yes, only use woods plug if it's the cored part of the transom or a plywood/wood backed area where hardware attaches. Essentially, the goal is to return the area where the hole is to its original composition. |
| L H G |
posted 08-04-2012 11:18 AM ET (US)
I do the surface finishing slightly differently than Tom does, and may be a little overkill, but it has produced good results for me. Before glueing in the plugs, I countersink bevel the fiberglass thickness with a grinder bit. The intention here is to make a tapered, beveled surface for bonding to the glass thickness. Then I glue in the plugs, to the thickness of the wood only. Next I fill the glass thickness on both sides with Evercoat Formula 27 polyester resin, smoothing it off with a putty knife. After grinding down about 1/32" recess in the cured surface, I skim over with matching gelcoat, and sand, buff smooth. |
| crabby |
posted 08-06-2012 10:18 AM ET (US)
@ TWC: Thanks for pointing out that thread regarding the use of plugs rather than dowels. I need to pick up some plug cutters now. |
| blacksmithdog |
posted 08-06-2012 11:18 AM ET (US)
So, considering the thickness of the transom, I assume you put a number of plywood plugs in each hole? Is it necessary to use marine plywood for making the plugs? |
| Binkster |
posted 08-06-2012 10:21 PM ET (US)
I seriously doubt whether Boston Whaler or any fiberglass boat manufacturer used marine plywood as wood backing in their boats. The reason I say this is becuase when I cut out a section of the deck on my 15 footer for a rigging tunnel, I found that the plywood under the glass was 1/2" 3 ply plywood, the same cheap plywood that we use when we sheeted roofs on homes we built. No such thing as 3 ply marine plywood. I have run into the same thing on other boat brands also. Actually it does the same job as expensive plywood. Marine plywood will rot just as fast if it gets saturated. rich |
| Tom W Clark |
posted 08-07-2012 10:55 AM ET (US)
Yes, you keep inserting glue covered plugs until you filled the hole enough. No need to cut plugs from plywood, marine grade or otherwise, I just used a scrap of 2x4. I would use the same species of wood though. The plywood in classic Whalers was plain old fir plywood made in the Pacific Northwest so that I why I used a scrap of Fir. |
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